Reports of how bad the Duckabush Road (and most every other FS gravel road in the east Olympics!) has deteriorated persuaded Herself and I to instead explore Ranger Hole, Interrorem Cabin, and the Nature Trail. Trailhead had room for 5 more cars at 11 AM on a Sunday; we did note one car parked in a cleared area across the street (trying to avoid the need for a Forest Pass?). The sturdy picnic table (and even sturdier Interrorem Cabin) are in plain sight, but you have to start your hike before you see the vault toilet that justifies the "Fee Area" designation.
The Nature Loop is pleasant; the signs give some interesting history (rangers made $17 a week when the cabin was built) but some of the small "plant ID" signs seem to have lost their signage, leaving only the support. So we guessed: you know, "tree"; "bigger tree"; "flowering shrub"; "fern".
The trail to the ranger's fishing hole on the Duckabush River is in good shape, with its mild up and slightly steeper down to the river. The recent dry conditions make the downhill a bit slippery, given all the dust. Love my hiking poles! We took a few pictures at the exposed rocks above the churning river, but the nice water-level spot was occupied by three anglers (you seriously took a picture of that 4-inch fish??) and two dogs, so there was no room for others. That worked out OK, as one of the dogs was off-leash and quite territorial, bounding up to bark at us despite his owner's request to return. Many dog owners have an inaccurate sense of how trained their dog actually is. That's when I LOVE my trekking poles, because point out, they discourage those little barking snappers. We decided to head back and lunch elsewhere.
Amateur tip: we headed back north up 101 5 minutes to the day use area (Hood Canal side) of Dosewallips State Park and had a relaxing, shady lunch. I didn't realize that the Dosewallips River runs right along the edge of this area, and this time of year the near side is shallow enough for safe water play for young and old alike (and PLENTY were taking advantage of it). Keep it in mind, if not as a destination, then as a travel "rest stop" for wading, splashing, and eliminating the effects of "car coma".
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