Breaking in Bonnie

Royal Creek 7/14-7/15/07 7 miles

My friend Bonnie has been listening for years as I regale her with my exploits in the woods. We had been hiking together, but Bonnie was ready for the next step - she wanted to go on an over-night expedition. So I planned a trip to Royal Lake on the Olympic Peninsula. It is 7-mile trip in to the lake - a respectable distance for me and a place I had been eyeing for several months. I also figured Bonnie, who is in good shape would also be able to manage.

On Saturday morning, I picked her up and we made our way to the trailhead. We started off strongly as we head up the Dungeness River, stopping to admire the rushing water as it roared down the valley. We began feeling our packs soon after the junction with the Royal Lake trail. A few rocks next to a sliver of a stream gave us an inviting welcome for a rest and a snack. But our way was becoming slower as the moss under the trees became more dense and covered everything in a thick green carpet.

As we passed 3500' marked with a sign warning campers not to use fires beyond this point (stoves only), I became a little worried that Bonnie might not make it all the way, we still had a bit of a climb to get to the lake. And after we met up with hikers heading back out with the news that wee had probably another 4 miles to go, I made the decision that the next suitable campsite we came across would be our home for the evening. Soon, we found a spot located a little downhill from the trail and not far from the creek as it splashed over rocks and around fallen trees.

Someone previously had used the area, if not as a camp but as a toilet and had left their toilet paper littered behind a tree. I will in a later blog expound on the Leave No Trace principles. I would have loved to give that lecture to whoever left the TP blooms. Bonnie couldn't resist and quickly busied herself burying the mess. As she was doing that, I noticed a fly convention a few yards from our tent. I had to investigate, because I would hate to find out if wee set up camp in an area frequented by bears. But what greeted me was something even more disturbing - an aborted animal fetus.

Before you ask, no, I did not take a picture of it. I just couldn't make myself. For the rest of the trip though, Bonnie and I referred to this little spot as the aborted fetus campsite. Nothing bothered us that night as we laid in the tent reading, and at least for me, it was a restful slumber. Sadly Bonnie was on a slope and kept sliding into the wall of the tent. The next morning, I lounged out by the creek while Bonnie caught up on a little more sleep. But soon it was time to pack up and head back home.

It's amazing how hiking out is generally easier and quicker than hiking in. We were out in almost no time. We didn't make it to our destination, but Bonnie had a good taste of backpacking and is starting to plan her own excursions into the woods.

Trail Etiquette #1

Denny Creek 7/10/07 4 miles

One problem with living so close to an urban area such as Seattle, where the citizens love to be in the outdoors is you run across what Michael & I term as casual hikers. Casual hikers are the folks who wake up on a Saturday, see that the sun is shining bright and decide that a hike might be just what they should do for the day. So with no planning whatsoever, they strike out for that trail a friend told them about for a nice little walk in the woods. It's not that casual hikers a bad, but they can become their own worst enemy when in trouble. Luckily most casual hikers survive their day in the woods and relate their enjoyment to co-workers on Monday.

But casual hikers are also going to be most likely to ignore or be ignorant of hiking ethics - the greatest of which are the Leave No Trace principles. I can go into those in greater detail at a later point. A common courtesy though, which I met up with on this mid-week hike up the Denny Creek drainage, is a question of right of way.

I was told several years ago that hikers, climbers, and other adventurers who are heading uphill have the right of way. Meaning, that if you are heading downhill and another hiker is heading uphill,, then you step aside, stop, and allow the uphill adventurer pass with a wave and a smile. This does not mean you plow right past them thinking they will step off for you. The main reason for this? It takes a lot more effort to regain your pace as you head uphill, where downhill momentum isn't as hard.

So please, next time you are on the trail and someone approaches you as they're heading uphill, do the courteous thing and step off the trail to wave them on. In the meantime, the image above was taken overlooking Keekwuhlee Falls.

Candy Canes and Waterfalls

Snoquera Falls 7/8/07 2.5 miles

What to do on a Sunday morning after spending a Saturday volunteering for your national parks? Why not take a short hike in the woods? Michael was on-call for the weekend so had to stay home. Instead, I took my best friend Olympia with me. And since Olympia can't go far, the short hike to Snoquera Falls was in order.

This is actually a fairly easy hike and is described in the book best Hikes with Dogs in Western Washington as not many hike this sweet little trail. The waterfall at the apex of the loop during early spring is a gushing cascade crashing down the steep cliff wall. However, this far into the season there's not much of a spray coming off the rocks. But who cares when you can have an enjoyable walk in lush green trees and carpets of moss?

We would have continued on the loop except that the last time I hiked this trail the loop is lost not too far beyond the waterfall. Also, when Olympia starts heading back to the car it means she's had enough and wants to go home. On the way back down, I made a little side trip to photograph a couple of Candystick flower stalks.

Beauty on the Eastside

De Roux Creek 7/1/07 6 miles

I hate to admit this, but I had never been hiking in the Teanaway area. So when the Mountaineers Naturalists needed help in the area with outings for their class, I jumped at the chance. I was attached to a group heading up the De Roux Creek trail.

