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Luc
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Luc
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PostWed May 02, 2007 6:36 pm 
Headed up the NF Quinault to kick off my season. What a different place it is than the EF Quinault. Much more isolated and far less humans. Last year I set off on the EF at about the same time of year and immediately encountered two Foxes (i.e. backcountry babes) and another couple later in the day near pyrites, both parties peaceful, treading lightly and smelling of nothing. This last Saturday I left the only people I saw for 4 days in the parking lot. Including a few soapy-smelling yuppies and a pack of iron-maiden t-shirt wearing platypus toting marlboro smokin yo-yos. I think they failed to note the Eagle hunting overhead and the Roosevelts roaming the riparian terrace. Ahh, 2 hours in and I was way-the-hell away. My camera battery went dead late in the second day because I hadn't placed it on the charger all the way the night before. Oh well, i got a few pics and here they are:
Wolf Bar (just prior to)
Wolf Bar (just prior to)
Kimta Creek Bridge
Kimta Creek Bridge
3 Prune
3 Prune
Roosevelts
Roosevelts
Happy Hour @ 12 Mile
Happy Hour @ 12 Mile
Twelve Mile Emergency Shelter
Twelve Mile Emergency Shelter
FInally Arrived
FInally Arrived
Peak Near Lawson
Peak Near Lawson
Looking East Past Lawson Washout
Looking East Past Lawson Washout
Trapper's Shelter
Trapper's Shelter
Kimta Creek Bridge
Kimta Creek Bridge
Broke out the fly rod, for a bit and read out of "Gates of Eden" Ethan Coen. Sipped the R & R and pulled off a few American Spirits, and watched my campfire smoke trail down the valley. On sunday morning, as I sipped my coffee and watched as the the sun rose and cast its light through the forest, I heard one of the strangest sounds I ever have out in the wilds. It went like: "Thump.....thump....thump...thump..thump.thump.thumpthumpthumpthumpthump", kind of like a helicopter engine firing up and as soon at it reached idle, it would stop. I thought it may have been some sort of fowl thumping the ground, or a ground dweller thumping feet because it sounded very regular and identical each time. Very strange, but not alarming, more curious. Almost every single smaller tributary is washed out and a sketchy rock hop to get across. I recommend keeping the sandals/water shoes handy. There is some damage to Kimta Creek bridge (see photo) and also the bridge over the creek right before Kimta (squaw?) has an actual hole in it where a log broke through several planks. Both of these over a good fall into vertical rocks. There are about ~25 blowdowns between Elip Creek camp and Twelve Mile. Careful around the Elip Creek Camp / Skyline Cutoff junction, there is a gnarly blowdown right on the junction that can really throw you off - it did me for at least a 1/2 hour. Privy at Elip Creek Camp is topless, but usable. The snow level varies a bit this time of spring in the canyon valleys. I fist hit snow after descending into the canyon from Trapper's Shelter, there was a good 2 feed in the canyon (1600ft) and as soon as the trail climbed out of the canyon and onto sidehilling, the snow pretty much dissapeared. There was about 2-3 feet at 12mile shelter with the snow again dissapearing up the slope. Im sure it's nice and steady at about 2500feet. But melting quickly. I awoke to a beautiful dusting on the surrounding peaks and an actual 3 inches of melt (rained at my elevation). What a moody morning tuesday was. Rainforest couldn't make up it's mind to dry-out or dew-up. Such is a rainforest's character. The ridges also couldn't shake off the marine cloud cover, and revealed themselves in bands between incoming waves of morning fog. No break-in at the trailhead - yay. Got this one out of my system. There is lotsa quartz that can be found in the washouts so keep an eye out if your headed up! on the ipod: Kranky records: Stars of the Lid, Brian McBride, Enigk, Coctaue Twins, Explosions in the sky, Mew, Quasi, Band of Horses, Iron and Wine, "Never Not Funny", Arik Korman podcasts, This American Life.

GNGSTR
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Schmidt Altitude
Whippet Entourage



Joined: 28 Mar 2007
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Schmidt Altitude
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PostWed May 02, 2007 6:47 pm 
LucBurson wrote:
On sunday morning, as I sipped my coffee and watched as the the sun rose and cast its light through the forest, I heard one of the strangest sounds I ever have out in the wilds. It went like: "Thump.....thump....thump...thump..thump.thump.thumpthumpthumpthumpthump", kind of like a helicopter engine firing up and as soon at it reached idle, it would stop. I thought it may have been some sort of fowl thumping the ground, or a ground dweller thumping feet because it sounded very regular and identical each time. Very strange, but not alarming, more curious.
Luc, I believe the sound you heard was a male grouse "drumming." This is how one male grouse announces to other males where his territory is and most importantly it announces "hey pretty ladies a big stud is ready to make the great egg with you" to the female grouse. ~Jeremy

"Forest 101: These big wood stick things are called trees. The big rocks are called mountains, and the little rocks are their babies." Elliott from Open Season
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Quark
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Joined: 15 May 2003
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PostWed May 02, 2007 8:01 pm 
Shacknasty Jim wrote:
Barnes describes it this way: "The sounds lasted exactly 8 seconds, beginning slowly like the clicking of a ratchet on a cog-wheel, gradually increasing in rapidity, and at the end becoming too rapid for the ear to distinguish, and ceasing abruptly at the end of a few seconds."
Wow, is that ever freaky. Luc's descriptin is exactly the same as Barnes', over a hundred years ago; each using the technology of the respective days as an example...
LucBurson wrote:
It went like: "Thump.....thump....thump...thump..thump.thump.thumpthumpthumpthumpthump", kind of like a helicopter engine firing up and as soon at it reached idle, it would stop.

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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Luc
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Luc
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PostWed May 02, 2007 8:02 pm 
Shacknasty Jim wrote:
Things have changed a bit at Wolf Bar.
That Pic is actually looking west (obviously) from the bend just before wolf bar. Thanks for noticing, i'll go ahead and rename it... And interesting facts about the grouse, i wasn't completely convinced that it wasn't an engine down in Quinault. Could have been a big dog from afar. But a nearby animal makes more sense.

GNGSTR
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l
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l
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PostWed May 02, 2007 9:43 pm 
Here's a short clip from the Hoh Rainforest of a ruffed grouse drumming. I've seen this display 5 or 6 times and each was performed on a downed log. Because of distance (80 feet?) and the river, it's hard to hear the sound.

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Gil
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PostThu May 03, 2007 9:51 am 
Sounds like a peaceful early season trip. Nice to find solitude sometimes.

Friends help the miles go easier. Klahini
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Tazz
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PostThu May 03, 2007 9:52 am 
The river valleys in the olys are my favorite valleys!! Thanks for the report and pics!! I like the silhouette shot from the shelter. Looks soooo relaxing and calm...

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