Hike to Bark Shanty and Camp Jolley September 18, 2020

 The weather forecast was for rain, so I thought I'd hike the easy 2.7 miles to Bark Shanty in the rain, have a cup of hot cocoa, and return to the trailhead in the rain. But it didn't rain, so I extended my hike to Camp Jolly, about 4.7 miles from the trailhead, for a total of 9.4 miles.

I left the house at7:15 and arrived at the Lower Big Quilcene Trailhead at 8:17. Started hiking at 8:30. It was cool and cloudy with some smoke oin the air from the forest fires that have been burning in Oregon and Washington.

At the trailhead

The first part of the trail is an old road that stays almost level on its way to the river crossing. Easy walking.

The trail begins on an old roadbed

It took me 55 minutes to walk the 2.7 miles to Bark Shanty. That's about 3 miles an hour, not bad. Bark Shanty is a large flat area covered in pine needles, beneath huge Douglas Fir trees. There's room for several campsites under the trees and alongside the river. Just a lovely place. I sat down for a fifteen minute break and caught my breath.

Bark Shanty camp

Since it was only 9:30, I decided to continue two miles up the river to Camp Jolley. The trail becomes a regular footpath following the river. In places the trail goes through second growth timber because they logged the hillsides right down to the river, pulling the trees up to the logging roads above. In places there are still stands of larger timber.

Big Quilcene River

Camp Jolley wasn't as picturesque as Bark Shanty, but I stopped for a break anyway. Returned to Bark Shanty and rested with my back to a big fir. I took out my stove and boiled some water for hot cocoa. It was a nice break. Returned to the trailhead, arriving at 1:10.

The only people I saw were four young women near the bridge. Other than that, I had the trail to myself. It started raining just as I got back to the car. Home by 2:17.

Appleton Pass and Happy Lake Ridge August 16-22, 2020

August 16-22, 2020

Starting out from the trailhead at Sol Duc River

I've been planning this hike all summer. I spent the week before the hike getting my gear together and dehydrating food for my meals. I made lists and checked everything off so I knew I was ready. On Sunday after church I came home, took a brief rest, and loaded up my gear in the car. I'd hope to get away by 3:00, but there are always last minute things to do, and I didn’t get away until 4:00. I arrived at the Sol Duc trailhead at 6:30, sat down at one of the picnic tales and had a cold dinner of crackers, summer sausage, cheese, raisins, and cookies.

At 7:00 I shouldered my pack and started up the Sol Duc trail. There were still quite a few people coming down the trail, although it was getting near dusk. I hustled along because I wanted to get to my campsite before dark. Made it to the Sol Duc Falls junction in 20 minutes and kept going. Finally at 7:55 I arrived at Sol Duc Campsite #1. I quickly found a tree to hang my food in, slung a rope over a branch, and hauled it up. This campsite is just a wide spot in the trail, but it’s under huge Douglas Fir trees and quite nice. Settled into my sleeping bag and listened to my MP3 player.

 

Sol Duc Campsite #1

On this trip I listened to The Greatest Thirty Orchestral Works with Professor Robert Greenberg.. He’s a very articulate, enthusiastic speaker. He explains  The structure of the music and offers a biography of the composer. This trip I listened to him discourse on Mozart and Hayden. After a few nights I started listening to Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Last year I listened to Tortilla Flats by Steinbeck. The books are quite similar, each one about a group of ne’er-do-well bums and scalawags who experience a series of delightful misadventures.

I fell asleep but later I woke up to lightning and thunder off to the west. The forecast had no rain in it, but I got up and set up my tarp, just to be sure. It never did rain.

Woke up under the big firs feeling fresh. Had breakfast and started up the trail by 7:30. It was a lovely summer day, with deep blue skies and temps in the 70s. I got to the trail junction and started up the switchbacks to Appleton Pass. It was a good trail and I took my time going up. I’m in pretty god shape because I had Seven day hikes this summer to prepare for this trip. I made it to the top of the Pass about noon and settled down to eat lunch. 

 

The trail up to Appleton Pass

 

The pass crosses an open ridge with great views to the north. I looked down on the Boulder Creek drainage and I could see across to Happy Lake Ridge as well. Lots of great campsites along Appleton Pass, and I chose one just above Oyster Lake. Had lunch, rested and took a nap. In the afternoon I wandered up the ridge to a small peak that overlooked the valley From there I could see off to the south, including Mount Olympus, with its massive shoulders of glaciers and peaks, as well as Seven Lakes Basin and Deer Lake.

Mt. Appleton. My camp was to the left of the photo.

