Flapjack Lakes via North Fork Skokomish River — Saturday, May. 16, 2009

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

Weather was fantastic and so was the hike. Trail clear to the final steep section, but then lots of snow to posthole through, definitely go for the waterproof boots and ideally gaiters too (though not all our party had them and we made it no problem). Great views of Mt. Cruiser! The lakes were, surprisingly to us, still completely frozen - no open water whatsoever. At least 4 feet of snow on the ground there. I wouldn't consider going beyond the lakes yet (i.e. towards Gladys Divide) w/out snowshoes, it's deep and soft. The high bridge over Gladys Creek en route appears to be very solid, both surface and railings, despite its damaged, extremely twisted appearance. But a couple of our party who suffer from vertigo found crossing it a bit of an ordeal. We scouted for a ford alternative but while seemingly doable it was going to be wet and arguably riskier in case of a slip. We did however feel a bit stupid taking pictures of each other crossing the twisted bridge with the "Bridge Closed - Do Not Cross" sign in the background... would have felt a lot more stupid if the bridge chose that moment to fall down.