Ocean Hike

6 miles with about 200 feet elevation gain.  Really enjoying the beach this year.  Getting a good tan too that will do well for me in the Mountains. Maybe I won't get too burnt if I do some high elevation stuff later in the summer.

Car camping on the Duckabush

I've been hiking at the ocean a lot. Gonna hike there again tomorrow and will try to get some good photos for a trip report.  Last time I started to make a video of the hike but did not have the energy to edit it and upload it.

We went car camping on the Duckabush last weekend and visited Murhut falls.  Here are some photos from that trip.

Also hiked in a quiet little state forest that I would like to keep quiet.

Moss poaching

Lake Slimy Egg

Lake Slimy Egg

Upper South Fork Skokomish

I made a video that shows where all of these were but it will take me overnight to upload it.

Decided to go up the Skokomish a little ways today.  Needed some old growth relaxation.  We only went to the second crossing of the Skokomish and turned around there.  I forgot to refill my fuel bottle, so I had to build a little fire to boil water to cook my ramen with.  It was difficult to start a fire after so much rain and with no fire starter, but I at least managed to heat some water.

Sage got very cold crossing the river, I should not have crossed the river with her.  She seems to get cold faster than Patches did.  This must have been an exciting hike for Sage, she is not used to such rough trail conditions. 

Drone footage of the Vance Creek Bridge and Harps Shelter at the end.

A lot of trees are down between the Upper Trailhead and the upper Skokomish crossing.  My video reveals where they all are and should be helpful for the WTA to do it’s planning.  WTA is going to have a work party here on Memorial Day Weekend.

Back to the parking lot early,  I flew my camera over to Harps Shelter.  Nice flying camera footage is on the end of my video.

On the way in I noticed that there was a sign saying “Welcome to Vance Creek Bridge” so I decided to check that out on the way home.  Greed Diamond has opened up the road to the bridge for walking down and viewing the bridge, but not for climbing on it.

The bridge foundation has been dug out and razor wire put around it, the ties have been removed from the first 20-30 feet of the bridge.  I suppose at some board meeting run by old men somewhere, this sounded like a good way to keep people of the bridge.

The bridge is much more dangerous to walk on now, but people still walk on it.  It's like Green Diamon set a trap.   A man who had come all the way from L.A. arrived and walked out onto the bridge while I was there.  He was on a tour that included National Parks and the Vance Creek Bridge.  The bridge really should be turned into a proper tourist attraction because that could be an earner for the area, and folks are never going to stay off that bridge.

The visitor flew his drone out over the bridge and under the bridge too.  I flew my drone over the bridge until my battery went dead, that footage is at the very end of my video.

5.5 miles with 600 feet elevation gain

Skokomish River

Skokomish River

Skokomish River, Harps Shelter

Vance Creek Bridge

Hurt my back a bit lifting Sage up onto this

Smoky lunch on the Skok since I forgot to refill my stove fuel

These are the trees I found down and in the order that I found them in all between the trail head and the Skok crossing with no bridge.  I found one maple across the trail after I forded the Skok.

Church Creek Shelter Shakedown

Weary of waiting for a weekend free of rain we set out on our first backpacking trip of the year.  We only made a little loop that totaled 2 miles and only spent one night out.  It was good to have a shakedown hike.

We learned that my tarp tent needs repair and my daughter has probably outgrown her ULA child's backpack.  Also my ULA pack has a broken clip.

Would you do it?

In the fire pit.  People came through and got all the rest before we could.