Looking for a Sign

Cowiche Mountain, 4/11/10, 6 miles, 1100 elevation

Sometimes it's a good idea to scout out an unfamiliar trail prior to leading a group of hikers into the vast wilderness. Never mind that my good friend told me that following the trail would be no problem as it is well signed. Ignore the fact that we were hiking in the steppe plateau near Yakima. Who can get lost? Me, it seems.

All seemed to start out all right. We found our way to the trailhead, but things began to go wrong almost from the start. The well-signed trail was not as well-signed as I would have hoped. We came to a junction and the only sign I saw was to the left so we followed that sign. We did get to see a Barred Owl high in a tree as we walked and a little later a coyote running through the scrub.

But we noticed a problem as we came to another junction - there were no signs. The trail heading left petered out as it reached the brush - the trail right was wide and looked well traveled. However, 1/4 mile into it this trail also disappeared. We backtracked but could not find where we lost the trail. The mountain top could be seen in the distance so we started cutting through the sage cross country, oblivious to private property.

At some point, while reading the terrain, we spotted other hikers coming down the mountain. A decision was made to head in their direction and hopefully pick up the trail from there. Sure enough, after crossing one last ravine and traversing the mountainside a while, we came across the trail with cairns and signs.

The wind picked up as we ate lunch and soon we were heading back down the hill on the same trail. I had to find out where we lost our way. Approaching one gated fence, we found a sign handily placed behind a bush. Soon we came to the junction with the wide trail and the petered out trail. Sure enough, the trail that "disappeared" was the trail we should have followed, yet there were no signs pointing the way. Finally coming to the 1st junction, we spotted another sign in the direction we should have followed.

But what is adventure without a little exploration?

The Grey Wolf

Lower Grey Wolf River, 4/10/10, 7 miles, 600 elevation

I have always had a pull to the Olympic Peninsula. Ever since I was a child, my family's vacations in the rich dark forests were looked upon by me as an escape from everything that troubled a young child's mind. So when the opportunity to change the destination of our CHS hike because of poor scheduling on our part (note to self: read the tide tables PRIOR to scheduling the trip), I jumped at the chance to explore an area I had not yet explored - the Grey Wolf River.

Deep in the Buckhorn Wilderness flows the Grey Wolf River, not well known but no less beautiful than the more well known rivers of the Olympic peninsula. Protected by the thick forest in the rainshadow of the Olympics rushes over rocks and meanders around thick bends. In the spring, runoff from melting snows up high swells the waters to a raucous noise. But as we were hiking early in a late snow year, the river was a quiet companion whispering of its journey to the sea.

The trail is generally flat with a few hills to climb over but always the moss and fern covered forest floor awaits you as you descend back to the river's side. Sun sparkled through the heavy trees and you wonder with the thickness of moss, ferns and tree if this is truly a rainshadow forest. In comparison to the rainforests of the Hoh & Quinault there can be no doubt. Yet a comparison to even forests along the western Cascades, the lush life belies the thought.

We stopped at river's edge for lunch just prior to the washout before turning back towards home. And the life of the Olympics still thrives in my soul.

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.