Week 94 Jun. 16 - Camp Pleasant

Total Distance: Approximately 14 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 2000 ft.
Time: 10:00 am - 3:30 pm
Weather: Mostly cloudy, warm with quite a few sun breaks.

Planned a day hike with a few recent alumnae from my high school for this weekend.  It was kind of a reunion hike.  The plan was to have Creighton, me, two former students, and one of those student's older brother.  The four other people besides me were the same four people I helped in week 51 as they walked the Wonderland Trail in 3 days.  Unfortunately, Creighton couldn't make it this day.  We looked around for hikes, and we wanted some distance.  I suggest a tried and true trail, the North Fork of the Skokomish River.  I have hiked there now four times: Weeks 37, 47, 74, and now 94.  I am not afraid to repeat hikes, I talked about that a little last week.  This is a beautiful place with lots to do.  Twice I turned 4 miles up the trail and went to Flapjack Lakes.  This week, we went past the turn off and continued another 3 miles up to Camp Pleasant.

The hike started like many hikes do.  A good group of people laughing and talking as we walk up the trail.  Within a few minutes, we seattled into a groove: the two young boys walking and talking, and the two older boys walking and talking.  They trail is easy, comfortable walking.  No one section is too steep.  We made it, according tot he trailhead, 4 miles in an hour and 15 minutes.  This is the turn off to Flapjack.  We took a little break for water and food.  I love hiking with these guys.  They are the kind of people who bring a lot of food to share.  We hate blueberries (carried in a Nalgene, brilliant).

After only a few minutes we took off again, up the trail.  We were now on new trail for me.  It was beautiful.  The Olympics are magical.  It is hard not to enjoy oneself while walking in this park.  We crossed a few creeks that were flowing fast.  We even had a blowdown or two past our last bridge, and we got to Camp Pleasant in 2 hours and 15 minutes, 6.9 miles from where we started.

We found an area near the river and in the sun.  Here we ate lunch, played made games with rocks, and the younger boys played in the river.  One kid ate another's prosciutto.  The younger boys started to "build a dam." It was so much fun watching two recent high school graduates act like little kids again.  It was almost like I could see them as first graders moving rocks and playing in the water.  We took a long break.  We capped it off with a big group plunge into the river.

We dried off and walked back to our car.  The younger boys ran ahead, while the older brother and I enjoyed each other's company on the way back down.  I almost always wear my Volunteer hat when I hike.  I got it almost 2 years ago when I helped the Olympic Park with a Marmot study.  It is a National Park Service Hat that says Volunteer.  About 15 minutes from the trailhead, we bumped into "Ranger Ranger."  For those of you who may not know, a "Rangr Ranger" is a park ranger that takes being a ranger to seriously.  This one, in particular, took to informing me how me wearing this hat was a "violation of park rules."  It was an awkward conversation, and an unfortunate way to end the hike.

Orchid: Swimming in the Skokomish.

Onion: Ranger ranger.

Picture:

Google Map

Week 93.5 June 13 & 14 - Slab Camp, Gray Wolf River, Deer Park Loop

Total Distance: Approximately 17.9 miles
Day 1: 7.7 miles
Day 2: 10.2 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 4500 ft.
Time: 4 pm Wednesday to 4:15 pm Thursday
Weather: Overcast, cool, a few sun breaks on Thursday.

This story has three parts: the prologue, the story, and the epilogue. I feel the story is good, only given the epilogue. I will tell the story last...

The Prologue
It started with a Facebook event invite from a former student who I have hiked with a few times. She was going to be in town for a few days and wanted to get a few friends out for an overnighter. I was invited and happy to go. She and I talked, and I suggested the loop Gil and I had done about 12 days ago. She felt it would be a good time and distance, so the plan was set. Overnight at the gray wolf camp doing the same hike in Gil and I had, then hike out through Deer Park completing the loop. A few days go by, when I realize I had a work meeting on that Wednesday morning. I know it's summer, but some things will not wrap themselves up by themselves. So I talked with the my friend and told her I would hike in to meet them. I would hope to be there between 4 and 8 pm, depending on when I could get there.

