April Snows bring . . . ?

Big Creek Loop, 4/3/10, 4.5 miles, 600 elevation

Our plans were made in February - an unseasonably warm February where we hiked trails normally closed until April or May. Our excitement in getting to destinations early in the season was uncontained as we planned the hikes for this year's Conditioning Hike Series. Even so, Big Creek Loop is hikable in the early season - one of the reasons I enjoy the hike on the SE side of the Olympic Peninsula. The forest is filled with the new green of spring. But not this year. No, this year brought us snow - a lot of it.

Our merry little group started out at the Big Creek campground in a spotty dusting of snow, telling stories and getting to know each other, stopping to identify fox prints in the snow. A slight rain began to fall on us as we started our climb through the trees. It wasn't long before the rain showers turned into snow showers. Soon, it was just plain snowing and accumulating on the trail, ferns & trees.

Knowing I had a few newer hikers on the trip, I asked if anyone was uncomfortable. There waas still time to turn back, but this being a loop everyone opted to continue on. One of the features I love about this trail is that there are several different streams to cross as well as Big Creek. Big Creek is at the apex of the climb then the trail follows the other side of the drainage back down to the campground. By the time we crossed the bridge over Big Creek, we were hiking through 8 inches of snow - almost perfect for snowshoes.

I had hoped for lunch at a little bench tucked in the trees next to the creek. But the snow wasn't relenting so we traveled a little further until I could not postpone lunch any longer - my hikers needed to eat. So we huddled together under Alder swaying with the wind. Adding insult to injury, the wind knocked chunks of snow off the trees with well-aimed precision, splattering on our heads and down our jackets.

Soon we were down to the land of rain showers and a dusting of snow - ready to see what the rest of the season brings us.

Crossing Streams

Big Creek Loop 5/28/07 4.5 miles

The new Mountaineer's day hiking trail guides hit our desks this week and I couldn't wait to test one out. Of course I borrowed the Olympic Peninsula guide by Craig Romano and flipped through to the Big Creek Loop trail near Lake Cushman - a 4 1/2 mile trail with an elevation gain of just 900 feet. I thought it would a wonderful hike to stretch our legs a bit. And in fact, it was not only a perfect hike for us but also a perfect hike for our dogs.

Big Creek Loop trail, as Craig put it, is the newest trail in the Olympic National Forest. I must say it is an extremely well-maintained trail. All junctions were well signed as well as mile markers along the way. The trail was wide and clean of all blowdowns - something that can't be said of many other trails in western Washington this year. The trail was originally built using abandoned forest service roads and interconnected by trails. The volunteer crews that built it did an amazing job.

We hiked through hemlock forests peppered with big leaf and vine maples. At one point we walked through bracken ferns chest high. After climbing through the forest for a while, the trail meets up with Big Creek and follows it upstream for a fraction of a mile before leveling out and crossing the 1st of the tributaries into Big Creek. We stopped at the convergence of one of these tributaries for lunch. The dogs laid at our feet hoping for a dropped cracker or cheese while wee listened to the tumbling and crashing water as it fell over rocks and swirled around boulders.

After our break, our way downhill was decorated by springtime flowers including beargrass, bleeding hearts and vanilla leaf. And then I saw it, curving over the trail ahead, a beautiful pacific rhododendron - its pink flowers brightening the cloud-covered forest. I love to see these northwest wildflowers; they line the highways of the peninsula but I especially enjoy them in wilds. I think, because they have been domesticated so well, it's a bit refreshing to see them where the originated - under a forest canopy and amongst ferns.

In all, we had 6 stream crossings on this fine hike. Check it out for yourself. Even better, pick up one of the new day hiking guides from the Mountaineers - 1% of sales will be returned to trail maintenance.