Looking down on Oyster Lake

Mt. Olympus

I met a young guy camped on top of the ridge in a meadow and two Park Service scientists who were taking water samples from Oyster Lake.

Came back to my campsite and made dinner but the mosquitoes were fierce. Ended up wearing my headnet while I cooked, but the skeeters swarmed all around my head. Any exposed flesh was immediately attacked. Had to eat lifting my headset one spoonful at a time. Laid down in my bag to go to sleep but they still swarmed me, and it was too warm to really close off the sleeping bag. It was long after dark when it got cool enough for the mosquitoes to subside. Then during the night a cold breeze came up across the ridge and made me uncomfortable. Didn’t sleep very well.

In the morning the mosquitoes were out in force. I made breakfast and ate it walking in the meadow trying to keep the mosquitoes off. It was a relief to start hiking. The trail down the north side of the Pass plunges down a series of steep switchbacks, then travels through a jumbled canyon where the trail is rocky and brushy. In places the brush was well over my head and so thick it obscured the trail beneath my feet. Awkward going. 

Bridge across Boulder Creek

Kept on going through a series of switchbacks down to the lower part of the trail. Stopped to take a look at Upper Boulder Creek Falls. Very steep canyon that makes it difficult to get a good view of the falls. Went a little further and stopped off at Lower Boulder Creek Falls. Although not as tall as the upper falls, they’re quite impressive. Took a video of the water roaring over the falls.

 

Lower Boulder Creek Falls

Continued down the trail, rather tired, and got to Boulder Creek Campground about noon. Asked directions from a couple in their thirties who said showed me where the campsites were. The campground used to be a car campground until the road washed out, so there are nice big camping sites under big fir trees. Quite a lovely place. I took ownership of a nice open site with a big log to lean up against. Had lunch, took a nap and relaxed. Put my food up on the bear wire and looked around a bit. The nearest water is all the way down at the creek, which was a five minute walk down the switchbacks. Got water, returned to my campsite to rest up.

 

Relaxing at Boulder Creek Campground

 

Later I went down to the creek, crossed to nice big footbridge and looked for the hot springs. The first looked like a big mud puddle with rocks around it, and the second was about the same but larger. Not very inviting. I wandered further until I saw a trail going straight up the hillside. I followed it and found a nice little hot spring pool. The water was clear so I took off my clothes and eased myself in. It was just the right temperature, like a hot bath. There was a stone to sit on so I didn’t have to sit on the mud bottom. It was pretty relaxing. Returned to camp, made dinner, listened to The Thirty Greatest Orchestral Works.

Hot springs pool

In the morning I woke up early, had granola for breakfast and started hiking by 7:00. I knew I had a long day ahead and wanted to get an early start. I hiked down the old road which has been abandoned by the Park Service and turned into a trail. Nice easy hiking. Got to the Happy Lake Ridge trailhead by 8:45, took a break and started up the switchbacks at 9:00. It was a lovely clear morning with blue skies and cool temperatures.

 

The trail up to Happy Lake Ridge

The trail is steep but the ascent is steady and the tread is very good, mostly pine needles. I took it slow, stopping whenever I was out of breath and resting fifteen minutes after every thirty minutes of hiking. By noon I had made it to 4,000 feet and took a 45 minute lunch break. Continued on and had some nice views of Mt. Olympus and Mt. Carrie to the south. When the trail reached the top of the ridge, it leveled out a bit and I made it to the junction t9 Happy Lake by 3:00. Sat down, pulled out my phone and called Katy. I was shocked when she answered and sounded like she was right next to me. I asked if she could pick me up at the Elwha River and take me back to my car. That way I wouldn’t have to go back over Appleton Pass on Friday when it was likely to be raining. It was great to hear her voice.

Started down to the trail to Happy Lake. By this time it had clouded over and it felt like a front was moving in. The trail to the lake is kind of rough and steep, but I got there by 3:30. Looked around a bit and found a campsite under a tree that provided some protection from the wind. While I was resting, the guy I met at Appleton Pass showed up. We had a short chat and I left to set up my camp. I was pretty tired after climbing 3,700 feet in elevation.

 

Happy Lake on a cloudy afternoon

My campsite at Happy Lake

 

Happy Lake was dark green, hemmed in by trees with a couple of grassy areas near the upper end. With the clouds moving in, it seemed like kind of a gloomy place. Maybe in the sunshine it looks like a happy lake. Set up camp, made dinner with m6 headset on to ward of the mosquitoes. At least they weren’t as bad as the previous night.

