I did not actually go anywhere, but I did talk to 2 rangers today so I thought I'd pass along information for those of you wanting a low-level snow free hike. You're not going to find it here! Apparently there are over 6 inches of snow at the T in the road after you leave Hoodsport, where you turn left to get to the dirt road leading to Staircase, and the road is closed. It is very icy, I was told. The ranger said we were free to park our car and walk in, but there was another report from yesterday of the same 6 inches at the campground and because it's been so cold and there has been no new snow, it is all compact, and very slick. I bet it's still beautiful though! We are opting not to go, but my itch to get in the woods is so great we may end up there soon, probably by next weekend.

Our small group of Olympia mountaineers started off on a 3-day backpack trip to Camp Pleasant on Saturday morning. We did all our registering and paid for our bear cannisters (they told us the bear wire was down- it is up, but we're happy to make donations to the park). The hike in to Camp Pleasant was beautiful and uneventful. All the bridges are in. That evening we were treated to a little show by a deer and two fawns. The little fawns zipped around the camp area like 5-year olds and mom waited patiently for them to calm down. They didn't seem to be bothered by our presence. A real treat! On Sunday we set off for First Divide and marvelled at how many microclimates we passed through on our 3,000 feet of gain. There are a few snow patches remaining but nothing to worry about. There are a lot of flowers above 4,000' including a peach-colored Columbine. We enjoyed the views at First Divide and even took a nap, then made our way back down to camp. There were some unusual mosquitos in that they buzzed around us but didn't bite much. I am normally a mosquito magnet but only got bitten a few times. On Monday morning, we reluctantly packed out under beautiful clear skies and hurried out to Hoodsport to eat ice cream.

The Staircase area has some snow, but on a sunny day, it was pleasant walking up the north and south side of the Skokomish River from the road end. Normally, I would have walked the loop and crossed the river on the footbridge, but the weather has been very hard on this area, and the bridge has been washed away. So I hiked up and back on the south side, explored a side trail to the biggest fallen cedar I have ever seen, and then hiked up the north side to the bridge washout. It was twice as far as it would have been with the bridge in place, but well worth the effort. You could keep going on the north side to really stretch your legs, as there is only 3 or 4 inches of snow, no need for snowshoes at this elevation. It is worth the trip just for the solitude, which the guru was craving on this gorgeous winter day. There were a couple of minor blowdowns that were easily crossed. Somebody can let us know when the bridge is repaired.

This, as always, was a beautiful short hike. I had my mother-in-law with us, and a 5 year old, so we just went up the south side of the trail (next to the Red Reef & Dolly Pool) up to a rocky beach just past the bridge (will they ever fix that????). It was a perfect day, and we left the trailhead at 10:30 and didn't run into that many people, considering, until we headed back to the car around 2:00. The bugs were something else, though, I feel like I have the chicken pox, I am itching all over today. My son, however, 10 months old and strapped to my back, has not a mark on him. Mosquitos must not like babies!

What was I thinking? Planning a winter Mountaineer hike in the rain forest! I just wanted people to get off the couches and hike. And boy was I glad. Although it rained our entire drive to the trailhead, the weather was dry with sunbreaks the entire hike. We started our hike at the Staircase area and were planning on hiking along the North Fork Skokomish to the Flapjack Trailhead. Can I repeat that it was a nice dry hike in the rain forest? The moss-covered trees were so different from our views in the cascades. We started our hike at 10:40 and by 12:00 ran into a water crossing that gave us two choices of getting across. One was to ford the water and definately have wet boots. The water was running fast and the stability of the rocks were uncomfortable for some. The second choice was to walk across a downed tree which hung about 10 to 15 feet above the creek. That was uncomfortable for some, but most importantly, uncomfortable for me the leader. So we lunched at the creek making the decision to stop short of our planned destination. But wait...that doesn't mean our hiking has to end. We ate our lunch and hiked back out with the intention of hiking the other side of the river to Staircase Rapids. And that's what we did. This side is so much more beautiful than the other, and it is a very short hike. We made it back to our vehicles around 3 p.m. and after 8 miles of easy hiking. We ended the day at a restaurant and almost got food poisoning. But that's another story for my Mountaineer friends to talk about on another Mountaineer hike.