Duckabush River — Friday, Apr. 19, 2002

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

The Duckabush 803 trail was a good choice for an early season backpack. A spring storm had left snow above 2,000 feet the week before, so finding a snow free backpack trail west of the Cascade Crest was difficult. The trail is in excellent condition. It's relatively free of large rock steps and tree roots. Earlier reports from the rangers indicated there were extensive blowdowns, but when we went through, there were at most only 3 small blowdowns. It looks like the trail crews had gone through and fixed things up quite nicely. The trail climbs gently out of the parking lot to the top of the Little Hump, then descends to follow the river basin for a couple of miles. The trail then begins a steep ascent up the Big Hump, climbing close to 1,000 feet in a mile with a number of switchbacks. It's a good challenge for novices and a good conditioner for the more experienced hikers. The views from the trail are limited, with a couple of locations near the top of the Big Hump affording some views across the valley. After arriving at the top of the Big Hump, the trail drops back down to the valley floor. The first campsite next to the river is at about 6 miles. It's a great campsite and can hold a large group. Take nylon cord and a bear bag. We saw no critters and very few mosquitos. We encountered relatively few hikers out on the trail either on Saturday or Sunday. I imagine it will get more crowded as we get further into Spring.