Waterfall Day

Today we decided to tackle two short waterfall view trails:  Fallsview Canyon and Murhut Falls.

Our first hike started from the Falls View Campground.  There is a small vista loop which we hit at the end, but we started with the canyon trail.   It is only a 1.5 mile hike round trip, but it descends about 300 feet rather quickly (and climbs back up at the end!) 
There are a couple places to make your way down to the water and we found a great spot where we stayed and explored for quite a wall.  The Big Quilcene River roars through this area and it was beautiful!

The Rhodies were in bloom throughout the forest and we only saw a couple of other people on the trail (mid-week).  The actual vista of the falls was pretty, but far away so they weren't all that impressive.  The rest of the trail was great though, so it was totally worthwhile.








Our next stop was Collins Campground to borrow a picnic table and have a bite to eat.  It's a great, primitive campground in the Duckabush Recreation area.  The most impressive thing?  The outhouse!  Seriously!  We've never seen such a well-built, non-smelly outhouse.   Vented, well-constructed, impressive - really.

From there we drove a bit further to the trail head for Murhut Falls.  Again, this was another short hike, only 1.6 miles roundtrip, but again, it also has a rapid 300 foot ascent/descent to the river.  The trail was in good shape and this time, the falls at the end were very impressive!  There is a great bench at the top of the trail where you can sit and marvel. Unfortunately, it was already taken when we got there (but they were a nice couple!)

We often talk about how to handle emergencies that might occur while out in the woods, especially encounters with wildlife. Well, today was our first animal attack.  While Chris was scrambling through some driftwood by the river, he was attacked by a vicious slug.  It quickly sprayed him with its disgusting slime, but Chris managed to fight him off.  Unfortunately, it left quite a mark.We debated whether it was some sort of mutant slug/leach creature, or perhaps a vampire slug of some kind since we've never known one to attack in such a manner.

All in all, even with the attack, it was a great day! With our extra exploring we probably got in about 5 miles and a lot of that was climbing up and down hills, so it was a great workout!

Lower Lena Lake

For nearly a year we've been talking about the Lena Lake trail, both of us having read about it on different websites, books, etc.   Yesterday we finally hiked it and it was awesome. The Lena Lake trailhead is just southwest of Quilcene in The Brothers area of the Olympic Mountains. The 8 mile road into the trail head is a nice, paved entry which goes past Hamma Hamma campground.  The distance to Lena Lake is just over 3 miles with an elevation climb of 1300 ft.  It is said to be one of the most popular trails in the Olympics and even though we tried to time our adventure with the exodus on Memorial Day,  we still saw at least 20 other hikers, including several families with kids.

The 3+ mile climb to Lena is full of switchbacks, making for a steady elevation gain.  We climbed for about 2.5 hours of heart pumping fun.  The beginning of the trail is quite rocky, but eventually it smooths out to hard packed dirt and is well maintained. Along the way you start to hear the roar of the rapids, but they stay hidden for most of the trip.  There are a couple dry river beds where the stream now runs subterranean.

Eventually there are a few peak-a-view glimpses of the river, and a bridge that crosses:

The farther you go, the bigger the trees get and there are some amazing rock formations. Once you reach the top and see a sneak peek of the lake, you know the climb was worth it.  We stopped at "lunch rock" and had a snack and enjoyed the incredible view:

I don't know if the photo really captures the amazing dark teal color of the lake.  It is beautiful!

There are primitive campgrounds surrounding the lake and a composting toilet.  This, combined with the popularity of the destination means there are quite a few signs of human abuse of the area.  We tried to look past all of that and enjoy the amazing scenery.  From here,  the trail continues in two directions: either The Brothers summit or Upper Lake Lena,  both of which are huge elevation gains. Our plan is to one day hike up to Lower Lena, camp overnight, continue to Upper Lena where there are fewer travelers and fewer accommodations and camp overnight, and then make our way down.  It would be a huge challenge for us at this stage - but it's on our list!

Overall this hike took us about 5.5 hours, which included some time exploring around the lake and checking out the campgrounds. It was definitely a fun adventure, a great workout and a worthwhile trip.

Wye Creek

On May 15, Chris headed out for his first solo camping experience in the wilderness.   Here's his account of his three day adventure:

Day 1
Took 101 west, turned left onto road 29, then drove to Wye Creek. Very nice area, fast running creek with lots of boulders, timber and falls. Unfortunately it made it impossible for me to navigate to a suitable campsite. Drove back to the bridge and found a road that runs along another creek. Found a spot. It had a campfire ring already and a flat area for the tent. I imagine this is a popular spot due to the beautiful and peaceful sound of the water. Let's get started! Finally! It was almost 5 o'clock.
I set up the tent easily enough by myself, very easy. I decided to go with the tent and rain fly even though there wasn't rain in the forecast. Better safe than sorry.

