A quick drive to Toothrock Trailhead offered us an empty parking lot to get geared up in.  Just over an hour from our garage at home, we were on our way up Forest Road 777, heading for somewhere up Tanner Creek.  The guidebook told of a campsite at the end of a long-forgotten trail, just past trail #430 to Moffett Creek.

We talked.  We sang.  We played games along our path.  We spotted various slugs and other creatures of the forest that were out doing what they needed to before the heat of the day hit.

The road tilted ever so gently to it's maximum elevation of around 1500 feet.  The walking proved easy, but as Amber was on full chatterbox mode, not much thinking could be accomplished. 

So many beautiful flowers were in boom, Amber stopped frequently for a quick sniff as Foxglove, Columbine and Balsamroot occasionally lined the road as we walked.  Reaching out to taste Lemon Mint and Sour Grass gave us a tasty reminder that summer was just around the corner.

We soon passed the Tanner Butte Trailhead; one that I know all too well.  I thought if we could not find what we were looking for, we could take the Tanner way trial and spend the night at Dublin Lake.  Although that would be a heck of a climb for my little girl, she seemed to be enjoying herself more as the miles passed.

Very few people actually hike past the Tanner Butte Trailhead.  Once passed, the trail becomes more overgrown, soon passing through a gate that closes off for winter.  Although recent bulldozer activity helped clear the road of such foliage, we snuck up on two White Tailed Deer grazing along it's side.

The deer took off in an awful hurry, crashing through the woods at an accelerated pace.  Amber glanced down to notice wild strawberries already in bloom.  She greedily started foraging as I only had the power to have a sit and watch her go at it.  She was thoughtful enough to give me the last one though.

The miles rolled by as we sang silly tunes that we made up as we went along.  We stopped at all the small waterfalls to have a sip of untreated water before rambling on.  The water was cold.  Far colder than anything I had at home due to the snowmelt not far above us.

Over the years, Amber has really taken a shine to nature in a way that is extraordinary for a child her age.  She would rather be out here, exploring, than playing on the Wii or watching TV, both which she rarely does. The three mile-per-hour pace she was setting would keep most day hikers working liberally, despite the fact she wore an overnight pack.

We soon arrived at the end of the road and had to scout out the trail.  I remember this from my hike back in 2004 as the trail was easy enough to find, but hard to follow.

But follow we did as we quickly made it to the sign telling us the direction to head.  The trail was very overgrown here and was in dire need of  maintenance.  Blow-down, Devils Club, and various ferns blocked our route, but I pushed through, creating a short-lived wake for Amber to follow in.

After crossing the first creek, we came to ripening Salmonberries.  I picked a few as some were riper than others.  Amber tried one, but winced at the taste as she was spoiled from the candy-like flavor of the wild strawberries she had earlier.

The mile to the Moffett Creek trail seemed to take forever as we crossed over a plethora of seasonal creeks.  After balancing, tip-toeing and jumping, we simply let our feet get wet and stomped our way through the creeks that did not sport a bridge.  After a short rest, the only human being we saw, or will see, all day stopped briefly as we had a chat.  He mentioned that the sections we were on and the one we planned to camp at have not been maintained for over twenty years.  I believed him.

We finally stumbled up to the Moffett Creek Trail and fumbled our way down to the creek.  Amber asked me what we should do as she was getting a bit tired and hungry.  I found a nice flat spot and unpacked a few things, screwing my stove together.  I laid out her sleeping pad and told her to lay down and enjoy the peace.  She stared at the fast, flowing water while I made us some wild mushroom couscous.

"We cant camp here dad.", she said while shoveling mouthfuls of couscous.   She was right as the entire area was so overgrown, there wasn't room to pitch a tarp or even throw out our bags.  I asked her if she had anything left for the small hike to the said "campsite".  I was given an immediate "Yep." in return.

After 10 minutes, we stumbled into a very small site, complete with a fire ring.  As the day was growing hotter, the forest took on a more tropical ambiance with high humidity and increasing temperatures.  After dropping our packs, Amber and I sauntered our way to Tanner Creek to look for a spot to cool down while treating water.

The water was ice cold.  The sun was scorching hot.  It as a perfect combination to read while letting feet dangle off my rock.  Shirt off and Edward Abbey in my hands, I read a while as Amber looked around for things kids would find interesting.  A half hour went by before I decided that a nap would be proper.  Amber soon followed as a nap soon turned into deep talk and tickle wars.  I asked Amber if she wanted to go home tonight.  She quickly responded with the question of what I wanted to do.  We talked about it a little before packing up and thumping our way out of the tropics.

The plan was to hike as far as her little legs could handle.  The cameras clicked away as we took pictures of various oddities found in the valley.  The age of this place and the absence of living things gave it a spooky nature.  Normally I see deer droppings or some kind of scat left by a cat, but nothing could be found here.  No deer, no vermin of any kind, and very few birds or bugs.

I found it beautiful nonetheless and continued my rubbernecking as I pushed my way through the shrubbery.  Often I would ask Amber how she felt with an immediate reply of "Great!".  She just overwhelmed me.  My little tike is an animal as I know very few adults that could hack 13 miles in a day not including the bushwhacking and exploring.

Amber found a her hiking stick she left behind on the way in and used it to practice crossing various creeks.  In two and a half hours, we made it to the Tanner Butte Trailhead and took a long rest.

The coolness of the covered, waterfall-viewed area was welcomed.  Shoes were taken off and sleeping pads were laid out.  Again, amber told me she felt great, but said that she was getting a little tired.  It still did not stop her from being a goofball. 

As we only had two more miles to go and an hour before the sun started to set, we rolled up our pads and sauntered our way back to the truck.  The heat increased dramatically after leaving our resting spot.  Amber was all smiles at the thought of what she had accomplished today.  I was simply awestruck.

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