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Dick B
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Dick B
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PostSat Jan 29, 2022 4:00 pm 
Did anyone out there ever visit the old Lower Lena Lake shelter? It was on the south shore of the lake near where the trail hits the lake. Back in '54 our trail crew had a beer bust there one night after maintaining the trail from the road. Drank lots of Olys.

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reststep
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PostSat Jan 29, 2022 4:08 pm 
I passed by the shelter at Lower Lena several times back in the 50’s. I don’t know if I am remembering this correctly but I think the trail went by near the shelter.

"The mountains are calling and I must go." - John Muir
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Olympic Hiker
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PostThu May 26, 2022 5:44 pm 
Just saw a trip report for the Upper South Fork Skokomish trail. The writer of the TR went down to the Camp Harps shelter and said it was flattened due to a tree falling on it.

If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. - Lincoln

RodF
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RThorn
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PostTue May 31, 2022 7:25 am 
Any history on the Bear Camp shelter between Mt Rose and Mt Ellinor? I have pics if you need them.

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Kfeddock
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PostSun Jun 05, 2022 3:18 pm 
I am writing a book about the shelters and, after receiving an email from the FS that Harps Shelter was down, had to go see for myself. My Malinois and I hiked down there yesterday. Sure enough, she's down. Hard. I doubt there is enough structural integrity (as in any) to allow it to be repaired.

Kristi "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and have my senses put in order" ~John Burroughs

Salal, RodF
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Ski
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PostSun Jun 05, 2022 10:17 pm 
Kfeddock wrote:
I am currently working on a book about the Olympic shelters and hope to have it finished this fall/early winter.
There are a great number of photos of trail shelters in this thread. There are also several photos of a few ONP trail shelters in this thread. Feel free to use them as you see fit, but be sure to assign the proper photo credits to any images you choose to use. The Queets Ranger Station, although not a "shelter" per se, is slated for demolition in the near future. It is past time for it to go. There are far too many problems with the structure, and the logistics involved in maintaining and supporting it, for it to remain. I had written a lengthy response to an inquiry about it, but unfortunately I seem to have deleted it after emailing it to ONP and some other interested parties.

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."

Kfeddock
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Olympic Hiker
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PostThu Jun 09, 2022 12:15 pm 
I camped at the Queets Campground a few years back and thought the ranger station had a tired look to it and that it looked like it needed some tlc.

If you once forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. - Lincoln
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PostThu Jun 09, 2022 1:05 pm 
RE: Queets Ranger Station - Queets Valley - Olympic National Park The well was fouled (according to information passed on to me) by the septic system of the Ranger Station. The capped wellhead can be found about 60 feet west of the structure. Water had to be hauled in via a large tanker truck from Kalaloch. The water that was hauled in was pumped into the large black plastic tank behind the structure. The water in the tank was not drinkable. Drinking water had to be hauled in or pulled out of the river. The water system for the cabin is a Mickey-Mouse affair which employs a solar panel, which keeps a lead-acid automotive deep-cycle battery (located UNDER the structure) charged up. The battery runs the pump which supplies water to the kitchen sink, the toilet, and the shower. You can wash dishes, take a shower, and flush the toilet, but drinking the water will cause almost immediate gastrointestinal problems. The chimney collapsed during the winter of 2006, the same year that the lower Queets River Road washed out just above Matheny Creek. It was two years before repair crews were able to get to the building and patch the three-foot-diameter hole in the roof. In the meantime, torrential winter rains flooded the structure, no doubt causing some structural damage. Additionally, it afforded the resident bat population a nice new cozy home. The structure was infested with mice, and (inexplicably) flies. Notwithstanding all openings being screened, there didn't seem to be any way to keep the flies out. The structure's south-facing orientation, with its all-glass front, made the inside of the structure like a hothouse on nice summer days. Opening all the doors and windows didn't provide any relief - it was miserably hot inside the building. Over the years, it had been vandalized several times, and hosted more than one party of squatters. It also became something of a repository for garbage, and cast-off items left by previous "tenants" and trail crews. The propane system functioned fabulously. The stove worked properly, and the big gas furnace would heat up the inside of that building to oven temperature in less than half an hour. Unfortunately, some jackass pried on the refrigerator door and bent it, making the refrigerator useless. (That would have been a simple fix, but ONP chose not to effect remedy.) All things considered, the best course of action is for the Park to remove it in its entirety, before it turns into another pile of detritus like the remains of the structure up at Smith Place. The George Anderson homestead structures, located only a short distance from Hwy 101 on the Lower Queets River Road, were the last of the original structures extant in the valley. The last of those collapsed a couple years ago. When the Ranger Station is removed, the only man-made structures that will remain in the Queets Valley upstream of the reservation will be the vault toilets up at the campground. (It is possible there may yet be remains of an old pump house and an old outhouse in the lower valley, but my guess is they're probably gone too.)
Kings Bottom Campground outhouse - Queets Valley - Olympic National Park - [i:a3d2a39d32](photo courtesty Cliff Hay)[/i:a3d2a39d32]
Kings Bottom Campground outhouse - Queets Valley - Olympic National Park - (photo courtesty Cliff Hay)

