Returned for the yearly winter trip into the valley. The unpaved road to Graves Creek trailhead had lots of tree debris on the sides that appeared to have been recently cleared. There was one car at the trailhead and that backpacker was the only person I saw on the trail. Shortly after the start there is a new bridge built where the horse crossing used to be and the newly built Pony bridge looked just as beautiful as the old one. 1.5 miles in there is a massive blowdown from an old tree. There were a handful of big blowdowns along the trail but none were as technical to get over. The areas of tree debris from last winter were cleared with one landslide section now rebuilt and one of the washout areas was rerouted. Deeply grateful for those that help make the trails accessible. There are generally several large sections of the trail with standing water a foot high in the winter but most of the trail was dry. Had heard about hair ice that grows on rotting wood in very specific conditions and there was lots of it closer to the chalet. The bridge over the Quinault river had a layer of frost on it including the railing which required careful steps.
The Valley of 10,000 Waterfalls was in full force with rainbows surrounding the largest waterfalls. Had read about the low snowpack this season in the Olympics but wasn’t expecting the valley to be snow-free after standing snow the previous 4 winters and postholing in 3ft of snow last March. Though the views became more picturesque continuing past the chalet, there was a heaviness thinking about the dry forests this summer. Arrived at the wooden post 16 miles in marking the side trail to the once largest known Western Hemlock. There was tree debris at the base of it which gave a feeling it was time to move on after visiting it twice before and attempting to see it the previous 2 winters. Had sights on Anderson Glacier but the heaviness of the dry trail turned me around. Sat on a grassy field looking up at the waterfalls and found the same peace from last time in this valley. Total trip, 34 miles over 10 hours of running and hiking.
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