I heard far off gunfire for about 2-3 hours.
Then it was dinner time. I boiled some water with my homemade alcohol stove. I gave it a full dose of fuel, but barely boiled the 2 cups of water. Barely. I'm going to try turning the windscreen over for breakfast so the end with the most holes is towards the top? Is that the problem?
Anyway, it was plenty hot to fully cook my freeze dried rice and chicken. Not too bad. I wasn't very hungry but I did my best to eat about 2/3 of it before I packed all the food and garbage into a stuff sack and hung it from the bridge on account of bears!
About 6:30 I was starting to think there was no way I was going to see anyone, when a grey truck mosied down my road and across my bridge. He later turned around and headed back.
After that, I enjoyed a nice campfire until about 10pm. I have to admit I got a little lonely missing my wife and kids, and that stupid cat.
The roads coming in we're fine but the area has been logged so extensively that it kind of took some of the fun out of it. As a matter of fact, I may just pack up and head home tomorrow. Is one night enough for now? I don't think there are any trails and the brush is too thick to navigate. There are no views of any snow peaks or nice mountains. If you could hike anywhere you would likely see clear cutting all around.
Let's see what tomorrow brings of my planned two night stay in the wilderness of Olympic National Forest...

Day 2
Slept ok. Maybe 6 hours, woke up about 5:30.  Some idiot has been trying to start a generator last night in the distance and then again this morning. What are you gonna do?
Things I forgot: pillows and pants. I made due by stuffing my clean clothes into the sleeping bag stuff sack. It's gonna be a cold morning without pants. (turns out I was fine. Makes me think not bringing pants was for the better.)
I'm glad I set up the rainfly, I image the dew and condensation could have been trouble without it. Although, most of the moisture was on the inside so maybe I would have been fine?
Things I don't need: big camera, small one would be fine, binoculars, candles
Probably still not strong enough to be comfortable back wise. Too hard moving around in tent on ground and setting up and tearing down.
In the morning I saw a fellow on the other side of the creek. Looked like he was picking up metal? He was sorta making a lot of noise. Said, "hey". That was it.
Packed up and explored the area. Drove up the nearest road on FR29, Nothing worth seeing. Drove down and crossed highway 101 into the Klahowya Campground. Beautiful campground on the Sol Duc river. Since there was only one other camper in the place, I decided to stay. I think the fact that I will have a picnic table and close access to the truck and its tailgate will make it easier on my back, less bending. Found the best site, #45, right next to the river. That's gonna make sleeping easier.

Cooked Mexican beans and rice, freeze dried, of course. Really good, I forgot to eat lunch! Then went for a 1/4 mile stroll through an interpretive trail about the settlers and homesteaders in the early 1900's. As always, pretty cheesy. I'll start a fire in a little while and try to hit the hay by 10 or 11 so I can try to get an early start on things tomorrow. If I got the gumption, I'm going to try the 5 mile Pyramid Mt trail. We'll see...

Highlight: watched two ducks land in the river and then float down what seemed to me to be too fast for those little fellows. They looked like kayakers headed the wrong way down and a little skittish about the whole thing.
Note: a cup with a lid would be nice. Water would probably boil faster? And it would keep stuff from blowing into it when cooking over a fire. GPS would be nice.
To bring, sweep stick to clean tarps, tables, etc.

Day 3
Woke up about 5am. I think I got about 5-6 hours, tops. Not too bad though. It was really cool waking up slowly with the sights and sounds of the river. I was soon wide awake and anxious to get on the road. My back and hips were pretty sore. Did the air mattress spring a leak last night?
Boiled two cups of water quickly, thanks to figuring out which way is up with my windscreen. The top has the most holes. Also, don't be afraid to fill up on the alcohol. But, be sure to use it on a hard surface as fuel and flame will spill a little. Had a nice rolling boil for a double dose of Starbucks instant coffee and one bag of hot cocoa. Mmm good.

My activity brought a Stellars Jay and a little chipmunk into camp to keep me company and help clean up any morsels I may have dropped - which I didn't. I was able to snap a couple of pics of my visitors as well as a couple of ducks that once again landed upstream and floated down looking for food.

I'm packing up and heading home. My back is ok, but I think it's had enough, don't want to push it too far, just enough. I hope to check out some sights on the way home, but I am anxious to get back and tell my sweetheart all about my adventures!
Stopped at Mount Muller trailhead. Looks like a good day hike. The loop is 12.5 miles, though. Possible itinerary would be to camp at Klahowya Campgrounds then day hike the loop or just summit then go home. Possibly camp at the top or halfway on the loop? It looks beautiful, but challenging. 5 dollars for day pass by self registering, or purchase one of the qualifying annual passes in advance.
One thing to do might be to make a list of things not to bring! I didn't need nearly what I brought.
The doctors bag was perfect for car camping, prolly not for backpacking. iPad was great to have, don't need Kindle at all.
Used about 1 gallon water per day, for backpacking could use less.
Stay away from the freeze dried eggs for breakfast!

Guillemot Cove

Vacation week!    We've been out hiking nearly every day this week; even tested out our camping gear one night!  It is the end of April/beginning of May in the Pacific Northwest, so the weather is really hit or miss but we've had pretty good luck all week.  This week is also the three month anniversary of Chris' back surgery and he is just now beginning to be able to ramp up his excursions.