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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RAW-dad
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PostWed Jun 22, 2022 5:39 pm 
Some of these photos -from June 2022- were posted in a recent TR on the Bogachiel, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to put them (and a few others) here. Fifteen Mile is in bad shape, with lots of garbage in and about the structure. I don't think it's going to last too much longer with out some sort of refurb. Hyak seems sound, as does Mink Lake, although the latter had some funky white bacterial(?) growth on the ground and a post. It was certainly water tight, as we cooked dinner in it during a pretty persistent rain.
9_Fifteen Mile shelter
9_Fifteen Mile shelter
Fifteen Mile Inside
Fifteen Mile Inside
12_Hyak shelter
12_Hyak shelter
Hyak Inside
Hyak Inside
21_Mink Lake shelter
21_Mink Lake shelter
Mink Lake 2
Mink Lake 2

Snuffy, RodF, meck, reststep, Hesman, Ski
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meck
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meck
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PostSun Jul 03, 2022 9:49 pm 
Here is my collection of photos of ONP/ONF shelters and structures. I've hiked past a few more, but did not have any battery left in my camera (Happy Hollow and Camp Wilder on the Elwha), it was too dark (Bear(?) Shelter on the Dosewallips), and for some reason don't have any good photos of the Shelters near the start of the Tubal Cain trail, nor Upper Big Quilcene. I think all of these shelters already have photos in this thread. [EDIT] Found a photo I took of the Ten Mile Shelter near the Upper Big Quilcene TH.
Enchanted Valley Chalet, Quinault, 22 Aug 2012
Enchanted Valley Chalet, Quinault, 22 Aug 2012
Elkhorn Barn, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Elkhorn Barn, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Elkhorn Shelter, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Elkhorn Shelter, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Elkhorn Guard Station, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Elkhorn Guard Station, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Remann's Cabin, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Remann's Cabin, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Hayes River Guard Station, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Hayes River Guard Station, Elwha, 6 Jul 2013
Camp Siberia, Dosewallips, 14 Sep 2013
Camp Siberia, Dosewallips, 14 Sep 2013
Heather Park Lodge foundation, Klahane Ridge area (sort of), 11 Nov 2013
Heather Park Lodge foundation, Klahane Ridge area (sort of), 11 Nov 2013
River Camp Shelter, Dungeness, 22 Mar 2014
River Camp Shelter, Dungeness, 22 Mar 2014
Ned Hill tower structure, 22 Mar 2014
Ned Hill tower structure, 22 Mar 2014
Humes Ranch Cabin, Elwha, 30 Mar 2014
Humes Ranch Cabin, Elwha, 30 Mar 2014
Michael's Cabin, Elwha, 30 Mar 2014
Michael's Cabin, Elwha, 30 Mar 2014
Ten Mile Shelter, Big Quilcene TH, 2 Jun 2014
Ten Mile Shelter, Big Quilcene TH, 2 Jun 2014
Three Forks Shelter, 20 July 2014
Three Forks Shelter, 20 July 2014
Remains of Shelter near the Cameron Creek-Grand Pass trail juncture, 20 Jul 2014
Remains of Shelter near the Cameron Creek-Grand Pass trail juncture, 20 Jul 2014
Tunnel Creek North Shelter, 2 Sep 2014