It rained during the night, but I was dry and warm under my tarp. Woke up, had breakfast and started by 8:30. I was still tired after yesterday’s ascent so I struggled to make the miles on this day. The brush was wet from the rain so I put on my rain pants which made it which more comfortable. The hiking was fairly easy along the ridge, with the trail dipping and rising every so often. I had a few good views of Aurora Ridge, but the clouds prevented me from seeing Crescent Lake or any other view. I had intended to hike the 1.8 miles out the Aurora Ridge trail to pick up that section, but I was too tired and it was too wet. 

The trail along Happy Lake Ridge

Looking off toward Aurora Ridge

Took a break when I reached the junction, then started down to Boulder Lake, shrouded in clouds. The trail goes steeply down and has a series of switchbacks before it gets to the lake. Arrived about noon and took a good break in the nice campsite in a cluster of trees. 

Lunch at Boulder Lake campsite

 

Boulder Lake

After lunch I took a walk through the meadows near the lake and enjoyed lots of wildflowers. It began to rain lightly as I left the lake and started downhill to Boulder Creek Campground. I met a couple of women coming up for a day hike. I was tired but I wanted to get to camp before it rained so I kept going. 

 

Got to camp about 3 pm and settled my bones under a cedar tree that kept the rain from falling on me. After a while I got up and set up my tarp between two big trees. Pretty nice campsite with lots of flat area. The rain began to fall steadily but I just curled up with a crossword puzzle. Made dinner and lowered the tarp so no rain could get under the edges. Slept warm and dry.

 

My camp at Boulder Creek Campground

Woke up to light rain, had breakfast, started down the same trail I hiked on two days before. The rain increased, and by the time I passed the Happy Lake trailhead it was really raining. I had my rain jacket and rain pants on, and I put the rain cover over my pack. It was pouring for a good part of the way. Passed a number of young people going up the road, about half of them on bikes. One young women on a bike was soaked but she seemed quite cheerful as she pedaled up the road. I could feel the rain starting to penetrate my rain gear.

Rain in the trees on the way down the road

Rainy hiking

Finally at noon I stopped at the site of the old dam. There was an outhouse there with a small porch, so I curled up out of the rain and had some trail mix. It felt good to rest up out of the rain. Continued down the road. More people came by, including young families. Crossed the bridge and came to the ranger station and warehouse compound. I sat under the porch of one of the buildings and had lunch. Took a good long break because I was tired. It stopped raining and began to show some small patches of blue sky.

As I sat there, I imagined what it must have been like in that compound in the fifties and sixties. Crews getting ready to go out on the trail or returning, supplies being loaded and unloaded, trucks, horses, men milling around. It must have been an exciting place to be. I’m glad that they’ve reroofed the building with cedar shakes and seem to want to preserve the buildings.

Walked on down the road expecting to camp at Elwha Campground. Unfortunately it was washed out when the road was washed out by the river. I had to take the bypass trail to get around the washout and it was more difficult than I expected. I was fatigued, so climbing up a couple hundred feet seemed like a long ways. Finally got around it and I could see the Madison Falls parking lot, so I started looking for a place to camp. Took a fisherman’s trail along the river but it was overgrown with trees and brush. Finally found a tree to sit under and take a break. After a while I found a place near the river, but I waited to set up there because so many people were passing by. The trailhead at Madison Falls parking lot was jammed with vehicles and there was a steady stream of hikers up the road. The sun came out for a while and made the river sparkle, and I soaked up the warm sun. Finally made camp, had supper, and put up the tarp.

The sun breaks through on the Elwha River near my campsite

My campsite near the Elwha River

I slept well. In the morning I had breakfast and started down the road. Strange to walk on a road with regular houses on it. By 9:30 I came out on Highway 101 and waited for Katy to pick me up. She arrived precisely at ten. It was good to see her and know I had reached the end of my journey. We drove to Sol Duc trailhead, picked up my car and started back home. We stopped at Crescent Lake Lodge and had a picnic next to the lake. I was hungry and the food tasted great. We got home by about 3:00.

Sundown Pass from South Fork Skokomish River, August 3, 2020

South Fork Skokomish River to Sundown Pass and Sundown Lake

14.4 miles and 3,100 feet elevation gain

On Sunday, August 2, I drove up the South Fork Skokomish River to the upper trailhead. The lower part of the valley is quite lovely with small farms beneath the scraggly timbered hillsides. There were a lot of local people swimming and picnicking on the Skokomish River gravel bars. Arrived at the trailhead at 6:00 pm. Explored a little, heated up some canned beef stew and started hiking at 6:30.

I traveled light, taking only my red day pack, a sleeping bag, tarp, and sleeping pad. No stove or cooking gear. The first part of the trail is an old road so it’s easy going. Then the trail crosses the river on a huge cedar tree that blew down in just the right place for a foot log. 