The Epilogue
Everyone is home safe. Nobody was hurt, injured, or damaged in anyway.

The story (copied from the journal entry I wrote in my tent Wednesday night)

Wednesday June 13 10:26 pm

I have been at the Gray Wolf Campsite since 7:08 pm. I hiked the 7.7 miles (according to the map) in 3 hours and 3 minutes. I was planning to meet 6 people here, but when I arrived the campsite was empty. I was scared but remained calm. I was nervous because these 6 other people left way before me. They were also hiking in the same way. If they were insanely slow, then I would have caught them. If they were injured and hiked back out, I hopefully would have seen them.

Trying not to waste time, I dropped my back and began eating. I had not eaten since lunch around noon and it was now 7:11 pm. I wolfed down food while I began making a plan. What I came up with was to set up my tent, hang my food, and take a small pack, and go looking for them. The tent was set up with all the non-essential, non-food items just thrown inside. I got all my food hung, and then made sure I had water bottles, extra layers, headlamp, and first aid stuff. It was now 7:50 pm. I was off to look for them.

First, I went back through the Gray Wolf Camp again just screaming a few of their names. I heard no response. I looked at the trail signs again. It was clear this was the Gray Wolf Camp where I planned on meeting them. I was 99.9% sure I was at the Gray Wolf with Gil in week 92. Now that I had a map, I was 100% sure.

I took off up the trail to the Gray Wolf Pass. I ran ahead about 15~20 minutes, yelling every couple minutes. Never heard an answer. Looked back at the map and saw Three Forks camp near Gray Wolf and thought I would check there. We had talked about walking the loop over two days, and maybe they just wanted to be on the other side of the river. The map said it was 0.5 miles from camp. When I got back my camp I thought great, only 10 minutes till I find them.

Walking uphill a bit from my camp, then dropping down to the river bank, and I wasn't paying particularly close attention, when I heard something move over a log and began sprinting up the trail. I did not have a great view, but it had a long tail and ran like a cat. It seemed a bit small for a mountain lion. Within seconds, I heard another rustle, but it was higher on the ridge, a bit smaller, and disappeared even faster than the first. I began screaming again. This served two purposes: hopefully I will find my friends quicker and I will keep some of the scary critters away.

I was in Three Forks soon enough, but again it was empty. It was getting dark I looked at my watch. It was 9:35 pm. I put on my headlamp and walked back to camp.

I got to camp, lowered my food, and snacked. I thought about what to do next. There seemed to be only two options: 1) hike out leaving all but the essential gear. Get to the car after midnight, get to Sequim by 1 am, and start making phone calls. 2) spend the night and hike out early tomorrow.

While the first option seems like the best choice, I stayed. I am exhausted. I was up at 4 am this morning packing, breakfast at 6:30, followed with a Zumba class at 7:30, and a quick lift from 8:25 to 8:50. I then sat in a meeting from 9 until 11:30 am and spent the afternoon traveling with detours because of food, gas, and forgotten gear. When I hiked in, I was not planning on hiking out, so I held nothing back, hiking nearly 2.2 mph up hill with a decent sized pack.

As I write this justification, I feel guilty. I am barely awake writing this, but I am scared for what might have happened. I keep telling myself the first rule of wilderness first aid. "Who's number 1? I'm number 1!" Take care of yourself first, then help.

I will wake up early and hike out. I hope to God everyone is safe. It's 11pm, and I am going to bed.

The Explanation
The other 6 took a right at the trailhead, and I took the left. They hiked 5 miles in to Deer Park campground. I hiked a direction that would have been almost 14 miles from their camp.

Orchid: Finding out everyone is safe.

Onion: The guilt...

Picture:

Google Map

Week 93 Jun. 10 - Carbon Glacier, again

Total Distance: Approximately 17 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 1640 ft.
Time: 12:00 pm - 6:20 pm
Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy, cool and breezy.

"What is the best hike you have been on?"

