Trip Report Hiking in Olympic National Forest

I am currently doing some training hikes to prepare for longer backpacking trips this summer. If I'm lucky, I'll hit the lottery and do the Wonderland trail this summer.

I packed my bag to about 50% weight of expected 3 night loadout and drove 90 minutes to the trailhead.


I planned to hike to Camp Jolly about 5 miles from the trailhead, passing the large Bark Shanty camp a couple miles in.


I missed the short spur trail to camp Jolly and walked about 3/4 mile further before realizing my error and turning around. I caught the spur trail on the way back and ate some lunch.

All in all, 12 miles 1400 feet of gain. And a pretty good workout. 3 miles more than my longest hike since major knee surgery and I can really feel my endurance and stability coming back. The weather was great, upper 30s-low 40s and mostly sunny although I was in the shade most of the day.

 

[Lance Magnuson]

I am currently doing some training hikes to prepared for longer backpacking trips this summer. If I'm lucky, I'll hot the lottery and do the Wonderland trail this summer.

I packed my bag to about 50% weight of expected 3 night loadout and drove 90 minutes to the trailhead.
View attachment 273433

I planned to hike to Camp Jolly about 5 miles from the trailhead, passing the large Bark Shanty camp a couple miles in.
View attachment 273434

I missed the short spur trail to camp Jolly and walked about 3/4 mile further before realizing my error and turning around. I caught the spur trail on the way back and ate some lunch.

All in all, 12 miles 1400 feet of gain. And a pretty good workout. 3 miles more than my longest hike since major knee surgery and I can really feel my endurance and stability coming back. The weather was great, upper 30s-low 40s and mostly sunny although I was in the shade most of the day. View attachment 273445 View attachment 273446 View attachment 273447 View attachment 273448

Howdy- Good report. Congrats on getting ahead of this knee surgery recup. I’ve been similarly tentative based upon a major leg break 2 years ago. But the leg’s still working and holding up to the weight of a pack and some major uphill effort last fall.

What do consider a full pack weight for a 3 day trip? I presume you carry a rod and accoutrements, correct?

Lance

 

[Gary Knowels]

Howdy- Good report. Congrats on getting ahead of this knee surgery recup. I’ve been similarly tentative based upon a major leg break 2 years ago. But the leg’s still working and holding up to the weight of a pack and some major uphill effort last fall.

What do consider a full pack weight for a 3 day trip? I presume you carry a rod and accoutrements, correct?

Lance

To be honest, I've only done overnight trips so far and I don't know about the weight. I just filled my pack with items until it looked and felt about 60% as heavy as an overnight trip. I've never weighed my pack.

 

[Richard Olmstead]

Good to see you getting out, Gary. I used to do that hike with friends who live in Quilcene every year on Memorial Day, but it has probably been 20 years. We would do a shuttle and hike down hill. We rarely saw anyone on that trail. It looks like there are new signs and even a new bridge and probably a bit more use today, but still as lovely a forest walk as you cou want.

 

[Gary Knowels]

Good to see you getting out, Gary. I used to do that hike with friends who live in Quilcene every year on Memorial Day, but it has probably been 20 years. We would do a shuttle and hike down hill. We rarely saw anyone on that trail. It looks like there are new signs and even a new bridge and probably a bit more use today, but still as lovely a forest walk as you cou want.

It is a really lovely forest walk. The tread is in really good shape for February, there are 2 nice beam bridges and 1 sturdy log bridge over Jolley Creek. There was some patchy snow beginning about 4 miles in. I saw 9 people over the course of the day, most of them within 2 miles of the trailhead on my way out.

I'm really enjoying exploring the lower elevation hikes on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula.

 

[quilbilly]

Lots of good river basin hikes out here, underused at this time of year too.

 

[bakerite]

Looks like a great hike. Glad the knee rehab is going well!

 

[Gary Knowels]

Lots of good river basin hikes out here, underused at this time of year too.

Mind sharing (pm is ok) some of your favorites in the area? Living in Tacoma gives me reasonable drive times to the area.

So far I've hit copper creek and dry creek at Cushman and Big Quilcene.

 

[quilbilly]

Hiking Guide

www.wta.org

This search tool can help, pick distance and elevation you want, and area you which you want to hike.
Hamma Hamma has Lena Lake, easy hike.
Both the Dose and the Duck have long riviera drainage hikes that go far into the mountains, further than you'll be able to do this time of year.

I like hiking the Duckabush, not many people, try going to 5 mile camp and back, have lunch at Big Hump.

 

[Gary Knowels]

Hiking Guide

www.wta.org

This search tool can help, pick distance and elevation you want, and area you which you want to hike.
Hamma Hamma has Lena Lake, easy hike.
Both the Dose and the Duck have long riviera drainage hikes that go far into the mountains, further than you'll be able to do this time of year.

I like hiking the Duckabush, not many people, try going to 5 mile camp and back, have lunch at Big Hump.

Thanks! I love WTA, and like to search through their trail options. I was just curious to the ones you like better. I'll check out the Duckabush next trip!

 

[Travis Bille]

Glad to see you're still around Gary! Hope the knee keeps getting better