I arrived at the trailhead on a rainy Saturday morning and didn't see anyone until the end of the hike. Oh the water on this hike. Every place water was planned/engineered to flow had water flowing. The sounds were awesome. The trail itself was free of mud with a few easy to navigate puddles. It's my first time on this hike in the winter. If you go clockwise, you warm up once you hit the long incline, but dramatically cool down after the Big Creek bridge. Keep the layers you peeled off handy. The greens were spectacular. The fallen autumn leaves are now dark brown mush. And the water is dramatic. Enjoy.

Another great leave-no-trace Wilderness Christmas Feast, keeping with my tradition since my wife died!  No hike video this year because of the heavy rain, but I grabbed some photos to share..

Trail: the only issues on the section we hiked were along the 'connector' trail between the road to Lake Cushman (not parking area) and the T junction with the main loop trail - there were a half dozen small trees to crawl over.  Otherwise, no issues.  We ducked into one of the campground picnic shelters to cook the food because of the weather.

Dinner! ..my dear friend Linda is a World Vision Child Sponsor like me, so this year we decided to celebrate those 5 sponsorships with a dish from each of the 5 countries, using my single burner stove and backpack skillet:  

Bangladesh: eggplant bruschetta topped with tomatoes, gr onion, feta cheese, parsley, chives & garlic

Romania:  sarmale(cabbage rolls) filled with gr beef, rice, onion, oregano, dill & basil, with a sauce of tomato juice, smoked bacon, thyme & bay leaves

Palestine: sheermal (flatbread) made with cr cheese, saffron, eggs, flour, butter & milk

Uganda: plantain topped with peanut sauce & poblano pepper cut into star shapes

El Salvador: empanada filled with corn, beans, onion, cheese & potato

And for some Pacific Northwest cuisine we had halibut stuffed & topped with a green cilantro pesto with added pomegranate seeds for color!

Tips for winter wilderness feasting (lessons learned the hard way):

1) partially pre-cook everything that requires more than a few minutes, so that it all finishes cooking at once; 2) have a cover for the backpack skillet; 3) use aluminum pie pans in basket holders for plates, so that you can quickly reheat the plate over the backpack stove as you eat!

Merry Christmas!

I found a white & black kids hat on the trail and left it at the trailhead.

This is a nice, well built, well maintained trail.  The forest is pleasant, and the creeks on the confluence trail are pretty.  I saw ~10 parties today, with probably 80% of them wearing masks.

If you like moss draped trees, rushing creeks and foot bridges, this is the trail for you!

GETTING THERE: Super easy and it's all paved roads. No pothole dodging! Just head to Hoodsport on US 101 and then turn on WA 119 driving up the east side of Lake Cushman until you come to a T and you'll see the Big Creek Camp Grounds on the left. Park there or across the road and then check out the kiosk for the trail map.

TRAIL: The trail is in great shape throughout and quite luxurious right next to the campgrounds. I encountered no snow or blow downs. There was a bit of mud in a few spots and a large puddle right in front of one of the bridges - but it's the PNW, so I even hesitate to mention it. Speaking of bridges, I loved all the bridges on this trail. So many, I lost count (not that I was really counting, but you get what I mean).

RECOMMENDATIONS: I recommend doing this loop clockwise. That way gets you right into the prettiest parts right up front. I also recommend taking the one mile (two miles round trip) side hike up the Mt Ellinor Connector Trail (#827.2) to the viewpoint. One thing to be sure not to miss is the Big Creek Confluence Trail (#827.3). It's a loop within this loop and gorgeous with the rushing water, more bridges and moss covered everything.

Trail in great condition. No snow (as of 12/13/2020) but that might have changed considering the storm that just hit us last night (12/21/2020). All in all, an excellent hike for the cold and rainy season!