Lower Big Quilcene Trail

Track and elevation log

Red backed salamander

8 miles with 600 feet elevation gain.

Algae

Anacolia menzeseii

Bleeding hearts

Olipanix horridus (Devils Club)

fern

Wild ginger flower

Pacific rhody

Vannila leaf

False Solomon's Seal

Shroom with veil remnants and vulva

Fir Lake

Just a quick trip up to the lake and back.   Only 6.6 miles round trip but my legs are quite sore this morning.  This hike is always more work than I expect it to be.   The lake was snow covered except at the edges and I did some postholing on the way up with my foot suddenly plunging several feet into the snow.  There was no need for snowshoes.


At lunch time it was raining so I pitched a tarp so I could stay dry while sipping my tea.

6.6 miles with 700 feet elevation gain.

Good over all exposure thanks to the snow.

clear blue water

Alder catkins

Tea time

Behind the wildlife gates.. on the Skok

7 miles with about 200 feet of ups and downs on the closed road to the Upper South Fork Skok.  Did not take many pictures today.

Found Sphagnum moss in the ditch!

Sphagnum grows in the ditch

Bald Eagle attacks goose on North Fork Skokomish

I went about 4 miles down the trail and then turned around due to snow. It was slippery snow that was not fun to walk on and I had a heavy pack today.

When I was hiking back to my car I found out that there was an off leash dog on the trail. The dog rushed to sniff my crotch and I accidentally stepped on its toes as I was not expecting to be rushed. I politely mentioned that dogs are not allowed on the trail. The group with the dog claimed that the ranger saw them and did not say anything. Well I'm guessing that they were not on the trail when the ranger saw them. They continued hiking. I smelled something that reminded me of skunk cabbage after they left.

On my drive out I saw something big and brown thrashing in the river. I stopped to see what it was and to take pictures of what ever it was. It turned out to be a bald eagle sitting on a goose, the goose had a mate that was honking at the eagle. The eagle saw me and flew away and the goose maybe got to live for another day. I had no idea that a bald eagle would attack anything as big and mean as a goose.

7.5 miles 750 feet elevation gain

Eagle on goose

Goose escapes as eagle flies away

Fairy lichen

Lobaria oregana lichen (Only seems to live in old growth forests)

Lunch spot

Peltigera lichen

Rhizomnium moss

Rhytidiopsis Robusta

a route log not a track log

Snakeskin liverwort

Trillium

Update on my Forest Service Ticket

I see that the Forest Service in Quicene visits this blog, so the forest service should know what they did to me!

The time before last when I hiked Lena, Ranger Sommers or Summers wrote a ticket and put it on my Jeep for "no proof of northwest forest pass".  My LIFETIME INTERAGENCY PASS was clearly displayed on my dash.  So my intention was to appeal.  But no dice, the court date and the ticket were sent to my terminally ill spouse who is on oxygen.  I guess this is because his name is on the vehicle registration.  Well obviously my spouse is in no condition to miss a day of work and go to Tacoma to fight my undeserved parking ticket.   So I had to pay the damn $55.00 fine in spite of having a LIFETIME INTERAGENCY PASS.

Thanks a lot blind forest ranger.  Next time look for the LIFETIME INTERAGENCY PASS.  It's blue and it's shaped like a credit card and your lovely (I mean it, he is a nice man) volunteer at Hoodsport does not have any hang tags nor has he ever heard of a hang tag for that pass.

Also a court has just ruled that the NW forest pass is not authorized.

 I should have gotten a reward for hiking up to Lena in the pouring rain on a Monday in April, not a ticket.

There were some suspicious looking folks at the lake who were very evasive and had no car at the trail head.  What ever they were doing, they got away with it.