For a girl raised on the wet side of the mountains, Eastern Washington holds fascination for me. I love the wide open views where the trees and undergrowth don't get in the way. And yes, I realize I might be a little strange for saying this, but I like seeing the brown - of the rocks, dirt, dried grass. It's just such a different color to the one that permeates everything on the westside.

yet here I was with the naturalist group studying flowers, ferns and trees - some of which were new to me and others in the group, but there were quite a few old friends to me, flowers and plants that I had grown up with and are a comfort for me to see - beacons of the hiking season. What a wonderful way to be introduced to a new hiking area - through old friends such as the Avalanche Lily, Elephant's Head, and Columbine.

I have every intention of heading back - and soon.

Looking for Alpine Flowers

Killen Creek 6\23\07 6 miles

We don't often get down to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, although it is a beautiful area of Washington that includes the Mt Adams Wilderness. We get an opportunity every year at my family's annual camp out when wee all meet for laughter around the campfire and great camp cooking. This year while trying to avoid the damaged trails we decided to head back to the Killen Creek trail on the NW side of Mt Adams. The ranger at the Colville ranger station said the trails in the area were clear and the road leading down from the Orr Snow Park was open.

We had hiked this trail several years ago in the fall and found the views lovely from the meadows. I figured the meadows would be spectacular with wildflowers and the mountain behind. The ranger said that anything up to 4000 feet would be snow free. Now any look at a map would show that the meadows on the Killen Creek trail are above 4000 feet, but I was being optimistic. After all family camp out is a time of fun and good experiences.

Snow was found underfoot just as the ranger said it would - at 4000 feet. Man was she good. We trammeled over snow for another two mile to the upper meadow. However, the snow wasn't a solid blanket of white, patches of meadow showed through with a few wildflowers poking up. But the clouds had settled in around the mountain obscuring her from view.

Michael & I sat on a log, looking at the flowers brave enough to blossom in the early season, while we had lunch. When the clouds split and gave us the view we had been hoping for. There towering above us were the glaciers of Mt Adams.

One last word, and another reason why I enjoy hiking in the GP, we saw not another face on the trail.

Death in the Wilderness

Adventure Girl is deeply saddened this morning. I logged onto the Seattle P-I to read about Jeff Graves, an experienced hiker who had been lost in Mt Rainier National Park since Saturday. His body had been found at the base of a cliff near Eagle Peak. My thoughts and prayers go with those left behind - not only will they mourn the loss of their dear husband, son, father, and friend but they will also be called on to answer the inevitable questions.



Questions such as why did he go alone, why wasn't he properly prepared and why, why, why. To which the only answers could be because that is what he does. Please remember, Jeff was an experienced hiker. He left for his hike equipped for a dayhike - which let me tell you, going through his gear list is a lot better than I have seen on the trail. He took extra food, had a gore-tex jacket, enough water for a dayhike and a few extra hours. I have seen hikers climbing the steep slopes of Mt Rainier on hot July days ascend without pack or even a water bottle.



The same questions and speculations came after Robert and Frances Annette Blakely died in the Carbon River area earlier this spring. Speculations arose as to why they died - the mistakes they made. They were both experienced hikers who loved the outdoors and had been prepared for an extra night in the wilderness. But mother nature had other plans for them that bitter spring morning.



Why does disaster strike one individual and not another? I can't answer that question - the most prepared hiker can meet with disastrous effects where the least prepared hiker has a glorious visit. My only advice is to be aware. Watch your surroundings as you hike and figure out what you can do when events start to take a disastrous turn. Prepare not only your supplies but your mind. A walk in the woods is anything but. This is not admonishment to those that have lost their lives on the mountain we so love. It is more of an admonishment to those that would question them and their friends and families.

My other piece of advice: let them rest in peace for peace is what they were searching for in the first place. And let their friends families remember their loved ones as the remarkable person they remember.

Best Laid Plans

Hurricane Ridge 6/17/07 4.5 miles

I had been trying to get my friend T.K. to go hiking with me for two years, and for two years he has found one reason or another not to go. Granted, most of his excuses have been legitimate - working on his house to make sure he had a roof over his head or walls to hold up the roof. But it's been a long haul and unrelenting patience. What finally got him out? Her name is Nancy and she has the strength to pull him out of the house to experience some of the grandeur the NW has to offer.

I had planned a hike along Klahhane Ridge up to Mt Angeles - a good 8 mile hike through meadows of wildflowers and patches of snow. However, the patches of snow were a bit more than anticipated. We were stopped far short of our goal when we came across a steep slope filled with snow. I was rather apprehensive about heading down the hill so steep that we decided to turn around and try another trail.

Why not the trail up to Hurricane Hill? Again we would be hiking through wildflower meadows and hiking up to a viewpoint over looking the Elwha Valley and the Bailey Range. There was still a bit of snow on the trail but the lupines were starting to bloom as was the phlox and indian paintbrush. The marmots were out in search of edible blooms to nibble on; the deer were grazing in the meadows, napping in the trees. We even got to see a couple of bear across the valley.

One last word. As we stood atop Hurricane Hill, T.K. looked out over the valleys and mountains and wondered why he had never been before - it was only an hour from his house. If he had been any closer to the edge, I would have pushed.