Category: Backpacking

Rivers and Streams

Upper Duckabush River

What’s a river? What’s a stream or creek? The amount of water doesn’t tell the whole story. Where on the river are you? These photos were taken in the Olympic National Park, so they aren’t long rivers or creeks, but they can carry a lot of water, especially in winter.

The image above shows the Duckabush River over 20 miles up the valley from the mouth. The location is where the Duckabush River Trail crosses the river (via ford) and starts the climb to Marmot Lake and then up to O’Neil Pass.

The photo below is Home Sweet Home Creek just about where it enters the Duckabush River, adding to its volume. This creek runs down from First Divide … the pass between the Duckabush Valley and the North Fork Skokomish. There is no bridge crossing this stream … go rock hopping or wade, your choice.

Home Sweet Home Creek
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On The Trail

On The Trail: Duckabush River Trail

Trail maintenance has suffered for years … some trails get brushy or have trees that have fallen across the track. Depending on the ‘importance’ of the trail, maintenance may go waiting for years. Trails are a valuable and limited resource and should be protected from neglect. All of these trails are in the Olympic National Park … and show different levels of maintenance. The top image shows a meadow area where the trail has almost disappeared: it is a rarely used section. The middle image shows a trail that gets regular maintenance due to heavy use. The third image shows yours truly on a trail that gets very heavy use … and regular maintenance.

On The Trail: East Fork Quinault Trail
On The Trail: Staircase Loop Trail

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Valley View

Valley View

This is the Duckabush Valley in the Olympic National Park. This is looking east down-valley out to the Puget Sound basin. The mist is typical for a morning … when it’s not even more cloudy, or just downright raining. I believe the peak in the distance (the low spot) is Mt Jupiter … which is one of the peaks of Seattle’s western horizon. The image is an older one before digital cameras and is a low resolution scan. I find that the softer image has an appeal … even if there is significant loss of definition.

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We Were Down There. We Were Up There.

We Were Down There.

Boulder Lake is in the Elwha River drainage of the Olympic National Park. We climbed up Boulder Peak (except for the last dozen feet or so that were blocked by a 6 foot wall of snow) and enjoyed the calm, sunny weather and the view back down to our camp … in the trees just to the right of the bare spot on the upper left corner of the lake. The photo below is looking back to where we were.

We Were Up There.
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O’Neil Creek Camp

Elk O’Neil Creek Camp

If you are hiking to the Enchanted Valley on the East Fork Quinault River in the Olympic National Park, O’Neil Creek Camp is a nice easy mid-way camp at 6.7 miles (10.8 km). The river has wandered back and forth across the valley and there are nice sandy spots and fewer mosquitoes on the river bed than you find under the trees where the campsites are located. You can play with the rocks (or enjoy the work of others who have) or, if you’re lucky, watch the elk.

East Fork Quinault Henge (temporary installation)
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