Tunnel Creek North Shelter, 2 Sep 2014
Solduc Falls Shelter, 8 Sep 2014
Solduc Falls Shelter, 8 Sep 2014
Site of the Home Sweet Home Shelter, 27 Sep 2014
Site of the Home Sweet Home Shelter, 27 Sep 2014
Remains of the Sourdough Mtn Shelter, 25 Jan 2015
Remains of the Sourdough Mtn Shelter, 25 Jan 2015
Camp Handy Shelter, Dungeness, 1 Mar 2015
Camp Handy Shelter, Dungeness, 1 Mar 2015
Boulder Shelter, Dungeness, 1 Mar 2015\
Boulder Shelter, Dungeness, 1 Mar 2015\
Sink Lake Shelter (Mt Townsend), 7 Mar 2015
Sink Lake Shelter (Mt Townsend), 7 Mar 2015
Mink Lake Shelter, Solduc, 22 Mar 2015
Mink Lake Shelter, Solduc, 22 Mar 2015
Trapper Shelter, N Fk Quinault, 2 Aug 2015
Trapper Shelter, N Fk Quinault, 2 Aug 2015
Low Divide Ranger Station, 2 Aug 2015
Low Divide Ranger Station, 2 Aug 2015
Remains of Shelter at the base of the Cedar Lakes way trail (Falls Camp?), 16 Aug 2015
Remains of Shelter at the base of the Cedar Lakes way trail (Falls Camp?), 16 Aug 2015
Site of the Sundown Lake Shelter, 27 Sep 2015
Site of the Sundown Lake Shelter, 27 Sep 2015
Pyramid Peak lookout site, Lake Crescent, 18 Jan 2016
Pyramid Peak lookout site, Lake Crescent, 18 Jan 2016
Church Creek Shelter, 19 Mar 2016
Church Creek Shelter, 19 Mar 2016
Camp Harps Shelter (RIP), 19 Mar 2016
Camp Harps Shelter (RIP), 19 Mar 2016
North Fork Solduc Shelter, 28 Aug 2016
North Fork Solduc Shelter, 28 Aug 2016
Site of Belview Shelter, 2 Sep 2017
Site of Belview Shelter, 2 Sep 2017
Cape Alava-Ozette Ranger Station, 12 Sep 2017
Cape Alava-Ozette Ranger Station, 12 Sep 2017
Osett Memorial, 12 Sep 2017
Osett Memorial, 12 Sep 2017
Prairie Homestead & Well (I also have pics of some of the barns & outbuildings), 15 Feb 2018
Prairie Homestead & Well (I also have pics of some of the barns & outbuildings), 15 Feb 2018
Site of the Anderson Butte Lookout, Wynoochee area, 26 May 2018
Site of the Anderson Butte Lookout, Wynoochee area, 26 May 2018
Mulkey Shelter, Col. Bob, 10 July 2018
Mulkey Shelter, Col. Bob, 10 July 2018
West Fork Humptulips Shelter, 4 Aug 2018
West Fork Humptulips Shelter, 4 Aug 2018
Happy Four Shelter, Hoh, 24 Aug 2018
Happy Four Shelter, Hoh, 24 Aug 2018
Olympus Guard Station, Hoh, 24 Aug 2018
Olympus Guard Station, Hoh, 24 Aug 2018
Olympus Shelter, Hoh, 24 Aug 2018
Olympus Shelter, Hoh, 24 Aug 2018
Some of the Tull City Ruins (~0.25 miles south of the "B-17 Pond"), Tubal Cain area, 3 Aug 2019
Some of the Tull City Ruins (~0.25 miles south of the "B-17 Pond"), Tubal Cain area, 3 Aug 2019
Fifteen Mile Shelter, Bogachiel, 22 Jul 2020
Fifteen Mile Shelter, Bogachiel, 22 Jul 2020
Hyak Shelter across the overgrown meadow, Bogachiel, 22 Jul 2020
Hyak Shelter across the overgrown meadow, Bogachiel, 22 Jul 2020
Some of the remains of the Twenty One Mile Shelter, Bogachiel, 22 Jul 2020
Some of the remains of the Twenty One Mile Shelter, Bogachiel, 22 Jul 2020

*Just say NO to Rent-Seeking, don't give up the concept of "ownership"*

Hesman, RodF, tinman, Bramble_Scramble, Anne Elk, Ski, half fast  zimmertr
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zimmertr
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PostSun Jul 03, 2022 9:57 pm 
meck wrote:
Here is my collection of photos of ONP/PNF shelters and structures.
This is an extremely high quality comment. You should build a website around this content. This is history. Thank you for sharing these pictures.

