[Ski]

Well, the recovery time on the west side of the Olympics is about 90 days. If you don't keep the brush chopped down to the ground, it grows back fast fast fast. When I cleared out the footpath that leads down to Ruby Beach, Tim S. (then the Kalaloch Ranger) had me cut it back about 8-10 feet on each side from the trail tread, clear down to the ground. It was all overgrown with salmonberry and serviceberry. Looked like hell when I got done. Three months later you could hardly tell I'd been there. There were trails all over the west side of the Olympics. I've found little remnants of old trails up on Christmas Creek (a tributary to the Clearwater) and on the upper Clearwater. Some of them are still extant in places.

[Pyrites]

What a great thread. A winter hike on the Bogie, photos, bird nest fungi (got it from my fifth grade teacher), old ford of a big river, controversy about old trails and roads, a hiker who knows where she's been, local expertise and accessible historical documents that confirm a forty year old recollection. Wow.

[gb]

Interesting. I hiked the Bogachiel such as it was last February. At that time from the TH on the road (and I'm sure now) the trail does not follow the road but drops 100' to the bottomland in a couple of switchbacks. It then crosses a stream on a very big log - could that have been the ford? Last year after descending to the bottomland, the trail followed an old road a short distance to a drop-off where there had been a significant wash-out. There was a bypass trail with a very narrow connection (without wading) that led to a continuation of the actual trail. I believe there was yet another bypass further along. I came to the second junction with the very scenic Nature Trail and just there the trail disappeared into a streambed for about 50 yards. A bypass did not look practical so it would have been walking in a foot of water on slippery rocks through and past this side stream. I turned around here at 1-1/2 miles. I met a fellow with waders with felt soles who continued past this. But he said in a short distance he hit a vertical washout with 6-8' bank that would have been difficult to climb back up. He turned around there and I met him photographing on the Nature Trail. Was the first bypass in anyway repaired? It looked and was sketchy with a risk of a fall into the main river. What happened at the streambed beyond the Nature Trail? Later, did the main trail then end at a good sized drop-off or was that too repaired? The Bogachiel was very beautiful as far as I walked (and the Nature Trail). I recall from a previous trip in the 90's that there were many magnificent large Spruce beyond where I turned around last year.