Lower Big Quilcene River

The Big Quilcene River trail is a great starter day hike.  It's actually pretty long and would be a perfect over night trail.  There's even a really nice place to camp.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We actually got up early and got our stuff together and we were out the door before we knew it.  We're getting good at this.  The weather forecast said a 10% chance of rain, which I've learned from 10 years living in the Pacific Northwest, that means it's going to rain.  We brought our rain gear.  And a dang good thing.  It rained the entire time!

Here's what it looked like as we were approaching the trailhead:

Rain and Fog approaching the Trail Head

Once we arrived at the trail head we got into our rain gear and got our packs on and hit the trail around 9am.  There was only one other car in the parking lot.  Clearly there weren't many people who wanted to be out in that yuck.  There was a privy available and a trail registry which I was excited to sign.

Trail Head with a missing person sign attached to it *yikes*

Big Quilcene River Trail Registry

The trail was very well maintained.  It was also very easy the incline was gradual and the views were outstanding. From the very beginning we were encountering little waterfalls.

Snow Run Off

Then I saw this thing.  I'm not sure what it is, but it's kind of odd looking, especially with all the moss growing on it.

Moss covered Tree?

The trail started out wide but narrowed real quick.  It reminded me of pictures I've seen of the AT.  It's my dreaming of the AT that keeps me putting one foot in front of the other when I'm on these hikes.

Trail Narrowing

As we continued on we came up on this interesting little spot.  It was a little bit off the trail and sort of back in the brush a little bit.  I couldn't get a good picture.  I don't dare bring my DSLR camera on these hikes but my point and shoot usually does pretty good.  Not on this one.  But I wanted you to get the idea of what it looked like.  It was so pretty.

Waterfall in a little "cove"

The rain was really starting to come down and my camera case was getting soak so I was concerned that it might get damaged.  I was sad to do it, but decided it was time for it to go into my pack to hopefully give it a little extra protection.  Speaking of my pack, it was also at this time I realized that my pack really isn't all that "water resistant".  Everything was soaked in there.  It was a little frustrating, but there wasn't anything that was going to be ruined by the rain and now we know that if we intentionally go out in the rain we have to have different packs.  Good to know.  I also dug out my jungle hat and put it on.  I didn't really want to wear my hood but my head was getting soaked and I needed something.  And finally, I got my phone set up so I could use it to take pictures.  I managed to acquire what I thought was going to be a perfect case for my phone for this purpose, but it didn't work so well.  It was difficult to turn on and difficult to take pictures with.  Anyway, the next few pictures are from my phone.

There were 3 bridges that we crossed.  They were all brand new and still had the fresh cut pine smell.  It was very cool.

First Bridge

This is what the second bridge crossed:

I think this is my favorite picture from this hike.  I love that you can see the water running down from way back there.

Second Bridge

Here I am with my jungle hat on soaking wet!

Ugh!

This is a shot taken from the camp site, the river runs right up to it.  In fact, one of the spots is only a few feet away from the river.  THAT is the spot I want to camp in.

Bark Shanty Shelter (no shelter, just a camping area)

We only hiked out a little bit passed this before we turned around.  Leonard wasn't feeling well and my right foot was aching almost from the very beginning.  I'm going to have to have my foot looked at again.  I thought that after having 2 weeks off it would do just fine, but it wasn't fine at all.  It was this really intense burning feeling on the bottom, almost like the feeling you get when your shoes are laced too tight combined with a bruising feeling and the pain shot down my 2 toes after the big toe.  It was really uncomfortable.

I didn't take a signature photo this time because we didn't make it to our goal.  We made it about 3 miles in before we had to turn back.  I'm hoping that we'll have another opportunity to do this trail.  It was a beautiful hike and an amazing camping area.

Trip Stats:

Driving: 1 hour each way

Hiking: 3 hours 

Hiking Distance: 6 miles

Rating: Easy

Elevation Gain: 700 feet

Pass Required: NW Forrest Pass

A Day Off

We decided to take a day off.  Sunday is my only true day off work and things were starting to pile up around here since we've been spending our Sundays hiking.  Plus Leonard wasn't feeling well, he had some major leg cramps a couple days ago and I was a little concerned that would cause problems for the 12 mile hike we had planned.  So, we're regrouping and giving our bodies another week of rest.