I get that question all the time when I tell people I have been hiking for now, 93 weeks in a row.  It is an almost  impossible question to answer.  In some ways, the best hike was the last on I had just went on.  My birthday surprise hike, week 61, was an exceptionally great hike.  Others stick out in my mind too as amazing hikes: week 13 with my family, week 16 to the highest point in Oklahoma, week 50 up to Mt. Adams, week 52 around Mount Hood, week 63 up to the Royal Lake, or week 91 when I saw alligators.  For now, one of the best hikes I have ever done was yesterday. Wow! What a day!

It starts with me having no confirmed hike picked, but a rough plan to hike a long distance with Creighton.  I woke up at 9 am and called Creighton.  No answer, but I started packing.  Creighton called back, and he was just waking up but was ready to hike.  I suggested the Carbon River Glacier.  A hike I have now done three times.  When I started this commitment I did not stipulate any restrictions on repeating hikes, and to be honest, I like repeating hikes, especially good hikes.  This hike has a little of everything.  The first 5 miles are along the old Carbon River road, then you meet up with the Wonderland Trail, a 93 mile loop trail around Mt. Rainier.  The trail takes you up to the Carbon Glacier, the lowest-elevation glacier in the Lower 48.

We began walking right at noon.  We were enjoying walking side by side on the old road up to the Ipsut Campground.  We made it to the Green Lake trail, weeks 32.5 and week 35.  This is about 3 miles away and we were there right around 1 pm.  We drank some water and kept moving.  We hit the campground and kept moving.  You climb a little at this point until you get to where the trail has washed out on the south side of the river.  You cross the Carbon River and get the first views of Mount Rainier.  Today was as beautiful as it ever can be, a clear blue sky behind the peak, stacks os snow with beautiful seracs hanging from the glaciers, and the strange sense that this mountain before you is alive.  Creighton shared with me on the hike this idea that there are "thin places" in this world.  Places where the separation of heaven and earth is thinner than other places.  I think this river valley is a "thin place."

We ended up taking a 15 minute break on the river.  We basked in the sun and the view of Rainier.  I hat some food and drank some water.  We then took off for the last 1.5 miles up to the glacier, the hardest 1.5 miles of the hike.  We climbed quicker than we had anyplace on the trail but maintained a good speed.  Creighton got a little ahead at the end, but only by 5 minutes.  I reached the glacier at 2:50 pm, a 3.04 mile per hour pace (including the breaks).  I was so excited by this pace.  I felt so good to finally maintained a 3 mph pace for almost 3 hours.  We took about an hour and 15 minute break.  We ate in the sun, i packed my feet in a little snow on the trail, and we had a great chat with another group.

We took off around 4:05.  I was in front and found myself lightly jogging at times.  The woodsy section on the north side of the river was cool in the shade.  It felt amazing to be outside.  The sunlight broke through the forest canopy in streaks.  We had the place to ourselves on the way down.  We cruised.  I was running the few uphills on the way back because it seemed easier.  We were down 1.5 miles in 26 minutes.  We crossed the river and I kept a slow pace as I stared at the mountain and tried to walk.  We walked the trail on the south side at a regular pace and made it the 2.2 miles in about 43 minutes.  We walked to the Green Lake trail, about 1.9 miles in 20 minutes, and we jogged the last 3 miles.  We made the final 3 miles in about 33 minutes.  That made our total time down 2 hours and 15 minutes, or 3.8 mph.

Orchid: Crazy fast pace and running for the first time with my crazy runner friend, Creighton.

Onion: Running in hiking boots and gaiters.

Picture:

Google Map

Week 92 Jun. 3 - Slab Camp Creek & the Gray Wolf River

Total distance: Approximately 16 miles

Elevation Gain: 3000 feet

Time: 6:45 am - 2:15 pm

Weather: Overcast, cloudy, and cool.  A few glimpses of shadows and sunlight.

Back in Washington and dealing with a difficult work week had me looking to really pound some mileage on the trail.  I had a crazy idea, partly inspired by last week's early hike, to get to the trailhead at 6 in the morning and walking 20 plus miles.  My good friend, Gil, was also interested in a long hike.  We found a great out and back in the northeast corner of the Olympics.  Not counting the 8th grade beach hike, it has been almost 30 weeks since I had hiked in the Olympic forest.  I was excited for a new hike in a park I love so much.

