This was an out and back overnight to Upper Duckabush camp with a side trip to First Divide. Duckabush trail to the park boundary was in great shape thanks to the frequent WTA work parties on this section. After the park boundary, the trail was quite overgrown in many sections, particularly from about MP 8-10. For the most part it is salmonberry, huckleberry,and blueberry; though there are sections with head-height or greater trees growing directly in the tread...it will be disappearing soon! Blowdowns in that section are infrequent, seems like there has been some clearing. From MP 10-16, there are more frequent blow downs, but nothing impassable. Prior to the Upper Duckabush camp there is again a long stretch of really overgrown trail (shrubs). The North Fork Skokomish trail from Upper Duckabush to First Divide was in decent shape, some shrubby overgrowth but the tread was holding up well. The flowers at Home Sweet Home were abundant, and the bugs were not too bad overall. Great forest hike except for the bushwacking - pants are better for this one!

It was a lovely day for a trail run along the Duckabush! I parked around 10am, went a bit past Fivemile Camp, then took a dip in the river before turning around and returning to the trailhead before 1:30pm. 

Despite it being a hot day, there’s ample shade along this trail (the exception being the Little Hump/Big Hump portions). I saw lots of ripe berries, especially thimbleberries and salmonberries. Also, there was no smoke or haze from the Bear Gulch fire. I’ve read trip reports about the smoke nearer to Mt Ellinor, but you’d never know there was a wildfire in the area based on conditions today. 

Our group of eight Mountaineers Conditioning Hiking Series hikers met at the trailhead for a casual start time of 9:00 am. (In retrospect, 8:00 am would have been better due to weather conditions (sunny and hot), but most of the hikers were coming from King County.) Thankfully, much of the trail is in the shade and we had a nice breeze. The first 90 mins. flew by and we fueled up before ascending the switchbacks to Little Hump and Big Hump. There were lots of ripe thimbleberries and wild blackberries to distract us. With half our lunch consumed we headed down to Five Mile Camp for secondsies on the banks of the Duckabush River. 

Due to reports of ticks and bees on the trail I wore a long-sleeved white shirt which ultimately didn't breathe very well, and I experienced dehydration and heat stress symptoms. My co-leader and another hiker stayed with me and fed me salt tablets as we returned to the trailhead. This trail is a little unusual as there is elevation gain, then loss, then more gain, then more loss to the turn-around point, then more of the same on the way out. Particularly in warm weather, pack plenty of electrolytes and water and the ability to filter more, and whatever food and beverages give you "superpowers" -- caffeinated drinks, energy gels, hard candy, dried fruit, etc. And I'll do better practicing what I preach!

A lovely day in the Olympics with our group of 8 people. We started out at 8am. The vault toilet was well stocked, and there wasn't any trash along the trail. The trail was in great condition, and the 2 water crossings were easy to maneuver. While hiking up over Big Hump, we found ripened wild strawberries and even some white bark black raspberries. Huckleberries are coming along. There were also wildflowers blooming everywhere! Our group made it to Five Mile Camp, and the only groups we passed were a Boy Scout troop and a WTA work party cutting back plants along the trail (Thank you!!). After lunch, we made our way back to the trailhead, arriving around 2pm.