Lower Lena Lake

Lena Lake is a 2 part hike.  The first part is a day hike to Lower Lena Lake.  It's a little over 3 miles one way (according to the book) to the first lake.  The second part is Upper Lena Lake which is about 7 miles one way to the second lake.  Today's hike was to Lower Lena.  

It took almost 2 hours to drive to Hamma Hamma, the town where Lena Lake is located.  We didn't get on the road until after 10am.  It rained the whole way there, which is exactly what we were expecting, and prepared for.  We arrived at the trail head just before noon and got into our rain gear and off we went.

Lena Lake Trail Head

We weren't on the trail 5 minutes when the switchbacks started.  Oh my gosh, these where horrible.  There is some serious elevation gain right off the bat.  Back and forth back and forth on and on.  But at least there was lots to look at.  At at the beginning the trail was very well maintained.

Nice railing

But that nice well maintained trail didn't last long (don't worry, we'll get to that real soon).  First I have to show you the "trail love" that I found.  It seems like there are lots of hearts on the trail, if you just look for them.  I think of it as the trail giving me a little love along the way.  This was my favorite one that I saw on this hike (sorry it's a little blurry):

Trail Love

This trail had a lot of water on it and all around it.  I was in heaven.  For me the sound of moving water is so relaxing and I was hearing it the entire hike.  This is one of my two favorite photos from this hike.  I'm pretty sure it's going to end up in a frame on the wall.  Please click on it so you can see the full size image.

Snow Run Off

Our first encounter of "water on the trail" started early in the hike.  Before we were even out of the switchbacks we were dealing with little rivers that were cutting through the trail.

Leonard trying not to get wet

I just knew that this trail was going to kick my butt, it was the perfect combination to land me flat on my backside, but some how I managed to beat it this time.  I definitely stumbled a couple times and slipped a little, but each time I was able to recover.

As I was hiking along I found this beautiful gem that made me think of Linda, I know how much she loves green and this little mossy green stream whispered her name.  (I tend to think of her a lot when I'm hiking).

For Linda

This is my other favorite picture.  I think that this one is so pretty.  I like the way the moving water was captured in a blur and everything around it is so still.  I think it's well composed and definitely frame worthy.

Hike to Lena Lake

One really super cool thing about this hike is Lena Creek.  It's actually a pretty good sized creek that is very fast moving and can be heard during most of the hike to Lower Lena.  When you actually cross the creek for the first time this is what you see:

Lena Creek  looking uphill

First let me say, this picture does nothing for the breath taking amazement you will get standing in this very spot.  I could sit here for hours day dreaming.  I could tell this was a place of power.  I could feel the energy.  These are boulders.  Some 20 or 30 feet tall.  They were pushed into this place by an earthquake hundreds of years ago.  The creek is subterranean here but you can still hear it rushing along just on the other side of these boulders.  This is what it looks like with my back to the spot above:

Lena Creek  looking downhill

It isn't nearly as impressive, but still very breath taking.

Just past this spot is the first bridge.  It passes over Lena Creek but I believe it was subterranean here as well, unfortunately I can't recall.  It was a very interesting bridge though.  It's only wide enough for 1 person and has a fun little turn at the other end.  I just love how rustic it is!

Bridge over Lena Creek

Speaking of boulders.  As we got closer to the lake we came up on this one.  I'm glad I got Leonard in there so you can really see how huge this thing was.  Of course it set our minds to thinking about how long it had been there and when it might be due for it's next movement.  That kind of thinking leads to all sorts of places.

