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