Old Camp in the Woods

Back to visit an old campsite well off the beaten track.  I feel like there were actually more people in the woods 20 years ago than now.  Back when people did not feel like they were required to stay on the trail and camp in established campsites.

This was a rough brush crash in places featuring lots of devil's club and slide alder on a steep slope.  At least there were no yellow jackets.    It was about 5 miles round trip with about 1,000 feet elevation gain, but it felt like a lot more with all of the route finding and brush crashing.

A good time anyway and I'm sore now.   I've lost 14 pounds this summer and I could really feel it on this hike.  I'm more agile now.  Also my iron levels are probably a lot closer to normal and that helps with the elevation gain.  My fit young adult daughter did not have to wait for me at all on this hike.

Rock Pond

Felt a bit tired so opted for a short hike to Rock Pond.  With the roads decommissioned the hike is 1.25 miles round trip.  It seems that no one goes there anymore even though it's still just a short hike.

Road in was a bit rough but I did make it in a very low passenger car.

There is no level place to have lunch so it is jokingly called Flat Lake.  I found a comfy spot in the driftwood and had lunch with Sage.  Sage has non-stop bladder infections and is getting a tablespoon of vinegar with every meal.  If the PH of her urine changes with the vinegar treatment and she still has bladder infections then she probably has cancer.  Crossing our fingers, hoping for the best.

I took a slightly different route out just for fun and found a few old flags marking the way.  No sign that anyone has been here since the last time I was a few years ago.  I was up here just after they decommissioned the road in.

1.3 miles with 150 foot total elevation gain

Sage was liberally sprinkled with tick powder prior to this old road hike.

Wild Spearmint

Tick country 

Bridge was removed here making travel difficult

Secret Skokomish Cabin Site

Ouch am I out of shape.  I'm hurting today after this hike.  We reached the start of our hike at about 10:30 after showing our pass at the gate.  I did not want to be delayed by a bunch of blabbing or having papers forced on us, so maybe I was too brusk with the fee collector?  I did not mean to be brusk, I just wanted to hike.  Normally they ask all kinds of questions at the booth and then force dog biscuits and literature onto me.

No dog today though so no list of dog rules were forced on us.  The road to Staircase is in great condition but they are chip sealing 119 and we had a very long delay getting through the construction. The area is probably best avoided until chip sealing is done.

We had a nice hike and then stopped for lunch and explorations.  We were in a familiar area and doing as we normally do, exploring off trail.  It is amazing how much neat stuff you can find if you explore off trail.  Today we found the foundation of a 20X30 building!  We also found a saw blade and lots of mining equipment and old cut logs.  This was all at least 75 years old and some of it up to 122 years old.

The first thing we found was a very level spot.  I said this is not natural, this looks like a cabin site and then my sharp eyed daughter spotted a VERY old fire ring with rocks that had been set up around it for sitting on.

Pack is leaning on a sitting rock, other sitting rock is on the bottom of the photo, fire pit
is near the upper right.

Very old fire ring.

I've started up a Patreon page so that readers can support my blogging and photography and get some great rewards in return. The subscriber levels start at just $1.00 per month.  Subscribers will get my 2018 Olympic Mountian Calendar and other rewards such as track logs and directions to some of the places that I go.   Here is the link: 

Then I found a bit of a stone wall. It seemed like maybe it was just a camp site with a fire ring, but it was so level I think there might have been a small building there at some point.

Next my eye spied and old wheel barrel and some old tubs.

We continued to explore and found a saw blade propped up against a tree with some heavy mining equipment.

Then my daughter exclaimed in excitement as she spotted a building foundation.  What find!  We know that there old cabin sites in the area, and logic told us there must be one here, but we have never heard of this cabin.  The entire foundation could be clearly seen, but all the wood was long gone.  I think this cabin was torn down by the park service.

The entire foundation can be seen

Evidence of old logging

Another cut log

We know about Hammer Cabin on a near by trail, but have never heard of this cabin.

We had so much fun exploring that we thought we might get caught in the dark, but we made it out well before dark.

These three large trees in a row grew on the same nurse log

A known cabin site

A nice waterfall right on this trail

Pot shards.  We took nothing.

Hiking out