Foot log across the Skokomish River

The trail parallels the river, gaining elevation gradually as it winds through big firs. It was a quite pleasant walk in the late evening. Arrived at the next river crossing at 7:40 and made camp after crossing the river on the rocks. The mosquitoes dive-bombed me until after sunset when it began it cool down.

 

My camp along the Skokomish River

 

Had cold cereal for breakfast the next morning and started up the trail at 6:40 am. I left my sleeping bag, pad, and tarp at the campsite. It was cloudy the whole day but there was no rain. The first part of the trail was well made and maintained, but after crossing into the Park, the the trail deteriorated into a rough path. Near the pass, it was steep and the footing was poor. 

 

The lower trail

At the pass

Made it to Sundown Pass at 10:20 and to Sundown Lake at 10:40. I was here two weeks ago but I couldn’t see the lake for the fog that day. Today I had a good view of the lake and the basin. Rested briefly and began the return trip.

 

Harebells and other flowers just below the pass.

Sundown Lake

 

Went back over Sundown Pass and started down the other side. Had lunch at a campsite near one of the meadows and kept going. 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking down the Skokomish valley

A tarn just below the pass

 

Picked up my gear where I left it at the campsite by the river and hiked the last two miles out. My feet were sore from all the pounding, but I made it to the car by 3:40 pm, just as the clouds began to break and let the sun through a bit. Drove home without stopping so I could make it for supper.

Little Divide Hike July 28, 2020

From the Sol Duc Hot Springs trailhead to Mink Lake, up to Little Divide, along the divide to Deer Lake, down to Sol Duc Falls, the along Lovers Lane trail to the car at the trailhead. 14.0 miles, 2,400 feet elevation gain.

I left work about 4:00 on Monday afternoon and drove to Sol Duc. After stopping at Fairholme campground and seeing it was full, I drove to Sol Duc Hot Springs and looked for a place to sleep that would be out of the way of the park rangers. I walked down Lovers Lane trail about five minutes and found a perfect place near the river, just off the trail. Returned to the car, drove to the Sol Duc Falls trailhead where I sat at a picnic table and had dinner. Lots of people come out from the trail. About 8:30 I drove back to the Hot Springs, parked, and took my sleeping bag and big foam mattress to my camping spot. Slept well. Woke up in the night to see the stars peeking through the vine maple leaves just above me.

Got up, walked back to the car and set up the Coleman stove behind the car and made breakfast. Coffee and granola. Started up the trail at 7:15 am. It felt pretty good to go up the switchbacks in the cool air. Made it to Mink Lake at 9:00. Stopped at the shelter, met to talkative young women who were planning to hike up to Little Divide, down to Deer Lake, and up to Lunch Lake. Hope they got started soon after I left. That's a stiff hike.

Mink Lake

Kept on going up to the divide. The trail goes up but not too steeply and I still felt fairly fresh. Made it to the junction at 10:25. Started in an easterly direction along the divide between the Sol Doc valley and the Bogachiel watershed. Really a lovely trail along the ridgetop or traversing slightly below the ridge. There was a cool breeze blowing from the Bogachiel valley that kept the mosquitoes off. The tread of the trail was soft and easy. Not many people hike this trail.

Little Divide trail

At 12:00 I arrived at the place where the trail drops over the ridge and starts down. Stopped for a leisurely 30-minute lunch with the breeze coming through the gap. Took my boots off, laid down in the sun, and rested.

At lunch

Started off again, down to Deer Lake. Arrived at 1:15. Lots of people, including families. I could hear their voices across the lake.

Deer Lake

Started down the trail below the lake. It's a terrible trail, quite eroded and full of rocks and boulders.

By this time my feet were starting to hurt. My boots are wonderfully supportive but after eight miles my feet hurt anyway. Passed lots of people coming up to Deer Lake, including a group of eight young women. I had my mask around my ears and tucked under my chin. When I saw anyone approaching, I pulled it up until they passed. A lot of people would guiltily raise their mask when they saw me or turn away from me and cover their mouth and nose.

Mask at the ready

Sol Duc Falls

Got to the Lovers Lane trail junction at 3:15, took a break to rest my feet. Made a quick detour to photograph the Sol Duc falls, then started on the Lovers Lane trail back to the car. It was pretty flat, easy going, but I was tired and my feet were in pain. Slogged along trying to appreciate the towering douglas fir trees and tall ferns. Made it back to the car at 4:15, took off my boots and rubbed my poor feet before putting on softer shoes.

Drove home, stopping at the Starbucks drive-through in Sequim for coffee and a cheese danish. Boy, was it good.