Huge Boulder

The next part of the hike was the scariest part for me.  I'm so disappointed in the pictures that I took of this area because it doesn't look scary at all.  But I assure you, it was!  Water was rushing down the side of the mountain very fast and the only place it had to go was right on the trail and then on down the mountain on the other side of the trail.  Once the water hit the trail it made a river about 6 feet wide that ran over a bunch of rocks on the trail. It was fairly deep, at least above boot level.  There were some rocks sticking up to use for traversing but they were mossy and slick as well as a log at the edge of the trail which could also be used for traversing, also very slick.  I wasn't sure how I was going to get across without slipping and/or falling in and getting soaked and/or hurt LOL.  Leonard went first and talked me across and held my hand as soon as I was in arm's reach.  Here's the water coming down the mountain:

That's a lot of water

Water on the Trail

As if all this craziness wasn't enough... next up was the snow!  Fortunately there was only one small place where the snow was on the trail but there was lots in the shady spots on the mountain.

SNOW!

The second bridge was over Lena Creek again, but this time she showed herself in all her beauty.  This waterfall is pretty high and really loud.  I even took a little video so you could be there with me.

Looking up Lena Creek

Looking down Lena Creek

Here we are at the creek

And here's the little video I made (it's only a few seconds)

Just on the other side of the creek was a sign.  Just ahead there would be a fork that would head straight uphill to Upper Lena Lake.  Something to look forward to for another time.

I'm pooped

As you can see, we don't have our rain gear on.  Funny thing.  As soon as we got on the trail the rain stopped. It didn't rain a drop the entire time we were on the trail  It kept getting dark and threatened to rain and there were several times we thought we were going to have to turn back because it sure felt like we walked more than 3 miles and we weren't there yet and it was getting darker and darker.  At one point Leonard said that if the trail didn't start heading toward the lake soon then we would need to turn back so we wouldn't end up walking in the dark.  It was only a few minutes after he said those words that we rounded a corner and here's what we saw:

Lower Lena Lake

Finally!  The prize.  We decided to drop our packs and scout around a little bit to see if it's a place we would like to come back to camp.  There were only a few good spots, but the lake was really high and made us wonder if there are more spots that are just under water right now.  We could clearly see small trees that were sticking up through the water and trees don't normally grow in lakes LOL.  We decided that we would definitely like to come back.  It's a nice hike and there is plenty more exploring to do.

Down by the lake there were some amazing views.  Here's my Pano:

Lower Lena Lake

Taken with my phone's camera

Now to rest a bit.  It got pretty cold by the lake.  See the snow on the other side?  We decided to put on our rain jackets for a little extra warmth while we were resting.  They were perfect, they added a nice thin layer that didn't make us too hot but kept the chill off.

We spent about half an hour at the lake, scouting around, pottying, eating and drinking and of course, my signature photo:

My tired feet at Lower Lena Lake

The return trip wasn't too bad.  Even the scary part that had me so tripped up on the way up was a breeze.  I was definitely tired.  The app I got for my phone said the total trip was 8.5 miles.  I don't know how accurate it is, it felt more like 8.5 miles than 6.5 miles.  I know we didn't scout around for 2 miles, so I'm really not sure where that app picked up the extra 2 miles.  Or maybe it was actually correct and the book is wrong, trails, do change...

I was happy I didn't get the swelling in my hands this time.  The only difference I noted was that I went potty twice on this trip and it wasn't quite as long as the last one.  The bottoms of my feet were sure tender though.  The ball of my right foot is naturally sensitive due to whatever malfunction I have going on in there, and the hike really aggravated it and the 2 toes after my big toe.  I also got a bruise on my left leg where the top of my boot was rubbing on it.  My left ankle was still a little touchy from last week so I wore my boot a teensy bit looser than I normally like to have them to relieve the pain in my ankle but that made it just loose enough to rub.  Other than that... all is well.

Trip Stats:

Driving: 1 hour 45 minutes each way

Hiking: 4 hours 30 minutes

Hiking Distance: 6.5 miles

Rating: Moderate

Elevation Gain: 1250 feet

       

Dry Creek Trail

Dry Creek Trail was a very fun (but very difficult) hike.  It took us 2 hours to get there and we were an hour and a half later getting on the road than we planned to be, but now we know, it takes us 2 hours to get packed, eat, make any pre-trip stops and get on the road.  A lesson learned.

