Trail was in great condition to Five Mile Campground (which inexplicably moved itself 0.2 miles closer to the trailhead, so it should be called Four Point Eight Mile Campground) A gloriously sunny day.

Duckabush River Trail The Duckabush is a low elevation river valley trail in the eastern Olympic mountains. We found it to be a well engineered trail through mostly old forest, with lots of flowers and wildlife, a few mountain views and a powerful river. Other than a big upturned rootball and hole in the ground at about 3 miles the trail is unimpeded by any obstacles. Not very crowded either for a holiday weekend. Five mile camp was our lunch and loafing turnaround point. We shared it with one other small party. This was the smallest Mountaineers group that I have hiked with but it featured 3 naturalists out of the 4 of us . Duckabush trail features Big Hump and Little Hump, two glacier created foothills that must be surmounted. The trail loses most of the elevation gained after each. So .. up and down, up and down. 2500 ft. gross elevation gain for the day but only 800 ft higher at Five Mile camp than at the trailhead. Peak elevation is 1750 ft. at the top of Big Hump. The forest is old 2nd growth for the first 2.5 miles, and then becomes very big old growth from Big Hump on. A portion of Big Hump was burned (perhaps 50 years ago?) and has a mix of young trees and giants. Forest flowers bloomed all along our route, 24 early varieties scattered here and there . New species attracting our attention every few minutes. Birds sang and our ornithologist identified them almost at first note ! We found some interesting tracks in a patch of mud and then encountered the llamas who made them, and their pet humans. Several snakes showed up in steep sunny locations. All in all an outstanding flora and fauna outing. There is a good campspot next to the river at 2.5 miles just before Big Hump. But Five Mile camp is much the better spot for lunching, resting or camping. It is on the riverside in large fir and cedar timber with plenty of space to relax and spread out. Here the river is dropping thru rapids and a waterfull as it approaches a bend. It is a very beautiful spot. Directions: drive 15 miles south of Quilcene on US101 to the Duckabush road and turn right. 3 miles of pavement and 3 miles of gravel get you to the trailhead at 400 ft. After 1 mile the trail is in The Brothers Wilderness. Stats: 10 miles, 2500 ft. elev. 3:10 in 2:40 min. out -------------------------------------------------------------- ------- Robert Michelson 5-26-2003

I headed up the trail Monday the 19th at 10:30 am with the dog in tow. Our goal was the National Park Boundary at 6.5 miles, after which Daisy is no longer welcome. The section between little hump and big hump is where the fun starts: giant trees, emerald river, mule deer resting in the woods, and total isolation. The switchbacks up big hump always amaze me as they are carved right out of the cliff. It makes for a vertiginous view down the way we came. The viewpoints halfway up are the best and merrited a long break. The backside of big hump is a large drop off down to the river again, but well worth it. The real Duckabush starts here. There are numerous excellent campsites, and several changes to the river's feel, along the relatively level stretch that follows. One stretch is normal cascading, one is cliff-constricted gorges, and one is wide and riffle-y with salmonberry borders. We camped at a spot surrounded by small waterfalls and giant trees. We used the ultralight method of a blue tarp, ground cloth and mosquito net(not needed), for that ""sleeping out with no tent feel"" and the fact that it sleeps up to two plus dog for 2.5 lbs. carry weight. Not recommended for heavy rain. Tuesday was a little sprinkly, but nothing got wet. We day-hiked around noon on up to the Park boundary, seeing more variety in the river and woods and getting a different feel from the stretch where the cliffs bordering the valley back off a bit, giving a more open, lighted feel to the trail. At 2pm we headed back, with the climb up the back of big hump seeming endless. I figure we climbed about 3,000 ft round-trip, but the smoothness of the trail makes it a bit easier. The section between humps is as flat as a pancake. The hike from little hump to the car is that perfect downgrade that allowed me to just sort of fall forward with each step and let gravity swing the next leg for me, making for a nearly-effortless walk. We reached the car at 7pm, utterly exhausted and blissful in the knowledge that I had spent every minute of my two free days this week in the deep wilderness.

A good warm-up hike for the season. Duckabush is easily accessed and was particularly crowded this day. Many scouts returning after an overniter at 5 mile camp. The trail was in good condition. All blowdowns had been cleared save one large root ball that forced you around. A bridge was out at Big Hump but, again, there was an alternate route provided. Plenty of water on and around the trail, but the tread was in good shape. Hiked to 5 mile camp, ate lunch and then returned in a light drizzle. All in all, a very nice workout.

We spent a pleasant day hiking to Big Hump. It didn't rain much, but the creeks were high and filled with water from the previous day's very heavy rains. A lot of normally rather insignificant creeks and creeklets were gushing forth and the river was magnificent. Even portions of the usually good trail were under water as waterbars and culverts were being overwhelmed by the runoff. Spring is breaking in the woods. We spotted some red flowered currant and manzanita coming into bloom. Coltsfoot and shunk cabbage was to be seen on the drive along Hwy 101. The Duckabush forest is very green, with a lacey undercover of moss and ferns puncutated by Oregon grape, red huckleberry and salal. The big leaf maples and alders are covered with a green fur of moss, glowing in the gentle light. There are some nice sized old growth trees along the trail especially as the trail starts climbing up the Big Hump on numerous tight switchbacks. There was a little sunshine when we reached the Big Hump for lunch and views down the river. On return, some of the larger streams had even more volume in them. In one, I floundered up to my knees for a step or two. A little excitement for a lovely hike. There is one area about 3.5 miles in where a root ball has torn out the trail. No stock can pass, but okay with caution for hikers. Great hike! Enjoy!