Duckabush River — Friday, Apr. 18, 2025

This was a 2 night backpack, both nights at 10 Mile camp.
Just like the drive in: from highway, to county road, to narrow pavement, to dirt and increasing potholes, this trail steadily gets less maintained the further you go. There are nice things about that, and challenges both.
The trail up to 5 Mile camp is in great shape; thanks again to the WTA work party that were cutting brush & logs & fixing tread. Everything is still pretty clear and very easy to follow until about a mile past the ONP boundary, then it starts to get more challenging. I counted around 15 logs that required more than just a step-over from the boundary to 10 Mile camp, many places where brush hides the trail, and some very boggy sections - particularly in the last few hundred yards before 10 Mile. The brush - thorns, bushes, and small fir trees - is going to get particularly bad if it doesn't get cleared soon. I found though that if I counted cut logs, and not just those downed across the trail, it changed my perspective. A lot of work has been done here over the years!
Ten Mile Camp is exactly as I saw it six years ago: bear wire is damaged but semi-usable, toilet smashed by fallen trees, but some nice camps with benches and even a table. Very cushy. 
From 10 Mile, the trail continues to be brushy but mostly easy to follow. There is one really big washout/fallen pair of trees that completely blocks the trail just before a major stream crossing, about 1.5 miles past 10 Mile. I was able to scramble 20 feet up the bank and cross on the fallen root balls, and get another 1/4 mile an un-named creek crossing, but turned around there (10T 482970E 5279779N).
Plenty of day hikers both on the way in (as well as the WTA groups out for the weekend) and on the way out, but I didn't see anyone at all past 5 mile camp. Heard a Barred Owl, Grouse (and saw a pair of females), woodpeckers, many songbirds, and was lucky to be visited by a Harlequin Duck in camp.