Flapjack Lakes via North Fork Skokomish River — Friday, Sep. 16, 2011

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

General: We went to flapjack lakes for a 3 day, 2 night trip with a group of 3 people. The trail head is by a ranger station and a nice big parking lot (there are some other trail heads too) which only had a few cars in it. We started at about 12:30 and arrived to the lake around 6:30 or so. If you talk to the ranger before you go, he will tell you some useful info like which bear wires are still up and which aren't and weather fishing is okay. You can also get a good map of the lakes with campsite and bear wire locations. There are also multiple campsites on the way up to the lake in case you don't make it on the 1st day. Finally, there are no fires at the lake campsites and above, so bring your sweaters! I left mine in the car... Trail: The trail was pretty deserted both on the way up and back down (we saw maybe 4-6 groups/individuals each way?) but I hear that it can get more crowded earlier in the summer. When we arrived at the lake we were the only group there. On our 2nd night a few other groups showed up however. There are a few places with some mud/water on the trail but nothing too bad. The trail is also pretty flat until you reach the sign that says the lake is 4 miles away. This is where most of the elevation gain is so make sure you are ready! Also where the huckleberries are too! Finally, there are many stream/creek crossings and springs (and the skokomish for the first bit of the trail) so water sources are plentiful. The lakes: The lakes are absolutely beautiful. It is too bad we didn't have any sun when we were there but they are still amazing, as are the mountain tops that you see behind them. We saw many fish jumping in them too. We caught 3 of them during our 2nd day of the trip (spent it all fishing, didn't do any hiking since the fishing was so fun, and since I forgot to bring waterproof pants and it was damp). There are many great places to either fish, or just sit around the lakes. There are also many little trails going around the lakes and to the different campsites. Weather: The weather was pretty good, though cloudy, on the way up (Friday). Despite all of the clouds it was pretty dry and it didn't start to rain until after we went to bed. The 2nd day it was a damp and cold for most of the day, but it only started to sprinkle a couple of times and overall wasn't bad. The 2nd night it poured however and continued until the 3rd morning. As the last day went on it cleared up and there was even a good amount of sun on our return trip. Random: Watch out for the privy at the lake. My boyfriend told me that it is literally full of **** and about to overflow. I'm not sure if you are still supposed to use it if it is in this condition, but I'd just recommend digging a hole. Speaking of which, for those of you who need to hear this: PLEASE DIG A HOLE. For the love of god, it's not that hard and keeps the areas sooooo much nicer. I didn't see any disgusting tp piles at the lakes, but I saw a couple behind some of the campsites on the trail heading up. Bugs: About the bugs, there were a few mosquitoes but they weren't too annoying. The real issue is that there is a wasp nest just after the last switchback as you approach the lake. The nest is in a small hole right in the trail and they are very excitable. They didn't get me or my friend but they got my boyfriend 3 times as he tried to hurry past it. I would recommend that one person crosses at a time and that you wait for them to settle down before you try to cross - they kind of swarm after someone crosses them. Also, I recommend wearing full length pants or at least putting some rubber bands around the bottoms of your shorts so they don't fly up your pants.