[Tazz]

This is my first trip report so bare with me. Started out sat morning 10 am. This is the first backpack of the year so we weren't sure if we would make it 13 miles to the chalet. We only had two days so in order to see the valley it was all or bust. The weather was cloudy and threatening all day. The trail is in good shape up to the washout at 7.5 miles. I is amazing to see the power that water has. All stream and creek crossings were easy. We made it to the chalet around 5pm. By this time the rain started and continued throughout the night. All bear wires are in good shape and useable. Saw one bear and a large heard of elk. The bear was wandering around camp. The sun was doing it's job the next morning and wow what a beautiful valley. Waterfalls in full force. made it out in six and half hours. nice trail!!

[marzsit]

were you carrying a macpac pack? just curious...

[Tazz]

nope, just a ten yr old camp trails pack

[sarbar]

Marzs...I'll bet you and the others did pass Tazz (Tazz, we were up there all weekend

[Tazz]

Not many people up there so I'm sure I saw you at some point. We saw two guys headed out of the valley with packs and we ran into three day hikers headed out of the valley in the late afternoon. We assumed they where camping at o'niel. That might have been you guys... We were the two chicks headed up the valley.

[sarbar]

Sounds like you may have passed them Three guys and one lady dayhiking (I stayed in camp at O'Neil with my son on saturday). Gotta say the weather on sunday was gorgeous!

[Tazz]

yup, we passed them, they told us of the bear and the "bear expert lady" We passed her an hour or so after we passed the other three. The weather was great on sunday. The sun coming up in the valley was worth every mile and every rain drop that night. small world

[Chris_and_Krista]

Very, very, small world - I'm pretty sure we saw y'all heading out on Sunday morning about 10am - we were packing up from spending Sat night at Pyrites and waved as you two passed by. We hiked into the Chalet area Sunday afternoon and stayed through Monday morning. I was impressed at the footbridge they placed into the valley...definitely sturdier that the old one. We saw several herds of elk and two bears. One of the bears was fairly close, just past the Enchanted Valley stock camp. The other was across the river on the hillside. We were surprised at how close the river is to the Chalet now...only 8ft away! Two years ago it seemed like it was a couple hundred feet from the building. We also hiked up to the "Largest recorded western hemlock," which is now at the edge of the river bed and appears to have had river water flowing around it during the last flood. I'm not sure how much longer it's going to be around. There were 2 guys in the valley with us, other than that we had it to ourselves Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. Wonderful hike to start the season on!

July 2003 - Can't even see the river

April 24, 2005 - Water is only 8ft from the Chalet

Apparently was airlifted in by Columbia Helicopters - they left a sticker on the side of the bridge.

great camp area

Moved on when she heard us

[Tazz]

That was us. Looked like some one (Chris?)just went for a dip in the river am I right? Nice pics. too bad about the tree. At least it is nature that will take it out and not a chain saw. do you know if the two guys in the valley headed up to Anderson pass. Just curious (or jealous ) I wanted to go up there so bad but our time was short. Oh well, next time!

[JimK]

Thanks for the photos. I love spring in the valley when the waterfalls are everywhere. Nice waterall shot indeed.

[Chris_and_Krista]

You caught me (Chris) right after my poor man's shower - e.g. water bag dumped on my head! That weekend we had my friend from Texas with us on his very first over-night hiking trip...he was down the river taking photos when y'all passed us. Krista and I kept telling him that girls come out here by themselves (which he doesn't believe) but he missed seeing you two fly by. When he returned from his photo shoot we told him about y'all but he didn't believe us only saying, "yeah right." Lately it seems like we've seen just as many gals on the trail as guys. The two guys we saw in the valley on Sunday and Monday told us they ran into snow at the turn off to O'Neil Pass and had turned around. Earlier, on Saturday, we ran into two other (younger) guys a mile before O'Neil Creek who were hiking out . They had spent the past 3 days in the valley and one of them said he had post-holed up to ~4,000ft (~500ft short of the top of Anderson Pass).

[Tazz]

looks like you had a good shower thanks it tells me what the conditions are like above 3500'. Still a little early for ditching the snow shoes.

[Don]

Chris and Krista, your pictures of the chalet blow me away! I go up there every year to photograph the local bear population, and am scheduled to go next week. It looks like my favorite campsite below the falls is likely gone. There was a huge amount of meadows between the chalet and river previously - enough to hold the entire herd of elk that resides there. Amazing. Don

[Don]

Ok, didn't pay attention. Your last picture answers my question. I can relax now.