Thie first three miles were pretty clear, some trees down, but nothing too serious. Just a little bit of snow in the shadiest parts of the valley. After the fourth mile, the damage gets much more serious. Some massive trees are down across the trail and parts of the trail were completely destroyed by large trees getting uprooted. There's much work to be done back there!

After being turned back by snow the way to my planned hike at lower lena lake I decided to hike the Duckabush trail. I know that the road out there is plowed all the way to the terror cabin ( Interrorem Cabin). I remembered that the trail head is only a couple of mile from the cabin. Well I only made it 1/2 mile beyond the cabin before my car started losing traction and it was just too scary to go on. This was much worse then the snow I hit on the way to Lena Lake, though I'm sure would have been just as bad two mile from that trail head too. What a disappointment, I got so close the trail head. If I actually liked the Duckabush trail I would have parked and hike the 1 1/2 mile to the trail head.

As part of my nine day birthday celebration Sarah and I took a trip to the Olympic Peninsula. We drove north along the Hood Canal planning to find a good place to spend the night and a good place to go on a day hike. We happened upon the Lake Cushman Resort which had all but one of its cabins available. We got a great cabin with a wood stove for only a little money. It made a great starting point for a morning hike on the east side of the Peninsula. It was raining in the morning but we were determined to go on a hike anyway. We were told at the visitor information center that the road to Duckabush was in good shape, and it was. The trail to the top of little hump was in good shape as well. After little hump the trail had lots of drainage problems but the trail was intact and there were no blow downs. We arrived at what I believe is the last creek crossing before the climb to the top of big hump. Either the bridge was washed out or the water level was just so high that the stepping stones were under water. Whichever the case, we could not find an easy way across so took this as a sign to get back to the dry car.

4 scouts and 4 adults(""Old Goats"") from Olympia's Troop 101 backpacked the W Fk Dosewallips with a side trip to the Anderson Glacier Moraine, climbed over LaCrosse Pass, and went out the Duckabush River from July 18-23. We stayed at Dose Forks, Honeymoon Meadows, Upper Duckabush and FiveMile camps. SCA Trail Crew is installing a stretch of puncheon over a boggy area at Dose Forks. The trail is brushed out to Big Timber. The river crossing just past Diamond Meadows is interesting if you attempt the log jam; I opted for a refreshing wade across the horse ford instead. As per the NPS website, the footbridge at the base of Honeymoon Meadows is out. We forded easily enough. The ranger's tent platform is damaged--no ranger presence at all. Trail signs at the LaCrosse Pass jct and at Anderson Pass are in place and point in the proper directions. The shelter at Little Siberia is in need of repair. One of the supports on the roof overhang has failed. Privy door is broken, but the view is awesome. Moraine trail is snow free to the lower tarn, but the lake at the foot of the glacier is still mostly frozen. There is a medium-sized blowdown at the upper end of Honeymoon Meadows, and several more on the bottom section of the LaCrosse Pass trail. A somewhat challenging ""hop"" of a hip-deep eddy is required at the second creek crossing on the LaCrosse Pass Trail. Snow patches at the pass are melting out fast--no problems, though. We descended to the Duck on one of the hottest afternoons of the year. Several blowdowns as you near the jct with the river trail; and at least one more big one plus some interesting stream crossings between the jct and Upper Duck camp. The ford was fine with trekking poles; knee deep. We were warned about a carcass near the trail between Punch Creek ant TenMile that was being worked on by a sow and her cubs, but it was either consumed or dragged away when we came through the area on the next day. The Duckabush Trail is going to need some work--a number of blowdowns between Upper Duck and FiveMile, plus a section that is starting to slough away at a river bend...shades of the S Fk Skokomish!! Rather brushy in the flat piece between TenMile and the NPS boundary. All of the backcountry sites that we occupied were clean and in good condition. Bear wires at both camp areas in Honeymoon Meadows,and all other camps along the route were in good repair. We rigged our own line at Five Mile.

Visited Duckabush river for a dayhike last Saturday. Funny, it may have been only major river in Olympics I had not visited. Caught 5:50am Kingston ferry, arrived at trailhead 7:30am. Incoming road has some mean potholes. Weather was cool and cloudy so limited views from Big Hump. Rhodos are out, what a treat. Reached park border around 10am. Forest looks much older after park border: enormous trees, moss carpets. Around 1 mile past border, trail has nearly fallen into river at a bluffy section, clearly unsafe. Trail from park border to Ten Mile was my favorite. River was full and fast, passing through gorges or under vine maple canopy. Trail visits river bank occasionally affording nice rest stops or camps. At points the trail is far from river through ancient forest. There are just a few awkward blowdowns to pass, the largest I recall about a mile from Ten Mile. Very brushy sections to point where hemlocks entirely obscure trail. Also a few quite swampy areas inside park. Reached the expansive Ten Mile camp 11:40am and poked around a bit. Explored trail a bit past Ten Mile but headed back around 12:30pm. Trotted most of the way to park boundary, then ambled the rest of the way back to arrive at car 4:10pm. Made the 5:50pm ferry. What a nice trip and surprisingly not so far from Seattle area.