Wet Feet

Quinault Rainforest 7/27-7/29/07 24 miles

There is a reason why it's called a rain forest. If you need the help, here it is. It rains in the rain forest - even in the relatively dry days of July and August.

I had been planning a trip up the Quinault River through Enchanted Valley over Anderson pass and down into the Dosewallips River valley. But in 3 days we would have had two very long days of 10+ miles. Michael & I were just not in the shape to abuse our bodies in such a manner. So, we opted for a shorter hike up the North Fork Quinault River valley, then we'd head uphill to the Skyline Trail and back out again. 24 miles total with the longest day being 11 1/2 - whew!

We started out early Friday morning along the trail within earshot of the river. We were soon within view as it rumbled along over the rocks, twisting and curving around the sandbars. The first mile is a pleasant walk through green foliage sprinkled with splashes of blue & red berries hanging from shrubs and vines. At approximately 1 mile the trail crosses the river twice forcing hikers to ford the river without benefit of a bridge. I had never had to cross a river in such a manner - streams and creeks were no problem, but I was a little trepidatious about this crossing. After discussing the route with Michael, I took the plunge. The current pulled on my trekking poles and legs and the water frigid, but it was quite fun. I even asked if I could cross a couple more times after we crossed the second section.

Lunch was eaten at Wolf Bar camp another mile or so up the trail, a nice spot for a short afternoon break, if not a place to camp. But our camp was another 2 miles up river. We climbed out of the valley a bit, but never far from the river, as the forest became more dense around us. Moss appeared to cover everything. The moistness also presented a minor but irritating problem - mosquitoes. Out came the bug repellent so we could continue on in relative peace.

The moss-covered sign for Halfway House camp, our home for the evening, was soon at our feet. We found a campsite over-looking turquoise green pools as the river flowed through the canyon and thought it would be a wonderful evening to sleep under the stars. Remember those pesky little mosquitoes on the trail? Well they were in full military mode at our camp. Setting up the tent was our only refuge from the swarms around our heads. They may not have been landing, much, but they were damned irritating. We lounged around in the tent and as evening approached, we watched as clouds silently moved up the valley. But hey, it's the end of July, it's just clouds, no need to worry.About 4:30 in the morning, the rain started to fall. Michael quickly draped the rainfly over our tent and we settled down again for a couple more hours of sleep.

Saturday's hike would take us another mile up the river before we'd start a rigorous climb up the Elip Creek trail to the Skyline trail - a climb of almost 3000 feet in 4 1/2 miles. It would be long day for us as we are not fast climbers. By the time we got to the main trail from camp, my boots pant legs were soaked from the rain-moistened foliage of the surrounding shrubs. My feet would not be dry for the rest of the weekend. We turned off the main trail onto the Elip Creek trail and made our way up the ridge through the thick forest as it cleared to become tree-spotted meadow. By this time the clouds parted slightly to allow us views of the mountains toward the interior of the park. We contemplated staying in these meadows for the night as the view was stunning with the distant dark green valleys giving way to light green alpine meadow and snow crested peaks above those. But we continued on to our camp for the evening at Three Prune Camp.

We settled into our tent that evening after a quick dinner and listened to the rain as it splattered against the rainfly. I fell asleep to that sound and woke the next morning with the same spattering in my ears. The one nice thing about rain - the mosquitoes have better places to be than buzzing around our heads. My feet became wetter with each step as we made our way through the clouds that had embraced the ridge. Rain fell on us off and on throughout the morning as the trail led us past reflection lakes then Three Lakes camp before heading downhill and back into the trees. We saw no-one on the trail all morning until we came across a trail worker diligently clearing the trail of downed trees and over-grown shrubs.

Lunch was eaten at Big Creek where I rang out my socks, hopefully for the last time that day. The air had gotten warmer and we hadn't felt a drop of rain for several miles, so we peeled off our raincoats to finish off the last 4 miles. Within a mile the sun broke through the clouds to warm up the forest, we were already warm from the previous 7 miles. The trees seemed to glow with the light, finally showing itself. As we finally reached the valley, I noticed the trees of the forest had changed to big leaf maples arching over the moss-covered landscape. A creek wound its way through the trees, a lovely setting. But all I could think of was finding a spot to rest my still wet and aching feet. What I found was a mossy open stretch under moss laden maple branches. We rested a while, swatting away mosquitoes, enjoying the slight breeze and the opportunity to rest our feet. I could have stayed there longer, in this quiet and restful spot. But our car waited for us, a mile and a half away.

It didn't take us too long before we passed Irely Lake to the swamp that lay beyond. We had been warned by another couple about the swamp with mud several feet deep and an impossible route to follow. And here we stood, looking at a few random pieces of wood tracing out a possible trail. I went ahead, shaking my head and laughing at the predicament of top heavy backpackers making their way across 2" wide planks. Then I came to an area where there was no apparent way across. I decided to test the depth of the mud with my trekking pole - just how muddy would I have to get - when my pole thunked against a buried plank. I made it to solid ground and began coaching Michael across. The forest again changed to cedars with little undergrowth.

The sun soon glinted off of windshields and metal. Our 11 mile day was soon over and I smiled a smile of accomplishment. We stopped at the Quinault store for burgers, onion rings, and milkshakes. Warm food for our cold feet.