Tubal Cain #840,Buckhorn Lake #845,Dungeness River #833,Tull Canyon #847

Eleven adults and LNT certified scouts from Vashon Troop 294 spent July 1-3 hiking in the Buckhorn Wilderness, making the most of a 2-car shuttle for a loop trip from Tubal Cain to Marmot Pass (840) then out to Dungeness (833). The rhododendrons were blooming on the Tubal Cain trail. We took a side trip up Tull Canyon to see the B-17 crash site. Part of the Tull Canyon trail was difficult to follow because of water. We continued on the Tubal Cain trail and spent the first night at Buckhorn Lake. There are really only two campsites there, which was difficult for our large group. We had nice views when the clouds cleared. The trail to Marmot Pass is strenuous but the wildflowers are in bloom. Try to catch the view when the clouds clear and before the weather changes, it was impressive. The junction with #833 is obscured by snow, although the trail up Buckhorn Mountain is visible and misleading. We hiked up and around the snow, then descended the hillside to #833. We encountered a difficult snow patch before reaching Marmot Pass. We used an ice axe to make steps and a hand rope to cross midway down the snow slope. Two more snow fields required rope and ice axe between Marmot Pass and Boulder Camp. The trail from Boulder Camp to Camp Handy was downhill and hard on the knees and toes. There are many campsites at Camp Handy where we spent our second night. The trail from Camp Handy to the trailhead on the Dungeness is nearly flat and pleasant hiking. This was a challenging hike for us and we learned some wonderful skills traversing the snow.