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.