We started out early on Wednesday morning with the hope that we'd glimpse some eagles at the Big Beef Creek in Seabeck.    We got there at low tide, but no eagles were to be found.   We did see a lot of Great Blue Herons patiently fishing near the mud flats.

Our next stop was the Guillemot Cove hike, which we had never tried.    The parking lot and trailhead were fairly non-descript and we didn't think we were in the right place,  but a quick look at our guidebook "Day Hiking the Olympic Peninsula" reassured us.

http://www.kitsapgov.com/parks/Parks/Documents/Trail_Maps/GuillemotCove_TrailMap.pdf 

The trail down to the beach wound through a great patch of evergreen and Alder tree forest.  The sun was shining and the birds were especially joyful.

The trail was in pretty good shape, though there were a few trees across the path and a few narrow areas on the steepest descent to the water.  Portions of the trail are an easement on private property and as you reach the bottom there is a home at the base.   The public access to the cove is off to the left, though the original path is overgrown and under water.   Luckily, someone had posted a handwritten alternate route:

It was still a muddy mess getting through the marsh to the beach trail, but along the way is great for bird watching!   We saw Stellar Jays, Red-Winged Black Birds,  Sparrows, Swallows, Ducks, and lots of fat Robins!

The views from the beach were amazing.  "The Brothers" (Olympic Mountains) loomed across the water and due to the time of the year, the iffy weather and the fact it was a Wednesday, we had the place all to ourselves.

There are several abandoned buildings around the property and it is fun to imagine their history.  There is also a little outhouse located on the trail right before the beach.  We didn't track this hike, but according to the book it's 2.5 miles round trip.    There are a few other trails past the beach which we haven't yet explored, but we plan on going back soon!

Green Mountain

On May 2, 2012,  the three month anniversary of Chris' back surgery,  we summitted Green Mountain. He had done the climb before, but it was a first for me. Gold Creek Trail is 5 miles round trip, with an elevation gain of 1000 feet.   The summit of Green Mountain is 1639 feet, so while not very tall compared to the neighboring Olympics, it is a good hike that is very close to home! Located off Seabeck Highway and Holly Road on the Kitsap Peninsula, Green and Gold mountains are practically in our backyard.  The trails in this area, and there are many, are very popular not only with hikers, but with mountain bikers and motorcycles alike.  We have found the best time to go is mid-week, when the motorized vehicles are less likely to be seen and heard. 

Early on the trail you find Gold Creek and can amble down a fairly steep trail to get to the water.

A bridge on the trail crosses over and that's the last time you'll see the creek.  The trail winds up the mountain and can be steep at times. There are several other trails and old forest roads that branch off, but to get to the summit you have to stay on either Gold Creek or the slightly longer Plummer Trail. As you climb, you begin to see a few peak-a-views from the trees and get an idea of how amazing the summit will be.

 In the Northwest,  winters are gray and catching a sunny day in the Spring (hell, anytime of year) is a treat for the soul.

At the summit there are picnic tables, outhouses, and of course, even on a cloudy day, amazing views of the Puget Sound and Seattle.  On a clear day you also get stunning views of the Olympics and Mount Rainier.

Unfortunately, some of the views include clear-cut areas in this DNR managed land. But the summit is still beautiful. As we sat and ate lunch we could hear and eventually saw a hawk flying about.

On this day we had the summit all to ourselves, only saw two motorbikes and one other couple hiking.  We saw a lot of birds, a lot of slugs, and a couple snakes! And there were some beautiful, tiny blue butterflies that swarmed all around Cricket for a few seconds before moving on - it was magical! This hike is a good workout,  rated three of five on the difficulty scale in our guidebooks.  It was a great achievement for Chris post-surgery and on the road to recovery.  We are very spoiled to have such amazing trails practically in our back yard.

Six One

When we were married at the ripe, old age of 18, there was a lot of discussion about whether it was a wise choice to start a family so young.  At the time, we subscribed to the thought process that starting early would allow us to be 'retired' from raising children by the time we hit our early 40's; which in turn would allow for lots of adventure.   We've had plenty of friends that looked at it the opposite way; choosing instead to seek adventure first and family second.    Both paths certainly have their pluses and minuses, but we've never had any regrets.  We've been married for 28 years, have two amazing sons, and are still each other's best friend.  So here we are, in our mid-40's, learning to embrace our empty nest and enjoy this new chapter of our lives.

We've always enjoyed nature, but as we've matured it seems we appreciate it much more.  In fact, it's part of what keeps us grounded and sane in an otherwise hectic life.  Our goal for this blog is to record our adventures, mostly of the hiking genre, and track our results.   We want to be able to look back and see where we've been and continue to set goals for where we are going.  Maybe along the way others will find our tales interesting, but if not we will at least have a written record of our adventures that will supplement our memories.

We are C & C, Two Young Soles.

Green Mountain Summit, May 2, 2012