This is the only dry day predicted for the week of Thanksgiving, so I skipped the office and headed out for some much needed fresh air. Because of all the bad weather we've had, I drove in via 119. This means I was only on Forest Road 24 for the last 5 miles to the parking lot and trailhead. This 5 miles of road was in GREAT shape, the best I've seen on many hikes here. It looked like they'd filled in potholes this week.
This made me brave, so on the way out I took the 15 mile stretch of Forest Road 24 from Big Creek to 101. Big mistake. This was the worst I've endured driving this stretch of road. It has deteriorated terribly in the last 2 months. Until spring, I strongly advise hikers to drive through Hoodsport and take 119 around Lake Cushman, avoiding the shorter Forest Service route.
The sky was cloudy and the air crisp when I arrived at the trailhead about 2 hours after sunrise. The temperature was in the high 30's. There was only 1 car in the parking lot! That's the least I've seen ever seen. It was a Wednesday, with Thanksgiving tomorrow, making the low turnout a surprise. The pit toilets at the parking lot were open.
I saw 2 people in the parking lot, a nice couple from Colorado. While hiking I only saw 2 other hikers, by far the least I've ever seen here. I love getting out to hike alone; I was happy. There were 2 small logs across the trail, which most people can easily step over. Volunteers will probably clear these soon. My bad leg was bothering me, so I only went up the North Skokomish trail about a mile. There's an overlook where there was a fire 40(?) years ago, making for a good place to sit and watch the river. I had a light lunch and headed back. 4 miles total.
I was surprised that while the river was full, it was not as high as in the spring. After all the rain we've gotten over the last month, I thought it would be higher. It was a beautiful and relaxing view.
I only picked up one small piece of trash on the trail.
As always, I recommend sticking to the southwest side of the Staircase Rapids Loop. Go up and back one side, making the turnaround at the suspension bridge, don't bother looping. The southwest side is much nicer and more interesting than the east side.
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