Flickr | Strava

RodF, Anne Elk
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adeline
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adeline
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PostMon Dec 19, 2022 10:22 am 
Hi all— Don't know how many folks still regularly check this, but I figure it would be good to continue the shelter chronicle here. I've been on the trail crew for the last several seasons and we've done some work on a few of the shelters in my years. 2019—OGS—new roof and patched a purlin 2022— Fifteen Miles, Bogi—New roof, replaced failing rafters and purlins , structure stabilization, replaced few siding shakes as needed Here's us working on the 15 mile shelter roof last summer
Hyak, Bogi— New roof and replaced a few siding shakes I'm also a graduate student of historic preservation (prompted by my work on trail crew) and writing my thesis project on the shelters. Particularly focusing on the different eras of construction (styles and material) and how they contribute to the larger cultural landscape of the Park. Wanted to thank everyone that's contributed to this thread over the years—coming in handy in my research. I won't use any info or photos without explicit permission, but it's all been very helpful for my background info. Particularly loving the old trail crew photos. I got to visit many of the shelters last summer for condition assessments—when I get a chance, I'll resize the images and post them here. If anyone wants to chat shelters in the meantime, reply or shoot me an email. Cheers!

Salal, jaysway, vibramhead, RodF, graywolf, meck, tinman, reststep
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graywolf
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PostTue Dec 20, 2022 11:40 am 
adeline wrote:
Hi all— Don't know how many folks still regularly check this, but I figure it would be good to continue the shelter chronicle here. I've been on the trail crew for the last several seasons and we've done some work on a few of the shelters in my years. 2019—OGS—new roof and patched a purlin 2022— Fifteen Miles, Bogi—New roof, replaced failing rafters and purlins , structure stabilization, replaced few siding shakes as needed Here's us working on the 15 mile shelter roof last summer
Hyak, Bogi— New roof and replaced a few siding shakes I'm also a graduate student of historic preservation (prompted by my work on trail crew) and writing my thesis project on the shelters. Particularly focusing on the different eras of construction (styles and material) and how they contribute to the larger cultural landscape of the Park. Wanted to thank everyone that's contributed to this thread over the years—coming in handy in my research. I won't use any info or photos without explicit permission, but it's all been very helpful for my background info. Particularly loving the old trail crew photos. I got to visit many of the shelters last summer for condition assessments—when I get a chance, I'll resize the images and post them here. If anyone wants to chat shelters in the meantime, reply or shoot me an email. Cheers!
My buddies and I watched your crew for a while when you were working on OGS. I talked to your foreman/leader (at least I think he was) for a while. He was wearing a camo boonie as I recall. The work you folks were doing was great, and I'm pretty sure we saw your "shake processing center" just off the trail up river a little ways. Thanks for posting!

The only easy day was yesterday...

adeline, RodF
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Sara Jensine
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Sara Jensine
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PostWed Mar 22, 2023 7:52 pm 
I’d love to know more about Chet Ullin, especially his photos and letters. We own his and Phyllis’ home but there were two owners between us. We bought it foreclosed and a bit worse for the wear at the end of “The Great Recession.” Ever since my neighbor mentioned the name of the original family I’ve been down a rabbit hole. They seemed wonderfully adventurous! I learned that Chet survived an avalanche here on Mt. Baker 35 years before he tragically lost his son Gary to an avalanche on Peak Lenin.

Sara Jensine
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vibramhead
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PostTue May 23, 2023 8:17 pm 
adeline wrote:
I'm also a graduate student of historic preservation (prompted by my work on trail crew) and writing my thesis project on the shelters. Particularly focusing on the different eras of construction (styles and material) and how they contribute to the larger cultural landscape of the Park.
I sure hope you post a link to your thesis when it's done. I'm sure a lot of people here would be interested.

adeline
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