Dosewallips Hike July 2-4, 2013

Taking advantage of the Fourth of July holiday, I hiked up the Dosewallips River to Anderson Pass, a total of 32 miles round trip with an elevation gain of nearly 4000 feet.

(Click on the photos to see a larger version)

Looking back down the Dosewallips watershed from Anderson Pass

I started Tuesday night after work, driving to the end of the road on Dosewallips River. This road used to go 5.5 miles further, to the Dosewallips Campground, but after the river eroded the bank and washed out the road, it's been necessary to hike the 5.5 miles.

I brought my son's mountain bike, thinking it would make the downhill section of the trip on the old road grade much faster. I ended up pushing it up the road the entire way! I briefly tried to ride it, but my left knee experienced sharp pains, so I gave that up. I humped right up the road as darkness fell, and arrived at the old campground at 9 pm, just in time to set up camp and make dinner.

After a hearty breakfast of oatmeal I stashed the bike behind a big log and started hiking. There was considerable elevation gain, and the trail just kept going up and up. It was quite fatiguing, and I rested frequently. The trail goes through some beautiful stands of huge firs that are a pleasure to walk beneath. At Diamond Meadows Camp, I took an hour long lunch break and dozed a bit.

Crossing the river above Diamond Meadows

The last section up to Honeymoon meadows was steep and rough, with awesome views of avalanche chutes coming off Mt. Anderson. I kept at it and arrived at Honeymoon Meadows Camp at 2:30 and promptly crashed under a tree. I was exhausted. After a while I got the energy to poke around a bit. I found a way to cross the river (the foot log had disappeared), and walked up to the junction with the LaCrosse Pass Trail.There was a lot of snow and I couldn't find the trail. Maybe another time.

Resting at camp

I was so tired I fell asleep about 8 pm. Woke up at 5:30 am and had breakfast. A buck deer startled me by walking into my camp while I was making coffee on my Trangia alcohol stove. Started hiking up to Anderson Pass at 6:50.

In Honeymoon Meadows I saw two bears feeding high above me. I could only get one in the photo.

The upper section of the trail was steep but spectacular. I passed an old shelter and made it to the upper meadows at Anderson Pass at 8:00. A beautiful morning in the high country.

Anderson Pass Shelter

Mt. LaCrosse

The trail coming up to Anderson Pass

By 9 I was back at Honeymoon Meadows Camp. I took a break and started down the trail. It's a lot easier hiking downhill! 

Flowers beside the trail

These strange but beautiful rhyzomes were sprouting out of the earth.

At the Dose Forks bridge. Looking Tired.

By 3 pm I was back at Dosewallips Campground. I retrieved the bicycle and started down the hill. Surprisingly, some portions of the road were uphill and I had to push the bike UP them! One section descended so steeply I had to dismount and walk the bike down. 

Just below the campground are some amazing waterfalls. The whole Dosewallips river crashes over boulders right beside the old road.

I coasted merrily down the old road, greeting hikers with a breezy wave. By 4:15 I was back at the car, quite tired and glad to guzzle a bottle of water I'd stashed there.

End of the trip self-portrait. A happy hiker!

Here's a link to a Google Map of my trip.

Elwha River June 28-29, 2013

For my first hike of the season, I hiked up the Elwha River trail to the Elkhorn Ranger Station, a two-day trip of 11.3 miles each way. I came back mighty sore...guess I was more out of shape than I thought!

But the weather was beautiful, the scenery superb, and the trail was mostly in good shape. It was a great way to start the season. Click on the photos to see a larger version.

Since this trail is one of the most popular trails in the park, it's also one of the nicest. It's wide, with a good tread and decent slopes. Some awesome stands of oldgrowth timber in the lower stretches.

Although the trail stays high above the river at first (to avoid the Grand Canyon of the Elwha), it eventually comes back down to the river. The river was high because of spring snowmelt, broad and rapid.

