My wife and I hiked in 13 miles to Home Sweet Home on Sunday, 8/10, departing Staircase at 1:15pm. The first 6 miles are flat, easy hiking and the trail crew had been through already, so no issues. Over the next 4 miles, there were significant blow-downs and trail damage between Camp Pleasant and Nine Stream. We ran across the trail crew at Camp Pleasant and they had some serious work to do removing massive trees and rebuilding the trail in places. Above Nine Stream the trail is very overgrown with slide alder, devil's club, and much greenery that all but obscures the trail. Some nice wildflowers (columbine, delphinium), but lots of thorny growth as well. We made it over First Divide at about 7:30pm and saw Home Sweet Home on the other side- beautiful! We got there and managed to camp with a little daylight left at about 8pm.

The next morning (Day 2) we hiked 6 miles or so to Marmot Lake, a beautiful little tarn that melted out a few weeks back. To get there, you descend on the Home Sweet Home trail 2 miles (and lose 1800 feet) before merging with the Upper Duck and gaining it all back in 4 rough miles (blow-downs, bugs, some up and down loss of elevation). Arrival at Marmot Lake was sweet; while the tent sites can be a little hard to locate we ran into a helpful ranger who showed us a great one. You turn left at the trail fork near the lake and climb the short, steep rise toward the bear wire and turn right to a lovely little flat plateau. From here, you can see Marmot Lake below (north), the Duckabush Valley out to the Hood Canal (east), and Mount Duckabush to the south.

On Day 3 my hiking companion decided that the bugs were a bit much and was ready to go home. I joked that all we had to do was hike out 20 miles and we could be home- with a day off to boot! I thought this was somewhat impossible and was therefore a safe comment... We had planned on going out the way we came and spending the third night at Home Sweet Home. We arrived at Home Sweet Home at about 2pm and encountered a lot of bugs and skies that threatened rain. After a few hours of discussing restaurant food and hot showers, we didn't really fancy unpacking the tent again. We decided to bust out another 13 miles and get home to our pets, garden, etc. I wouldn't recommend the 19 miles day we had, but it always feels good to take the boots off when you get to car and get some food that wasn't cooked on a stove (in this case, McDonald's, which I NEVER eat). I should give great credit to the trail crew, who did amazing work since we had passed two days before. I think next time I will take the Quinault path to Marmot Lake, but the road washed out this year 4.5 miles from Graves Creek, so it's a bit of a slog to Enchanted Valley.

Because of the closure of Staircase we entered and exited the region through the Graves Creek trailhead. Trail to Enchanted Valley was in good shape, as well as the trail up to Anderson Pass. The campsite just north of Anderson Pass was in serious need of repairs, and there is no water available there. Nearest campsite is at the LaCrosse Pass junction, or Honeymoon Meadows about 1.5 miles down the trail from the Anderson Pass Shelter.

LaCrosse Pass in in pretty good condition. Trail crews have cleared the western side of the pass of fallen trees. The eastern side has just four trees over the trail, and one really muddy spot about 2/3 of the way down from the top. Once on the Upper Duckabush trail there is a river ford near the Upper Duckabush Camp. Right now it's only about mid-calf deep, but definitely would soak your boots. The trail to Marmot Lake was in good condition, as was the trail beyond Marmot up to O'Neil Pass. The trail from Marmot Lake into LaCrosse Basin was in very good condition.

We encountered lots of mosquitos and black flies along the way. The most noticeable spots were Honeymoon Meadows, Upper Duckabush, Marmot Lake. There's only spots of snow remaining on the trails that we hiked. Bear wires were available at all the camps mentioned except for the camp just below Anderson Pass.

Set out for Lacrosse Basin via Staircase, and just flew up the N. Fork Skokomish trail. The ten miles to Nine Stream are just a treat, mostly level, then you climb the final three past Two Bear camp and Camp Lookabout (behind the wooden arrow sign), past the Mt. Hopper way trail, to beautiful views at First Divide across to White Mt. and Mt. Lacrosse, nearby Mt. Steel, and a couple nice camps above the pass. As I arrived ahead of schedule, I proceeded on down another half mile to Home Sweet Home, where the shelter is now a pile of stacked lumber. A great first day.

Friday slept in till seven, then headed down toward the Duck. The trail became rough and muddy, so I knew I was getting close, and although Upper Duckabush camp was nice, the rest of the Duck was a real chore, with unexpected steep uphills followed immediately by precipitous drops, over and over, on trail thick with brush and soaking with dew. The final crossing of the river, even with the foot soaking I received, was a relief, and the switchbacks up from the floor were a blessing, with spectacular rock formations appearing at the same time as the views back across the valley, and finally, to Marmot Lake. Though scheduled to spend two nights here, the weather began to change, and instead of making camp I hung my pack on the bear wire and went exploring.

Lacrosse Basin, often called the most beautiful alpine lakes in the Olympics, did not disappoint. The trail climbs through woods to incredible parklands and a junction, at which I opted for Lake Lacrosse, since it's visible from this point, and also since I could see a herd of elk across the basin in that general direction. The rock formations along the way give the impression of the tops of mountains which haven't completely hatched, and though low, the lake itself sits in a gorgeous basin. On the return, I made the sidetrip down to the outlet stream to see the falls in the shape of a cross, by which the lake gets its name.

Back at the junction, the trail to Hart Lake is if anything even more scenic than the one to Lake Lacrosse as ar as rock gardens and scenic vistas. Arriving at the lake, trails go off in a variety of directions, including one to the right with many amazing choices, the first being an intriguing cave on the hillside. Beyond here, the trail steepens, but staying with it yields some of the sweetest rewards in the park. High on a ridge it divides; the left fork drops down precipitously to the O'Neill Pass cutoff trail, the right continues climbing to one of the breathtaking overlooks of all the Olympics, as Mt. Anderson comes into view over the ridge above Lake Lacrosse, the range above the Enchanted Valley to the west, and the mountains of the Duckabush headwaters laid out around you. Other highlights include the back view of The Brothers, looking remarkably like the front view (as seen from Seattle), and Mt. Jupiter floating like a tiny island in a sea of clouds in the center of the Duckabush valley.

After several hours of explorations, the weather was less inclement though still uncertain, as was I, so I saddled up and headed over the pass to one of the finest trails in the park, the O'Neill Pass trail, which hugs the hillside at a level 4500' for miles on end of open viewing splendor. As it was already five PM when I started ou, trouble overtook me when clouds moved in like a cap on the valley, darkening the last rays of light for the day, and forcing me to hurry along to try to reach a camp before dark. In my rush I surprised a handsome black bear munching away along the trail, sending him running, and finally had to give up hope of reaching camp when the trail turned rough and started to drop, making hiking too treacherous for my comfort level. I found the flattest widest spot I could along the switchbacks, and mashed down my tent for the night. The next morning I discovered that I was only a mile from White Creek camp on the E Fork Quinault.

Saturday was spent exiting via the Enchanted Valley, a beautiful way to end a scenic and unforgettable adventure in the high country.