This time we both had Day Packs.  I bought a second one just like mine only in black for Leonard.  Leonard says that if I'm going to hike the AT I need to train like I'm going to hike it.  Before our first day hike he insisted I know the 10 Essentials, which took a little bit, but I do know them by heart now:

1. Shelter
2. Sun Protection
3. Navigation
4. Food
5. Water
6. Tools
7. Light
8. Fire Starter
9. Appropriate Weather Gear
10. First Aid

With the exception of a tent (since we don't have one) we bring the 10 Essentials every time.  So... in my pack was Sun Screen, Map was in my pocket and a Compass on a lanyard around my neck, Trail Mix, 48 oz. of water, a flashlight, a rain jacket and sweat pants (I wore my capri pants this time since the day started out warm and sunny).  In his pack was Turkey Jerky, 48 oz. of water, a knife that has a fire starter built in, a flashlight, a rain jacket, sweat pants and a first aid kit.  We didn't weigh our packs this time, but I'm pretty sure they were less than 12 pounds.

The trail head was 64 miles away but the geography of it all made the drive very long.  After the first 20 minutes the entire trip is a 2 lane road that twists and turns along the Hood Canal through teeny tiny towns.  The speed limit is only 40 most of the way.  The last 5 miles are dirt road.  Didn't see that coming.  And I don't have an off road vehicle.  So that was about 10 miles per hour.

Dry Creek Trail starts out at the end of Lake Cushman where the snow run off is filling the lake.  This time of year the lake is fairly barren and tree stumps can be seen sticking up.  As the snow melts and the lake fills up those stumps disappear.  My pictures don't do it justice, but these stumps are probably bigger around than I am tall!

This is looking toward the lake, where the snow is heading to-

Lake Cushman

This is where the snow is coming from-

Snow Run Off

These pictures where taken from a bridge that crosses over the lake.  According to our guide book (published in 2008) it said that the trail is open year around, however when we got to this bridge there was a closed gate, so we parked the car on the side of the dirt road and walked across the bridge.

Here we are on the bridge:

Ready to get started- Wow!  It was sunny.

It was a bit of a walk just to get to the trail head but once there we found yet another closed gate... sure didn't feel open, but we walked around it and headed on in.

The beginning of the trail passes by several private homes.  These homes appeared to be vacant, as if they were summer/vacation houses.  There was no vehicular access to them and no sign of life (or electricity) and they all had their own little out house.  I saw this one and thought of Aunt Linda:

Cabin in the woods at Lake Cushman

Of course Leonard and I thought it would be A-MAZING to have a little place like this to get away to.  No driveway, no electricity, no running water, you hike in and hike out.  Yep.  I'm down with that!

After we passed several of these little places we came to... A Trail Registry!  This was my first hike that had one, I was so stoked I forgot to take a picture.  But it was there!  I put our names in and there was a place to check out and leave comments when we came back out, which we did remember to do.  I commented that it was "a great practice hike" and wanted to put that it was part of my AT training but there was no room.

This way to the Trail

The trail was marked in the beginning because of the private property but as it progressed there were times we had to look for other signs that we were on the trail.  Because it was so early in the season there hasn't been any trail maintenance yet this year.  There were quite a few downed trees we had to go over or under.  I don't see a trail here, do you?  It's there... just gotta find it.

WTT?  (Where's The Trail)

After the Private Property things started getting serious right away, but first we passed a lovely little "Hiker's Shower".  The cold snow run off felt pretty good already.  The water was coming down pretty good and showered the trail.

Hiker's Shower

There were lots of places along the trail where the run off was running right along the trail, even over it in some places.  There were places we had to cross over rocks that had water flowing under them and places where we just had to get our boots wet.  I would imagine that later in the season those places get much deeper.

Runoff along the trail

Runoff crossing the trail

In the Pacific Northwest the woods are full of these giant ferns.  They're beautiful and pictures just don't do them justice.  It's hard to tell, but this fern was probably 5 feet wide.

Giant Fern

In most places the trail was merely a foot path.  It reminded me of some of the pictures I've seen of the AT where it meanders through a wide open space with a trail just wide enough for one.  I like it that way.  It's nice to be with some one and know that they're there, but it's also nice to be able to just be in your head or be focused on the task at hand- putting one foot in front of the other.  It's these little foot paths that really allow you to hike your own hike.

