Did one night trip on the Panjab, Mt. Misery, Turkey Creek loop from the Panjab trailhead. Some snow at the high parts, a little bit of hail, and a few ticks, but was a great early season backpack. 

Panjab trail was in good shape, and the stretch from Indian Corral to Oregon Butte on the Mt. Misery trail was snow free and only a few downed trees to cross. Camped at Emergency Spring, and were treated with an excellent view.

There is a fair amount of snow between Oregon Butte and Teepee trailhead, but was easy to navigate with trekking poles. Views into Oregon and Idaho were incredible! Teepee trailhead had a Subaru Outback in the parking lot so I assume that road is passable.

Turkey Creek trail had 15 or so blow downs, making for some creative maneuvering. 

Hiked a nice loop going up the Rattlesnake Trail and down the Panjab Trail. The Kendall Skyline Road is clear of snow; however loose rock and some ruts on the Kendall Skyline could be a little challenging without a higher clearance or AWD vehicle. If you're at all worried about road conditions, just take the Tucannon road in and you'll be just fine. I parked at the info kiosk at the entrance to the Panjab Campground, where I found a very short trail going down to the river from the south side of the pullout right to the log mentioned in the previous post. A short bushwhack on the other side of the river back north got me to the trail proper - keep close to the river until you see the obvious main trail.

Spring conditions exist on both trails - I encountered snow at around 3 or 3.5 miles, and then the trail essentially turns into a stream for several miles after that until you get a ways down the Panjab Trail. With waterproof boots it wouldn't be too bad, but in my trail runners I went off trail several times to find a higher dry route with not much luck. The snow got a bit deep and I was post-holing as I headed downhill on the Panjab, and there was quite a bit of water on the trail at the main creek crossing. I ended up taking off my shoes and bare-footing it until I could stem the trail around 3 miles from the trailhead. Glad I brought some extra socks and had time to sit and dry out once I got past all the wetness. 

The flowers are blooming and I managed only two ticks which is a record low for my outings in the area. Some downed trees here and there but easy to get over or under. Saw some bear tracks and lots of elk sign, but only saw one lonely cow elk up high. The most interesting animals were the two nude sunbathers that I startled. Not sure why they chose to do so 20 feet from the trail when there's an entire wilderness to choose from, but then again we were the only ones on the trail. Hope they didn't get sunburned bits! 

The loop was a great way to go, with a short run back to the truck at the end. Would be really easy to stash a bike at either end and ride the 2-ish miles between trailheads if you didn't want to hoof it.

Started out at Panjab Trailhead on Friday morning, road to the trailhead was in excellent shape. After about a mile, I took Turkey Creek trail toward Teepee Trailhead. This hike was beautiful! Stopped for lunch at Teepee and took in the views while I ate. Headed up Misery trail 3113 towards Oregon Butte. The views from the top of Oregon Butte are incredible! From here, I took Smooth Ridge Trail and peeled off at Danger Point. Here is where I made my biggest mistake of the trip. My advice is to NOT take Danger Point trail. It was very steep and the trail is very hard to find. I would run into it occasionally, but basically stayed on the ridgeline when I was in doubt. I went off the ridge where I thought it was supposed to leave the ridge based on my map, but couldn't really tell where the trail was. By the time I realized this was a mistake, I decided to head down to Cougar Creek through the brush, where I expected to find a trail that would lead me to Crooked Creek. I found an old elk camp with lots of gear and trash that has been left. There is a trail there, but it has not been maintained in a very long time. It is extremely overgrown and it was very frustrating to navigate. If there was a bad part of my trip, this was it. I was looking forward to relief from all the vegetation when I hit Crooked Creek. Although it was easier to find the trail at Crooked Creek, it was also quite overgrown. I went up about a half mile from Cougar Creek and found a wide spot in the trail to make camp. The next morning, I was surprised to find another hiker passing through, who stayed at Third Creek and informed me that it was extremely overgrown between Cougar Creek and Third Creek as well. The further north you go on Crooked Creek Trail, the better it gets. The trail is very nice the last 2-3 miles before you get to Indian Corral. It's too bad Crooked Creek isn't maintained better, because it is an absolutely beautiful area, I would love to go back someday, but I may have to invest in a machete first! Indian Corral is a lovely area for a break, I had lunch near the junction and then proceeded down Panjab trail back to the trailhead.

Overall, it was a great trip and it definitely gave me a new appreciation for the Blue Mountains. The weather was just perfect! My total mileage was approximately 21 miles based on Google Earth path. I would recommend that no one takes Danger Point trail! I may consider doing Grizzly Bear Ridge (#3121) next time or doing the Oregon Butte Loop and shorten it a bit. Either way, I will definitely be back, but hopefully some trails get cleaned up a little in the meantime!

Avoided the memorial day weekend crowds by taking a trip into the Blue Mountains. Started low at the Panjab TH and hiked Turkey Creek and then Mt. Misery up to Oregon Butte. Great evening views up there. There was a truck at Teepee TH suggesting the road from Godman is at least mostly clear of snow. Turkey Creek trail was quite muddy. Mt Misery trail to Oregon Butte still has snow to cross in places but wasn't too bad. Took a day hike out and back on the Smooth Ridge Trail to McBain Springs which was flowing strongly. Then continued on the Mt. Misery trail to Indian Corral and took the Panjab Trail back to Panjab TH. ~15 trees across the Mt Misery trail between Oregon Butte and Indian corral and another 6 across the Panjab Trail near its top at Indian Corral.

<3 the Wenaha Tucannon Wilderness!

Loved the trail. Please do not take the rougher road! Also google map took us through the rougher road. If your gps asks you to take some right turn withing few minutes after crossing Dayton, DON'T take it. In the trail, we saw people on horse, which was fun. Weather was perfect: not too cold at night. We got amazing clear sky and beautiful moon light! Pro tip: if you want to star gaze, avoid going there when a fool moon is approaching. There were some fallen trees, but it was not too bad. Highly recommend if you want to spend some time in nature but cannot tolerate the cold of the western part of the state!