The plan to meet early was modified slightly, by me, and I am glad I did.  A late evening Saturday had me in bed after midnight, and Gil and I met at 4:30 am.  We were on the road quickly and at the trailhead soon enough.  We geared up and began walking at 6:45 am.

The trail starts at about 2200 feet and continues along Slab Camp Creek.  The trail is relatively level for about a mile, then drops about 1000 feet over the next 1.8 miles where Slab Camp Creek meets the Gray Wolf river.  We made it down to the river in about an hour, continued over the bridge, and then climbed up onto the ridge south of the Gray Wolf.  The trail, after climbing about 1000 feet, contours the ridge south of the Gray Wolf.  The river was moving fast and was definitely a gray color.  I assume this last winter has this river above normal depths.  

By 11 am, we had made it to the Gray Wolf camp, where Cameron Creek and the Gray Wolf meet.  We took a nice, long lunch break for about an hour.  The sun came out a little, but it was still chilly.  Gil went off exploring, after I had, and a couple hikers came from the other side of the camp.  I asked them where they had come from, and apparently there was a loop option from the trailhead we started at.  They went walking on the way we had come in.  When Gil returned, we discussed doing the loop, but we agreed since it wasn't our original plan, and no one would know where to find us if we got in trouble, it would be better to save the loop for another day.

I was pumped that I was able to walk three straight hours with a significant elevation change.  I have spent the month of May dieting and working out or exercising 4 to 6 days a week (including a weekend hike).  As a result, I feel great.  Hiking feels easier, due to stronger muscles and loss of weight.  We left the Gray Wolf camp at 11:05 am and cruised back to Slab Camp Creek.  It took about 2 hours, then we began the climb back to the car.  It was a great way to finish a big day.  We kept a steady pace up the hill, and we were at the car in about an hour and 10 minutes.

Oh, and I got a new phone that has the same app I used to use to track my location.  It still eats massive amount of battery life and is not the most accurate assessment of mileage.  I had to shut down the phone before the last climb up.  Here is the GPS track in a Google Map.

Orchid: Great day and distance with a great friend.

Onion: Not bringing a warm hat, or warm enough clothes for the break.

Picture:

Google Map

Week 91 May 27 - Brazos Bend State Park

Total distance: Approximately 4 miles
Elevation Gain: 100 feet
Time: 5:00 am - 8:30 am
Weather: Humid, warm, partly cloudy turning to sun.

So my great uncle, my maternal grandfather's brother will be 85 in July.  My family decided to surprise him with a family reunion this Memorial Day weekend.  It was so great, good family, good times, but hot, humid south Texas weather.  It also meant another state to add to the list of places I have hiked.  I looked up hikes near Houston on Google a month or so back when I knew I was going and found Brazos Bend State Park.  I was planning on spending all day hiking on of these weekend days.  When I was talking with my mom, she made it clear that I would not have all day to hike, and I needed to be ready to go to Galveston with the family by 10 am on Sunday.  This meant I needed to hike early if I was going to hike at all.

The park opened their gates at 7 am, and this would not be enough time to really explore.  So my plan was to get to the park by 5 am, jump the gate, and start walking.  My sister, Pam, and her fiance´, Keegan, heard my plan late Saturday night and wanted to join.  We were up at 4 am and on the road a short time later.  We were going to stop at an open convience store and get snacks and water, but between Alvin, TX and the park nothing was open.  I thought, well 3 to 4 hours with no food or water won't kill us, let's go.

