Royal Basin: Summer 2005

The Royal Basin trip was the second installment of the Anne Kramer Death March. This time I had two victims friends to hike with: Jill returned for another round of torture and our good friend Keri came along too. We decided to do this hike in three days instead of two. On the first day we drove to Sequim, met up briefly our friend Molly who lives there, and then made our way up to the trailhead. Royal Basin, known for its beauty and remoteness (there are no connecting trails), is about 7 1/2 miles in. Despite the "Death March" title, the girls and I decided to take this hike fairly easy.

We hiked in about 3 miles the first day and camped by the river. The second day we tossed lunch, water, and a first aid kit in one pack and took a day hike up to Royal Lake. It was hot, but the hike was pleasant and the meadowland on the way to the lake was beautiful! Once at the lake, we took a walk around the perimeter and then sat down for lunch. We attempted to lounge at the lake and read magazines (very girly of us) but the bugs were pretty bad so we headed out. It was nice to return to an already-assembled campsite for our second night.

We headed home the next day... no injuries this time! I had a great time and I think the girls had fun too. After this hike, life got busy and Jill, Keri, and I each had growing families. We never had round 3 of the Death March, but maybe someday we will.
Here's Jill and Keri about halfway through the hike:


Royal Lake and the Basin... beautiful country:


Jill and I in the meadow:

Looking down the valley: