Kennedy Falls

 

Kennedy Falls

Kennedy Falls

Kennedy Falls

What a hike I had today. I had to back track half a mile because I left my satellite messenger on my car, then I immediately had to go back half a mile again, because I dropped my GPS by my car when I was backtracking to get the satellite messenger. 

Both items back in hand I went into the bushes for some much needed relief and I managed to poop on my dog! 

Then at lunch time I dropped my lens cap and it rolled five feet away on its edge like a tire into the river and then once it was in the river it rolled under a giant rock where I could reach it or see it. 

Also I forgot to pack my dog's lunch so had to share my meager lunch with her.

A video will be uploaded overnight.

Misadventures in the Capital Forest

ORV Park Tie, Pretty Trail, Ugly Name

I woke up and remembered my plans to hike and  thought “oh no” and lay my head back down.  I did not want to go hiking.  That is not a good sign, what is up?  I was a bit under the weather, but I think the main problem is I have just grown completely bored with all of the trails in the SE Olympics.   I tried to think of a trail that might interest me. 

The idea of going up Mount Ellinor actually excited me.  I’ve not been up Ellinor in a very long time since I don’t like crowds.  It has been so long that it actually seemed interesting and with it being a weekday  and after Labor Day, I figured the crowds would be down a bit.  So with the idea of going up Ellinor I packed my stuff and headed up the road with Sage.

Sage was super excited to see me getting my pack ready.  To Sage my pack means adventures and food.  Sage's bad leg healed up with out a visit to the vet and she was good to go.

As I headed up 101 where the first view of the Olympics can be seen, I noticed that the top of Mount Ellinor and Washington were smothered with forest fire smoke.  Uh oh.  I had no desire to get a lung full of smoke, that would not be safe or fun.  I turned my car around at California road and decided to go kayaking instead of hiking.  But poor Sage dog, she wanted to hike and I had my mind set on hiking too, so what to do?

I decided to hike in the Capital Forest, but first I had to go home and get my Discover your anus pass and look at a map of the forest to see where to hike.  I was not up for my 14  mile hike up to Capital Peak from Rock Candy entrance.   I needed something else to do.  This was my first visit to the Capital Forest since the Discovery Pass was forced on us.  I bought the pass so I could launch my Kayak.  I din  not buy the pass so I could hike up a motorcycle  rut in the middle of a clear cut while dodging bullets and tripping on gut piles in the Capital Forest.  But with the pass I was once again free to "enjoy" the Capital Forest and all it has to offer.. 

After some frustrating research on the internet I hit on a trail that I would like to try.  This trail was at the entrance next to Rock Candy, the ORV park entrance.  I took the Quaker Church road cut off to save miles and then lost a few miles when I missed my turn.  I turned around at some other spot on 8 where there is a space to pull off and headed back up to the ORV park  entrance that I had missed.

I could not find a parking area or the trail I had in mind though.  I did find a trail of some sort but it had such a confusing sign, oh well it was time to go as  car came up the road I dashed up the trail.  I never like to advertise that I am a woman about to hike alone, so if I car comes I run up the trail out of sight.

Most confusing trail sign ever.  If you are on foot, how can one way only or do not enter even apply to you?? Also it looks like nothing is allowed on this trail. Then there is that strange reference to a kombucha starter (scoby) The trail is clearly in use though so how can it be closed to everything. An irate mountain biker complained that I was walking the wrong way. WTH? There are no one way walking trails. The sign at the top of the trail was clear though. “Bikes Only “ By then it was too late and I had to hike back down the trail to reach my car.  I wish it had said "Bikes Only" at the bottom of the trail, then all the one way sign would have actually made sense.

Apparently I went the wrong direction up a bicycle only  trail.  My what confusing signs.   A cyclist bawled me out, telling me that I was walking in the wrong direction.  I thought that was very strange, I’ve never heard of a one way hiking trail.  He should have told me it was a bike only trail, that would have actually made sense.  When I got to the top of the horrible steep and dusty trail I found a sign that said “bikes only” and then it all made sense.  I had to turn around as there was no other way to get to the right trail or back to my car that involved less than an 11 mile hike.

I found the right trail just off the bike trail but it was abandoned , I took the abandoned  trail back to my car and then dropped some stuff off at my car and continued on the abandoned trail in the opposite direction.  Turns out the trail was not abandoned in that direction.  (See the map below) It  looked like a nice trail, too bad it had such a horrible name.  ORV Park Tie is what it was.  As someone who hikes on foot I like to avoid any trail with the word ORV in the name!

I was too tired to go very far down the trail in the heat but I did like what I saw.  I will be back when the weather cools down and when the trail is less dusty.

Horrible Bike Trail 

The trail I really wanted to go on had a tiny little sign hidden in the brush

Looks like they are trying to say this is a hiking trail

A good sign

Taking a break on the abandoned trail

Some local cyclists love to kiss the DNR's ass whenever their trails are destroyed by logging.  They say having their trails destroyed, gives them a chance to build new trails.  I wonder how  many of them work for logging companies?  It's all very strange.  Here is a new hot horrible and dusty trail in a  DNR clear cut.  Don't worry cyclists, it's all yours if only you put up some less confusing signs.

Capitol Forest, rock candy, mount molly, north rim

Smog Plant

This forest will open up to motorbikes soon and a bunch of logging is planned so I won't be coming back here again this year. Tuition is going up sky high and people still believe the LIE that the DNR's (Department of Natural Resources)logging money goes to schools. It's a lie people. I'd really like to know EXACTLY what percentage of logging monies go to schools vs the general state fund vs logging corporations.

To add insult to injury the DNR (Department of Nothing Remaining) is going start charging $5.00 to hike or bike up a muddy motorcycle track in a clearcut. Some local cyclists are rolling all over themselves to pay the new fee. They actually think that law enforcement and trail maintenance will improve with this new fee and they actually believe that the logging money goes to schools. The DNR should be filthy rich from logging but instead it is broke. So where does the money actually go? How can people be so dumb/trusting of the government? 28% tuition increase at my DRN supported (?) college this year. The money ain't going for education. SUCKERS!!!!

Signs of spring are here. Skunk cabbage is in bloom. I starting feeling really tired at mile 10 then I perked up again by mile 12. I guess it was a peak and valley in my energy caused the sugary tea I had at the summit.

I saw one brushpicker. I think this forest is outside of the the area where ICE can stop and search anyone with no cause.

I got a SPOT yesterday and this was my first time using it. My husband talked me into buying but I think it may have been a mistake. It does not work in the forest.

14.5 miles
2,900 feet total gain
Average moving speed 2.9 MPH
Average speed 2.3 MPH





track log in google earth


elevation profile log



How much rent money does the DNR collect for this tower space on the peak?


A sense of place

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/em_bc_bnr_020210_march2010_timber_sale_packet_final.pdf

see pages 98-102, Asend sale covering 2 blocks on trail 50/6 and near Fall Creek

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/em_bc_bnr_010510_feb2010_timber_sale_packet_final.pdf

see pages 106-110

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/psl_ts_jan10_quoin_packet.pdf

pages 1-6

Capitol Peak via North Rim, Rock Candy and Mount Molly

My track in google earth




Rocky Trail


Mount Rainier, radio tower and Mount Adams



(towers on the Peak)

This Capitol Peak is in the Capital Forest outside of Olympia. This is a working forest, that means that is it very ugly compared to the national park or national forest wilderness areas. But it is low elevation so can be a good alternative when the real mountains are snowbound.

This was my second attempt at this route. I waited until the weather was forecast was "mostly sunny" so I could see the views.. I did not see much sunlight and I got cold in the breeze, but at least it was not cloudy. I started my hike at 9am and finished at 4pm. My average moving speed was 2.4 MPH. My goal was to find my way to Capitol Peak and back before sunset and then take my kids to a potlock. I met my goal today.

I parked about a mile above the rock candy entrance and seem to have started my hike on the North Rim Trail. Some of the trail signs seem to be wrong, even some of the road signs were wrong, so it is hard to know for sure what trails and roads I was on. In this part of the Capitol Forest ORV’s are allowed and the trail is not every nice for walking on. There are huge ruts and mud puddle to be negotiated and my right ankle was not pleased.

I avoided Sundays mistake and did not have to climb Rock Candy Mountain. But to get to the Capitol Peak I had to hike up over a shoulder of Rock Candy and then back down it, so I had to regain some elevation on the way out. On Rock Candy Mountain I found a caramel colored rock that looked like candy.

Route finding was pretty easy for me this time and I never once had to pull out my capitol forest map. I had studied the map so well when I was home that I did not need to use it on the trail. I was helped along by some waypoints I had entered in my GPS that showed the road. Also, two geocaches helped me to know where I was.

At one point I had to make a detour around a huge road washout by bushwhacking straight up a hill to the nearest logging road.




When I finally made it onto the Mount Molly Loop I found the trail to be much nicer, as that loop is in the biker and hiker half of the forest where no ORV’s are allowed. I saw some trail work that was signed by the Friends of the Capitol Forest or FOCF. On the Mount Molly Loop trail I also found a rebound knob and a pair of glasses with the initials K.J. on them.


One of the geocaches that helped me to navigate was hidden by "moun10bike" and is one of the oldest 1% of caches left in the state. "moun10bike" is one of the founders of geocaching.com. His cache was right on the trail so it was really helpful. The other cache was on capital peak and it helped me too. The trail I took to the peak contoured below the peak and it was not obvious when I had passed the peak. But seeing the Geocache waypoint come and go told me that I had passed the peak. When I realized I had passed the geocache I bushwhacked up a bit and then found a trail to the peak. The peak had a nice enough view, but I still found it to be kind of drab. I only had 20 minutes to rest and take pictures on the peak if I wanted to make my turn around time of 1pm. From the peak there was a good view of the Cascades. I saw Baker, The Mountain, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood. I also saw the valleys and waterways around Olympia. There were only peek-a-boo-views of my beloved Olympic Mountains.

The view of Mount St. Helens was a bit marred by huge smoke stacks. I think those are the smoke stacks from TransAlta Corporation’s coal-burning power plant in Centralia. The plant is used to generate electricity to sell to California. The plant does not meet California air quality standards, so it was located in Washington instead of California. It is putting mercury into the high country lakes, contaminating the fish and blocking the views in two of our National Parks.

There was one workman at the top and he didn’t really know what to make of me being up there, so we ignored each other. I packed a large ham steak for my dog to eat and the silly thing would not eat it unless I hand fed it to her. What a goofy dog she is. I get frustrated with her not eating her food and instead begging for my lunch. I never imagined she would turn her nose up at a giant ham steak I packed for her this time. I hand fed about half of it to her and the rest got left behind. From now on I’m only going to pack dry dog food for her and I am going to tie her up where I can’t see her begging. Why should I carry a heavy ham steak for her to only turn her nose up at it as if it were dry dog food?

When I left he peak I bushwhacked back down to the trail because it was the most direct route. I’m not sure if I would do that again, as I had to go through a huge patch of salmon berries and devils club.


Salmon Berry and devils club trap

Walking the long way might have been easier. All in all, I did manage to cut about half a mile off the distance of my return trip by taking more direct routes.

On the way back to the car I started to feel relaxed and felt a bit of hikers high or had my moment of transcendence. This was good because and the start of the hike I was not too happy. It was nice to end the hike feeling good. I had really been looking forward to this hike all week, so I was surprised when did not feel like hiking this morning. I enjoyed the last half of my hike and did not find my self looking forward to getting back to my car like I sometimes do, but my car was still a welcome site. I don’t know if I would do this particular hike again but I do want to do more exploring in the Capitol Forest. And this hike made a nice change from my usual hikes in the Olympics.

13.7 miles
3,300 feet total ascent
car to car 7 hours
Average moving speed 2.4 mph



Nice blossom of Witches Butter on a snag


Trail #30



Tracklog


The Mountain



Snag




Red tailed hawk and Mount Saint Helens


Old Growth Stumps.
This must have been a beautiful forest before it was logged


Satsop Nuclear Plant


Hill view


Mount Saint Helens and the Source of all the Murcury in the high country lakes.


Evelvation profile log. A few ups and downs.


Had to do some route finding here



Mount Adams, I will return to you!



A tower on the Peak