Dry Creek Trail

It was an excruciating climb.   800 feet of elevation gain in 1 mile!  I know that I will see greater gains on the AT, but for my out of shape body that was torture.  I don't know how many times I had to stop and take a break just to breathe, but I do know it was a LOT.  Sometimes the distance between stops was so short I could actually see the previous place I stopped from the place I was currently stopped.  My heart and lungs are so out of shape.  After the last hike I threatened myself with a cardio regime that I never started... after this hike I know I have to start it.  

After a mile of what felt like straight up the trail leveled out and that was my favorite part.  It was cool and shaded and beautiful.  And then we hit snow!  That's right, snow.  The trail was covered in snow and we couldn't see it at all.  We nearly turned back several times then a few feet ahead we'd pick up the trail again. And we could hear the roaring (not dry) Dry Creek up ahead so we pushed through it.  The snow started out small and looking back it was funny because we took pictures standing by these teensy patches of snow-

Leonard standing by the first snow spotting

Me standing by the first snow spotting

A little ways down the trail there was a little more snow-

More Snow

And then it got serious-

Snow covering the trail, again- WTT?

This is where I ended up in the mud.  Fortunately it didn't go over the top of my boot but my entire boot was definitely submerged.  I was pissed.

The water IS the trail

Finally we made it to the end of the trail (the 3.5 mile mark, still have to turn around and go back).  How do I know it was the end of the trail?  I wasn't crossing THIS:

Dry Creek

Apparently in the summer the creek dries up because there is no more snow runoff and you can cross the creek bed to continue on for an over nighter.  The guidebook says that going any further would be too long for a day hike.  And I couldn't agree more.  The guidebook recommended grabbing a seat on a rock, enjoying lunch and heading back at this point.  As it were, all but one rock was covered in snow!  We stripped off our packs, ate some turkey jerky and trail mix, went potty and reapplied sunscreen (I've worked hard to get my creamy white complexion) and took my Signature Picture-

My tired feet at Dry Creek (see the snow on the side?)

We only spent about 10 minutes at the creek.  There wasn't any place to relax and we didn't want our muscles to cool down and not be able to move again, so off we went.  It didn't take long for me to realize I couldn't see... I didn't have my glasses.  I couldn't remember taking them off.  I started to panic and Leonard remembered that I took them off to put on sunscreen.  We went back and had too look a little, they blended into the ground very well.  I was so thankful that I noticed before we were back down that steep incline.  They would have stayed behind if that were the case.

The return trip was treacherous.  We didn't make very good time at all.  We had to move very carefully and intentionally to make sure we didn't slip or fall.  There were lots of roots and rocks to keep us focused.  My legs shook the whole way, they felt like jello and my knees kept trying to lock, refusing to take another step.  We were both wore out.  The sun was moving to across the sky, I was feeling the pressure to keep moving.  Even my fingers hurt.  When I noticed my sore fingers and looked at them I realized they were swollen up like balloons.  You know those balloons clowns use to twist into little balloon animals?  THAT is what my fingers looked like.  It was a little scary.  I tried to drink even more water, I knew that the swelling was from water retention.  I was sweating like a pig and had only peed once the entire day but we'd almost drank all of our 96 oz. of water so I knew I wasn't truly dehydrated.  I think my body was just freaking out from sweating so much because normally... I don't sweat.  Ever.  Then the ankle started.  My left ankle was very slightly rubbing on my boot the entire time.  At the very end, after passing the trail registry the real pain started.  I think that my ankle was swelling a little bit too.  I couldn't take more than a few steps before I had to readjust my boot.  This went on several times and finally I loosened my boot and it went away.

We made it back in once piece, both of us exhausted and in pain, but I didn't complain and Leonard noticed.  He actually complimented me for toughing it out.

Trip Stats:

Driving: 2 hours each way

Hiking: 5 hours total

Hiking Distance: 7.2 miles

Rating: Moderately Difficult

Elevation Gain: 700 feet