Sundown Lake, July 17, 2020

Hiked up over Wynoochee Pass, down to Graves Creek, then up to Sundown Lake. Returned the same way.

Wrapped up things early at work on Thursday afternoon and left directly at 4:00 pm. Drove through Shelton, then continued west on County roads which gradually got smaller and rougher. Ended up on a gravel road with a rough surface, wondering, why did Google tell me to go this way? But after a short ways it intersected with the smooth asphalt highway up the Wynoochee River from Montesano.

Drove up to the Wynoochee Dam and took a side road to check out the Forest Service campground (full) and the dam. Continued on the road up the river which turned into gravel. I kept looking for a camping spot on the side of the road, but every available pullout was crammed with campers. Finally at Wynoochee Falls I found a wide place in the road and set up my tent on the gravel. Not the best place, but it sufficed.

Made dinner (canned stew heated up on the Coleman stove) and walked down to the falls. Pretty.

Wynoochee Falls

I was up about 6:15, made breakfast and packed up. Drove to the trailhead on rather rough logging roads and started hiking by 8:00. The trailhead is on an old logging road on a steep hillside. When I looked back at the lower Wynoochee valley, I could see the fog laying in the valley, but it was sunny at the trailhead.

The Wynoochee Valley in the morning

The trail started with a half mile on the logging road, then plunged into old growth forest. It was a lovely trail, sidehilling around to the left, gradually climbing. It felt good to be hiking with fresh legs and comfortable feet. The trail crossed a few streams, then turned to the east as it climbed up to the pass, Somewhere in there the clouds covered everything and it became foggy and damp. When I reached the pass at 10:00, the brush was soaked and I was wet from the waist down.

Tarn at Wynoochee Pass

There was a couple of tarns at the top of the pass with some pretty pink flowers I wasn't familiar with. Started down the other side with a bg switchback and along traverse down to the creek. I was thikning, maybe I should just turn around at the creek. Won't be able to see much at the lake anyway. But I met a hiker just coming up from the creek. He said he'd come from Sundown Lake. "You ought to go see it," he said. "It's not that far." So I decided I might do that.

Took a break at the creek at 11:00, then I decided I would hike until noon and decide whether I would go to the lake or not. It was gloomy and dark in the big timber, with fog on the hillside. By noon I was near the top of the switchbacks to the lake, so I decided to keep going. It was a steep climb up to the lake, then it leveled out as the trail traversed over to the intersection with the South Fork Skokomish trail.

Fog near Sundown Lake

A little bit further, and I came to the lake, although I couldn't see it at first. The fog was laying right on the water, and it all looked the same.

Sundown Lake

Sat down and ate lunch, but it was too cold for a long break so I started back after about 15 minutes. Went down the switchbacks and arrived at Graves Creek at1:30. By this time I was getting a little tired. Climbed back up the trail to Wynoochee Pass, took a break, then hiked slowly down the trail to the car. I was tired and my feet hurt.

Arrived at the car  at 4:30 pm with the clouds clearing away and a nice view from the logging road.

Wagonwheel Lake and Cub Peak July 10, 2020

Woke up about 5:30 and went to Starbucks to pick up a coffee and breakfast wrap and started driving about 5:50. Arrived at Staircase Trailhead at 7:20 and was hiking by 7:30.

It was cool and overcast when I started up the switchbacks. The sign at the trailhead said, “2.9 miles, Very Steep.” Actually I didn’t think it was that bad. The trail was steep but the tread was good and I made my way slowly up the ridge, stopping every 30 minutes for a breather. I felt really good. My feet were comfortable in my boots, my legs felt good, and my heart and lungs were pumping away. When the endorphins get going, it feels great.

About 10:30 the trail began to level off, I crossed an avalanche chute with lots of slide alder and arrived at the lake at 11:00. There wasn’t much to see because trees and brush crowd the lake. I took a 20 minute break and continued up the boot path to Cub Peak. On the way up I met a man coming down who said that the views from the peak made the hike worthwhile. 

The boot path was a scramble in many places, requiring handholds from nearby brush and tree limbs. I could feel my left ankle starting to hurt and my left foot felt weak. It was about 500 feet elevation gain and I made it to the top, quite tired, right at 12:00. I sat down on the heather and moss and had a good break and ate lunch. I was there for 45 minutes enjoying the view and resting. 

The clouds that were coming up the valleys against the ridges began to disperse and I had some nice views.

I started down at 11:45 and quickly began to feel the stress of descending. The bottoms of my feet and the tops of my thighs were screaming, especially near the end of the day. It seems like this switchbacks would never end. I arrived at the parking lot at 3:45 and flopped thankfully into the car so I could take off my boots and give my feet a much needed rest.