Tubal Cain #840,Buckhorn Lake #845,Dungeness River #833.2

This area is indeed beautiful. The view from Marmot Pass was just below the cloud ceiling to the Hood Canal Bridge and Paine Field/Boeing Everett.

But, with the beauty a level of use is occurring that this area is not developed for. Specifically, there are no pit toilets developed at either Buckhorn Lake, Boulder Shelter or Camp Handy. It became obvious when we upturned rocks or went to get water, that hikers camped at these sites have not been upholding the principles and practices of good sanitation. Defecation should occur at an upland site, preferably where the ground can be dug up to bury the feces. This may mean that one will need to walk a ways (sometimes up to a quarter mile) from camp and the nearby surface and subsurface (ground and hyporheic) water. I didn't see evidence that this measure was being taken. The stream water is likely being contaminated at both the buckhorn lake and boulder shelter camp sites by human feces. My water filter eliminates microbial agents, but not viruses. Also, with the current build-up of fecal matter at these campsites, in near vicinity to cooking and sleeping activity, the possibility of personal, direct contact and subsequent, potential infection increases.

There is one mudslide that about 1.5 miles north from boulder shelter on the dungeness river trail. It has not taken out the trail yet but the trail overhangs it.