We just returned home from a quick visit to Washington for the annual Garland Mineral Springs, LLC Members and Family gathering.
The day before the gathering we trekked out Highway 2 to visit Garland. The Index-Galena road is still closed so we headed up to Skykomish and entered via Jacks Pass. It was amazing to see the number of cars on Jacks Pass, this area has become a very popular hiking destination.
We found Garland as expected with quite a few felled trees on the property from river erosion. There are several cabins still standing but none would be considered inhabitable.
My son Scooter did some exploring across the river and found some fresh Bear tracks. The Mineral Springs are cool as there is a lot of fresh water entering the Mineral Springs pools. I took a knee and drank from the water that helped my Grandfather live past 90.
Visiting Garland always stirs mixed emotions. Fond memories, wishful thinking and a recognition of the debilitating amount of work that would be required to make Garland useful again. However the meeting went well and the Members and Family are committed to push forward with solutions to keep Garland in the family for future generations to enjoy!