We camped the night before near Quinault Lodge, made the long drive to the trailhead and set out on Labor Day morning with night 1 permits for Pyrites Creek Camp. This was supposed to be ~9.5 miles from the trailhead, but both of our Garmin watches clocked it at 11-12 mi and 1900' ascent. The incline was spread out over much of this distance so it didn't feel difficult. Beautiful and densely forested trail. We heard a tree fall in the distance; sounded like an explosion! Some rocky and rooty sections that require attention; no difficult water crossings. We saw relatively few people on the trail, and most we encountered were heading out. We noticed very little signage marking the different camping areas, so it's important to pay attention and know what landmarks are near your permit site. We met one group who had to turn around after they'd hiked over a mile past their intended camp. Likewise, there is very little water access between O'Neil Creek camp (about 1/4 mile off the main trail) and No Name Creek, so fill up accordingly. Pyrites camp has bear wires and several tent sites; no privy. We found a quiet, private site past the bridge, on a suggestion from another hiker. Mosquitos were an issue here for my hiking partner, who sustained several bites.
The next day's hike to Enchanted Valley from Pyrites was a breeze, just gradual incline (750') over about 4 miles and well-maintained trail. The trail begins to open up here and you start to get views of the peaks above your destination. The valley is STUNNING. Photos, as expected, do not do it justice. We spent a lot of time exploring and enjoying the beautiful weather, rather than hiking on to Anderson Glacier. Next time :) We set up camp on the gravel bar about 100 yards past the chalet and had the valley almost to ourselves for several hours. We did not see any bear, elk, or deer, but we met other hikers who had. Clouds blew in around sunset but cleared by 10pm and we had a perfect sky for stargazing with our rain fly off.
We got an early start and clocked our hike out to the Graves Creek Trailhead parking at 17 miles. We met one very nice ranger along the way, who did check our permit and confirm we had a bear canister. Note that on the elevation plot, there is a bit of a climb on the return after Pony Bridge. It's mostly downhill after that. The pit toilet at the trailhead was relatively clean.
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