Although it was raining lightly when we crossed the Hood Canal Bridge, by the time we reached the trailhead it was beginning to get sunny. The weather held up for the entire time of our hike--sometimes cloudy, but mostly sunny. The forest is beautiful this time of year; the rhodies are starting to bloom; the river is high, swift, and noisy. There's one big tree down that's a bit hard to get over (I climbed under) not far from the big overlook near the summit of Big Hump, otherwise, the trail is in great shape. We went as far as the overlook (ca. 3.75 miles) and enjoyed our lunch in the sunshine with a nice view. This is a fine early season hike.

Daisy the Wonder Dog and I needed a couple of days of great hiking, so it was off to the the eastern Olympics and the low-elevation trails in the National Forest. We got a late start on Monday since I needed a flat fixed and tires rotated at Les Schwab, but then it was smooth sailing, literally, as we caught the ferry out of Edmonds. Weather was fabulous, the air smelled clean, we were on our way. We had great weather all the way, to just before the Duckabush trailhead, that is. There it was pouring rain. I wasn't too worried though, and sure enough just two hours later the rain had stopped and the sun shone, so at 2 pm we headed out. The hike up Little Hump is easy but plain, then the wilderness boundary is reached, and the hike gets interesting. The flat part between Little Hump and Big Hump is my favorite, just brimming with moss-covered boulders, moss-covered logs, moss-covered ground, moss-covered river, no wait, that's the only thing not covered in moss. You get the idea. There was no snow or bad blowdowns. When we got to the bottom of the climb up Big Hump, I realized that if we climbed it, we would have to turn right around and leave, since I wanted to be back at the car with enough time before dark to find a good car-camping spot. So we went back to the nicest part of the trail, by the river, and enjoyed the moss, and Daisy and I shared a cold beverage, with Daisy mainly getting the foam left in the bottle. We were serenaded by a large woodpecker, which always adds to my feeling of being in a really wild place. The hike out went fast, and we were back at the car by seven, so we drove over towards the Lena Lake trailhead, but turned left at the last junction before the TH, and went up to Elk Lake. I saw a side road labeled ""Elk Lake Trail"", and it was really steep and rough, but driveable, and we ended up at a nice little trailhead, big trees, river nearby, outhouse, all the comforts of home, so we slept in the car right there. Tomorrow: Lena lake.

We had done this hike in mid-December when there was snow on the ground beyond Big Hump. There was no snow today and very few blowdowns, all of which were passable. We had lunch at 5 Mile Camp. The river was a beautiful blue shade in many areas and running very full with beautiful cascades. The temperature was 31 although the sun was shining above. It's rays haven't been able to reach the camp area the times we have been there! This is another beautiful winter hike!

Hiked up over Little Hump, Big Hump and down to Five Mile Camp. Blow-down was not difficult to walk around, under or over. Trail mostly in good condition. Some snow, but snowshoes not required. River full and beautiful. Nice winter hike.

Trail is basically snowfree until 1/4 mile of 5 Mile Camp. The snow was only about an inch deep and very crusty. It was a cold, clear day with the sun appearing only on the hills and its warmth only felt at Little Hump and Big Hump. Lunch at 5 Mile Camp was bitterly cold, but we were prepared with our down jackets! A beautiful hike. We saw a small group of elk along the Duckabush Road 1/2 way to the traihead and another group crossed the trail in front of us at about the 1/2 mile mark! Beautiful animals!