When we arrived at the park we found the gate, locked, but it was secured with a combo lock.  The gate was only waist high, and a sign indicated overnight campers had the combination.  It was still dark, and the yips of coyotes, and what we later learned were the bellows of alligators filled the air.  My sister getting a little nervous, since we only had my headlamp, decided to stay in the car.  She said she would drive in and pick  Keegan and I up after the park opened.  As Keegan and I walked the middle of the road into the park, we enjoyed the relative cool morning, relative only to the heat of a south Texas day like the one we had the day before.  We saw a light off in the distance.  The light was a warm, yellow color.  At first we thought a campfire, but then as it never flickered and we approached we figure it was a street light.  Sure enough in about 30 minutes we were at an entrance station and the park headquarters.  We explored a bit, found trail maps, some bathrooms, and a water fountain.  While standing around, we heard footsteps.  Around the corner came a camper who was probably just as shocked to see us there.  We chatted briefly, and then I asked if he knew the gate combo.  He did.  We called my sister, and she was able to enter the park and lock the gate behind her.  She drove up to the entrance station and parked.  I felt safer knowing she was not on the side of the road.

By this time the sky had lightened more, but it was still before the dawn.  Pam feeling a little more confident with better vision and two guys now possessing a map decided to join us on the walk.  As we were setting off, the camper said, "if you are going walking near 40 acre lake, be careful! There are a lot of alligators out there."  This was enough to keep us off that trail until sun up.  We walked the road until we finally found a trail that was open and the light of the sky helped visibility.  We were on a well maintained, wide, gravelly trail.  There were plenty of spider webs, and I was glad Keegan was out in front clearing them away.  We got to a little drainage creek and hiked along side for about 15 minutes.  At one point, Keegan and Pam stopped ahead of me, and as I asked why, a black blur, about the size of large, fat dog, took off across the trail and into the woods.  As it ran, there were the unmistakable noises of a pig.  Keegan was pretty sure he saw the tusks before it took off, we were all a little surprised and thankful we scared the boar more than it scared us.

We walked on, and came to the end of the trail.  It ended in a huge parking lot near a Nature Center.  Here, in a large clearing, we saw lots of birds.    We could see some commotion off where the campsites were.  A few cars moving, even a couple out walking.  We took a trail to loop back to our car, that would take us by the 40 acre lake.  As we walked, we saw a ton of deer in the open fields.  When we reached the first lake, Elm Lake, we saw hundreds of birds standing on the lily pads and muck of Elm Lake.  As we hit the turn around Elm, in-between the Horseshoe Lakes and Elm Lake, Keegan spotted the first alligator.  It just had its snout and eyes above the green surface of the algae.  We were totally stocked, and we even saw it swim a little.  We walked on, and by this time we could see a few bikers and hikers out walking the trails.  The hike between the lakes was filled with birds and what we later learned were alligator bellows.  These deep, almost snore like sounds would come from the swampy lakes.  Some sounded far away, others sounded only a few feet away.  We were thankful for the sun which was now definitely out and already warming up the day.  As we walked, we heard a loud bellow and spotted the alligator making the noise.  It was amazing to see this large reptile moving up and down on the surface arching its snout into the air and extending its tail out.  It must have been at least 8 feet long.  From a distance, it was beautiful and a bit scary.

We hit a trail junction and found a large water cooler with little cups.  It was perfectly placed for us, because by this time we were getting a little hot, and we had nothing to drink. We then saw another hiker and asked him a few questions.  He was a local who came here often.  He told us about the bellows and that we were there during the mating season.  Apparently, the bellows are too assert male prowess, and the females choose based on the calls.  We continued our walk towards 40 acre lake.  We came to a large observation tower that over looked both 40 acre lake, and most of the park.  We took some pictures and found another cooler.  It was a little past 8 am, and we decided we could book it back to the car and make it back before 9 am.  This would make our mother happy, which is always a good thing.

We walked quickly along 40 acre lake, got back to the road, walked a short distance to the car, and drove back to the hotel.

Orchid: The camper with the gate code, or the large alligator we saw bellowing.

Onion: Thinking my sister would not come on the hike.

Picture:

Google Map

Week 90 May 20 - Whiskey Dick Mountain

Total Distance: Approximately 8 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 400 ft.
Time: 10:45 am - 3:15 pm
Weather: Mostly cloudy, light rain turning to overcast.

