Upper Duckabush, Duckabush River

Went backpacking the Duckabush River up to Marmot Lake last weekend. Camped at trailhead Thursday night with only one other car in lot. Got early start Friday morning shooting for Upper Duckabush Campsite by evening (17.6 mi).

Just before 10 Mile Camp ran into 3 bull elk on trail (one with full rack). Fortunately they didn't get too excited and just wandered up the hillside a bit and turned around and looked at me. Down the trail a bit I saw another bull elk by himself and then about a dozen moms.

Trail in pretty good shape with very little blowdown up until 10 Mile Camp and then not a whole lot past there.

About 17 miles in (just another 0.6 mi to go) I encounter a full size black bear just off the trail about 50 ft from me. I said hello and expected him to run off (as they usually do) but he just stood there on his hind legs looking at me. I broke his stare and started backing up the trail until there were some trees between us. I walked up the trail a few hundred yards and waited about 10 min, got up my nerve and started back down the trail to my campsite talking loudly hoping he had gone away only to find when I come around the trees...he's still there! And he's still looking at me as if to say, "you know, you're a lot smaller than I am." I know. I give up. This is not good. I break his gaze and back up the trail again this time noticing that he his peering through the trees at me. That does it, I'm out of here! I walk back the way I came about a mile (occasionally looking over my shoulder half expecting him to be following me), crossing a few streams until I come to a small campsite in the woods which I had noticed on the way in. Made a very clean campsite that night, had dinner and went to sleep.

Next morning decided to leave most of my stuff there at my basecamp and move on. Came up to the meadow (singing loudly) where I had seen the bear the evening before hoping and praying that he wouldn't still be there and...thank God, he wasn't! As I hurried by I noticed about 4 piles of bear scat out in this meadow as if to tell everyone that this was his territory. I began to wonder if this was really a mom and she was protecting cubs?

Anyways, just another 1/2 mile, crossed the river on a fallen tree and pulled into Upper Duckabush Camp. Beautiful campsite and no one there. Very little snow up until that point (just patchy) at 2700 ft.

Went on to Marmot Lake (another 3.5 miles and another 1600 ft up). Had to cross the river 2 more times. Snow was getting pretty heavy above 3500 ft and put my snowshoes on. I decided later that I really didn't need them most of the time and ended up just using my boots, gators and poles. Did a lot of route finding in the snow but eventually made it to the top. Wow, what a view! Took lots of pictures of the peaks as well as many waterfalls and old growth trees on the way. I'm seeing lots of wildflowers getting ready to bloom as the snow is melting and should be out in a couple of weeks.

Headed back down (still no one at Upper Duckabush) and coming up to the meadow with the bear at about 5:30 and realizing that if he's there I might not be able to make it back to my camp. So I come around the corner singing and...dog gone it...there's the bear but this time he's at the far side of the meadow and as soon as he sees me he runs into the bushes. Good bear! That's what you're supposed to do! I move on by and back to my basecamp for a good dinner and a good night's sleep.

Wake up early and am on the trail by 6:00. Get to 10 Mile Camp by about 9:00 and find campers just waking up (first people I've seen in 2 1/2 days). Find out that there were 4 groups that had camped there that night and they were packed, tent-to-tent, down at 5 Mile Camp. Got back to the trailhead about 4:00 (Sunday afternoon) and found the parking lot full and the registry recording 142 people had signed in since I had gone in Friday morning. Sore feet - think I'll put in an extra day next time I take that hike.

Beautiful trail! The weather was great the whole time! Where is everyone? Everytime I come back from a hike like that I wonder why I don't go more often - bears or no bears!