Used the timer to get myself in the photo.

By 3:30 in the afternoon I reached Elkhorn. I was beat, so I flopped down in the meadow and smelled the warm grass. What a beautiful place.

I was the only hiker, so I had the place to myself, but there was a volunteer ranger named Nancy at the ranger station. She filled me in on the park. The ranger station is a beautiful historic log cabin.

I slept under the stars in the meadow. Here's a photo of me cooking breakfast.

At the visitor center I read that some of the blazes from the historic Press Expedition of 1890-1891 were still visible. I wondered about that, so I kept my eyes open. Sure enough, I saw this ancient blaze that the tree had nearly healed over the years. On the other side of the tree there was a blaze that looked like it had grown four or five inches deep around the dead wood. So I think it could have been 125 years old.

I got to the trailhead at 2:00 on Saturday. I was beat. Probably I should have chosen an easier hike for the first of the season, but it was worth it to get to Elkhorn. What a beautiful place. I'll be back someday.

My permit from Olympic National Park.

Mt. Baldy, September 28, 2012

Today I hiked up Mt. Baldy in Olympic National Park. I left home about 6:45 and got to the trailhead at 8:45, started hiking at 8:50. The trail goes straight up a ridge and it's brutally steep. The only good thing is there's no erosion, and the trail is in good shape.

 I sweated up the lower portion of the trail. It's so steep in places I climbed for a minute and took a half a minute rest.

 The leaves are turning autumn colors in places.

As I got higher I could see across the valleys. The alpine grass is turning a russet color.

It's lovely to be up in the alpine. It's completely open and the ridges seem to stretch away forever.

I got to the top just after noon, about 3 hours and fifteen minutes. Not bad considering it was 3,700 feet of elevation gain. From the summit, I could see Mt. Olympus in the distance.

I ate a hiker's lunch: salami, cheese, crackers, and M&Ms.

This view is looking up Royal Creek, where Guy and I hiked last month.

Just below the summit. I put my vest on because the breeze was chilly.

Alpine plants.

 I got back to the trailhead at 2:50, about two hours after leaving the summit. My legs were sore from the steep descent, and the bottom of my right foot was bruised a bit. Got home by 5:15 and took a shower. Great hike!

Obstruction Peak hike with Ray Flagg

Ray Flagg picked me up at 6:00 AM, when it was still dark. We drove through Port Angeles, up the Hurricane Ridge road, and turned down the Obstruction Peak road, a narrow dirt road that has steeeeeep sides in some places. By 8:25 we were at the trailhead at Obstruction Peak.

At the trailhead

We hiked about two miles until we came to a place where the trail drops into Badger Valley. We stopped for awhile and took in the view. Several groups of hikers passed us, including a very cheerful group of eight women and one man.

 The trail meanders along the top of the ridge, with stupendous views everywhere. We could see Mount Olympus off to the Southwest, Mount Deception to the Southeast, and the Elwha and Lillian drainages lay at our feet. The weather was perfect -- sunny and cool. You couldn't ask for a better day.

Looking down into Badger Valley

 After awhile we started back, arriving at the trailhead about 2:30. On the way back, I took a few photos of flowers. After I got home, about 4:30, I realized I got quite a sunburn on my face.

Google Map of Obstruction Peak trailhead:

View Larger Map

Mount Townsend hike with Larry Riggs

On Labor Day, Larry Riggs visited us from the Bay Area. We left the house about 7:45 and got to the Mount Townsend trailhead by 9:10. It was a clear, cool day. perfect for a hike.

We toiled slowly up the trail. It's a good trail but pretty steep all the way. We took lots of breaks and arrived at the top about 1:20. The views were great all around.

 There were a lot of people at the top, including a family with three little kids.

We started down at 2:10, and got home by 6:00. Katy had a fresh-baked apple pie waiting for us, which we dug into after a dinner of shishkebabs from the charcoal grill.