A streak of ridiculously nice weather ended this Sunday.  I had two hikes in mind one out on the Olympic Peninsula and one out east.  Since the forecast turned to a high percentage chance of rain in western Washington, and only a 10% chance out east, I chose a hike in the Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area.  The area is almost to the Columbia River and is now in land that is mostly owned by Puget Sound Energy.  Doing a quick google search got me to all the information I needed.  There is a bunch of wind turbines and solar panels out here, but the PSE still allows people to hike and hunt in the area provided they read and sign a waiver and watch a little 5 minute video.  We were at the visitor's center by 10:15 am.  I took two friends from work, Gil, who I have hiked with many times, and Tami, who came out on a hike earlier this year.  We were signed up with our permits and geared up by 10:45.

We decided to start with the 2.4 mile hike out to the summit of the Whiskey Dick Mountain.  Here there is a large array of solar panels.  We walked along in the light rain and a brisk wind.  On our way to the solar panels, we saw some elk in the distance.  Soon, a herd was running across our path ahead.  It was great.  We were walking on rocky terrain, and for the second time in three weeks I was walking in the Washington desert and loving it.  While it was overcast, the visibility out into the valleys was still beautiful.

We got to the top of Whiskey Dick and saw another little peak off to the west.  We went along the ridge and circled to the west face, where we climbed up to the top.  It had been about two hours and we took a 15~25 minute break.  We continued back to the first saddle we passed west of the summit, and contoured along the north-facing side of Whiskey Dick Mountain.  We dropped down to an old dirt road we saw, and followed it up to Beacon Ridge Road.  We then walked over into an area called the pines.  We ambled along the ponderosa pines, and enjoyed the smells of the meadows.  We walked north of a line of about 5 turbines then turned and passed them to the east.  We hit a drop off, and on our way down we saw more elk.  We had a nice little climb on our way back out of the ravine.  We hit another drop-off, but this time we elected to go back to the road.  We hopped on the road and followed it back to the visitor's center.

Orchid: Wildlife and good friends.

Onion: Rainy weather.

Picture:

Google Map

Week 89 May 13 - Oyster Dome

Total Distance: Approximately 6.5 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 2900 ft.
Time: 11 am - 3 pm
Weather: Beautiful sunny day.

I was up in Bellingham to see the baseball team from my school on Saturday, and I used the opportunity to hike up north.  I stayed with a friend who goes to Western, and he suggested a hike up to the top of the "Oyster Dome."  I got to the trailhead around 10:50 am.  I realized that I had no food but plenty of water.  I took off any way.

For the second straight week, the weather was ridiculously nice.  It was warm.  I was hiking in shorts and a cotton t-shirt.  The hike was a nice, steady climb.  It was busy, but not in a bad way.  Families were out together.  It was nice to see mothers with their sons and daughters.  I passed a lovely couple with a 10 month old baby.  I kept a steady pace, and only took one 15 minute break on the way up.

At the top, the view of the San Juan islands and the Olympics was stunning.  The Puget Sound is beautiful.  The couple I passed was only a few minutes behind, and they joined me on the rock I had sat on.  We chatted and enjoyed each other's company.  They gave me a bag of dried dates.  I thanked them before heading down around 1:30.  I was at the car before 3 pm.  The decent went fast.

Orchid: Lovely hike.

Onion: No food.

Picture:

Google Map

Week 88 May 6 - Robinson Canyon

Total Distance: Approximately 7 miles
Elevation Gain: Approximately 500 ft.
Time: 9 am - 2 pm
Weather: Beautiful sunny day.

Went out to eastern Washington and hiked along the rim of a canyon.  I took a former student with me.  He and I had a lot of catching up to do.  He was my advisee for 4 years, and we have not really kept up with one another.

We had a great hike together.  The sun was warm, and it felt like summer.  It was nice to be in a different landscape.  The Washington desert had smaller, thinner trees and in small patches.  The shrubs were knee high.  The tall grasses were littered with deer and elk scat.  The central cascades were shining bright to the north and in the distance.

I wish I would have written this blog sooner.  The details have faded away.

Orchid: New landscape with an old friend.

Onion: Can't remember it.

Picture:

Google Map