Just the thing to shake off the grog of hibernation, two nights out in mountain air, all the pure water one can drink, eternal quiet, ancient halls of wooden giants, and the lullaby of the mighty Duckabush defanged by vertical space. This trail has always been a charmed season opener with its mossy green margins and hushed tread. It was too early in the season for the usual boisterous bird life, and trail crews apparently. A few blow downs hamper only horsy folks. The upper bridge still has not been replaced, but again poses no challenge for those using their own feet for transport. I stayed off-trail on Big Hump, but saw very few visitors during my wanderings on the tread. This trailhead has suffered from regular car break-ins in the past, myself included about 4 years ago. Not too much evidence of fresh glass so things must be getting better. Fat Smitty’s was closed on the way out, bummer. As usual I was bumped one ferry on my way back to Bellingham. Arise trail rats! Arise! Happy Trails.

On this fine day the trail was beautiful, the weather warm. Either there is no spring melt, or it has already happened, or it is yet to come...in any event, the trail was reasonably dry all the way up. The usual big spring streams below the Big Hump trail have no water in them. There are a few trees down-- a couple of horse riders had to turn around at 1.5 mi. -- but nothing to stop foot traffic. No sign of snow in first 3.5 miles. If we do not have big snows in the coming weeks it could be an early hiking season in the Olympics. Hurrah!

I decided to celebrate MLK day with a dayhike up the Duckabush to 5 mile camp and back. The Duck is one of my favorite day hikes since you can get to views relatively quickly and the 50+ switchbacks up and down ""Big Hump"" provides a decent workout. The trail appears to have gone mostly unscathed from the October flood and recent heavy snows. There are a few small blowdowns along the trail but none presents problems for hikers. Near 5 mile camp the trail is obscured by a large snow bank, apparently caused by a snow slide that came off the south face of Mt. Jupiter. Snow levels appear to be around 3000 feet and rising. After cooking a pot of mac n' cheese for lunch at 5 mile, I returned to the trailhead, making for a great sunny mid January day in the Olympics.

Set out for Lacrosse Basin via Staircase, and just flew up the N. Fork Skokomish trail. The ten miles to Nine Stream are just a treat, mostly level, then you climb the final three past Two Bear camp and Camp Lookabout (behind the wooden arrow sign), past the Mt. Hopper way trail, to beautiful views at First Divide across to White Mt. and Mt. Lacrosse, nearby Mt. Steel, and a couple nice camps above the pass. As I arrived ahead of schedule, I proceeded on down another half mile to Home Sweet Home, where the shelter is now a pile of stacked lumber. A great first day. Friday slept in till seven, then headed down toward the Duck. The trail became rough and muddy, so I knew I was getting close, and although Upper Duckabush camp was nice, the rest of the Duck was a real chore, with unexpected steep uphills followed immediately by precipitous drops, over and over, on trail thick with brush and soaking with dew. The final crossing of the river, even with the foot soaking I received, was a relief, and the switchbacks up from the floor were a blessing, with spectacular rock formations appearing at the same time as the views back across the valley, and finally, to Marmot Lake. Though scheduled to spend two nights here, the weather began to change, and instead of making camp I hung my pack on the bear wire and went exploring. Lacrosse Basin, often called the most beautiful alpine lakes in the Olympics, did not disappoint. The trail climbs through woods to incredible parklands and a junction, at which I opted for Lake Lacrosse, since it's visible from this point, and also since I could see a herd of elk across the basin in that general direction. The rock formations along the way give the impression of the tops of mountains which haven't completely hatched, and though low, the lake itself sits in a gorgeous basin. On the return, I made the sidetrip down to the outlet stream to see the falls in the shape of a cross, by which the lake gets its name. Back at the junction, the trail to Hart Lake is if anything even more scenic than the one to Lake Lacrosse as ar as rock gardens and scenic vistas. Arriving at the lake, trails go off in a variety of directions, including one to the right with many amazing choices, the first being an intriguing cave on the hillside. Beyond here, the trail steepens, but staying with it yields some of the sweetest rewards in the park. High on a ridge it divides; the left fork drops down precipitously to the O'Neill Pass cutoff trail, the right continues climbing to one of the breathtaking overlooks of all the Olympics, as Mt. Anderson comes into view over the ridge above Lake Lacrosse, the range above the Enchanted Valley to the west, and the mountains of the Duckabush headwaters laid out around you. Other highlights include the back view of The Brothers, looking remarkably like the front view (as seen from Seattle), and Mt. Jupiter floating like a tiny island in a sea of clouds in the center of the Duckabush valley. After several hours of explorations, the weather was less inclement though still uncertain, as was I, so I saddled up and headed over the pass to one of the finest trails in the park, the O'Neill Pass trail, which hugs the hillside at a level 4500' for miles on end of open viewing splendor. As it was already five PM when I started ou, trouble overtook me when clouds moved in like a cap on the valley, darkening the last rays of light for the day, and forcing me to hurry along to try to reach a camp before dark. In my rush I surprised a handsome black bear munching away along the trail, sending him running, and finally had to give up hope of reaching camp when the trail turned rough and started to drop, making hiking too treacherous for my comfort level. I found the flattest widest spot I could along the switchbacks, and mashed down my tent for the night. The next morning I discovered that I was only a mile from White Creek camp on the E Fork Quinault. Saturday was spent exiting via the Enchanted Valley, a beautiful way to end a scenic and unforgettable adventure in the high country.

From trailhead to 5 mile, trail was overgrown and brushy. From 5 mile to 10 mile camp, in addition to the brush, washouts in places and as many as a dozen blow downs over the trail - tough going! Folks we camped with at 10 mile said there were more blow downs beyond that made them turn back. This trail could sure use a work party - how about it folks? The rodents at 10 mile are savvy - they got into our hanging foodbag overnight for nibbles. Finally put the metal windscreen from our stove over the neck of our hanging bag as a shield so they couldn't eat into the stuffsack fabric anymore and gain entry for cookies. Fishing was good in the river (catch and release is our thing). Salmon berries are just beginning to come out; thimble berries and red huckleberries aren't ready yet.