[Ski]

60th Anniversary - Episode 2 - 09/04 - 09/06 USGS 12040500 09/04/18 @ 05:30 PDT 335 CFS Central Park 09/04/18 @ 07:42 PDT 53° F Amanda Park 09/04/18 @ 08:57 PDT 59° F Only two vehicles at trailhead on arrival. Weather clear and sunny with no smoke, no haze this time. Temperatures in the low 70's. Ford at Sams easy peasy - not even knee deep.

Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 3.0 090418 01

Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 3.0 090418 02

Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 3.5 090418 01

Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 3.5 090418 02

Met Jake (from Alabama) and Steven (from Olympia) just below the Lower Crossing Junction. I've met and spoken with a lot of people on this trail, but these two were the first I've met who were running up the Queets Trail. They said they were going to run up as far as they could. I told them how far up Ernie had cleared the trail out. They told me they'd seen one guy solo carrying a big pack walking out about two miles below. Found a food bag hanging from a branch at Spruce Bottom, and thought maybe it was abandoned, as there was no gear anywhere at the campsite. I looked through the vine maples and spotted two people out on the gravel bar and moved on.

Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 5.2 090418 01

Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 5.2 090418 02

bk queets trail mile 6.0 090418 01

Met up with Jake and Steven again at about 6.4 miles. They said they cleared out all the cobwebs for me all the way up to about Harlow, which is as far as Ernie said he'd cleared out the blowdowns when I'd talked with him on the phone. They said they'd seen nobody else up the trail.

Jake & Steve Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 6.4 090418 01

Got up to my site and set up the tent. Then ripped out and cleaned up a fire ring that had been built over the weekend (in spite of there being a fire ban in effect) that was no more than ten feet away from the already-built, well-established fire ring there on the gravel bar. Discovered a nest of hornets and got stung a few times, then smashed hell out of the hornet nest with some giant rocks. Still had plenty of time to go dive into the Queets a few times and fix up some fresh pesto and farfalle for dinner before the sun dropped behind the ridge.

Queets River 090418 01

bk Queets River 090418 01

After eating dinner, just before twilight I saw two guys fording the river just upstream, so I walked up and introduced myself to Gino (from Shelton) and Ken (from Port Angeles), who were the two I'd seen earlier down on the gravel bar in front of Spruce Bottom. They were up for a couple days to take in the sights, and had just completed a little brush-bashing adventure. I gave them directions to find the trail and they headed back down to their camp below just before sunset. It was just shy of 60° F at 8:10 pm and clear and calm. A few stars were out by 8:30 - 9:00, along with a few bats. I called it a day and went to bed. Wednesday I got up pretty early and made some breakfast and watched the river go by, then took a short nap.

Queets River 090518 01

Queets River 090518 02

Queets River 090518 03

A little after noon I put on my shoes and walked down to Smith Place. There is nothing left of "structure" at this point. The only remains are some rotting lumber, a couple big tangles of clear polyethylene sheeting, lengths of one-inch galvanized water pipe, the hot water tank, what appears to be part of the chimney, and buried somewhere in the tangle of blackberry vines and rotting lumber is an old white enameled wood stove. The glider that sat on the front porch 80 years ago is slowly being swallowed up by the jungle. Because the structure isn't really even visible until you're right up on top of it, it will be difficult to find for those who haven't been there before. The two symmetrical big-leaf maples standing out in front of where the original structure stood are a good landmark.

Smith Place Queets Valley clearing from SW corner 090518 01

Smith Place Queets Valley two big-leaf maples in front of structure 090518 01

Smith Place Queets Valley remains of structure NW corner 090518 01

Smith Place Queets Valley remains of structure NW corner 090518 04

Smith Place Queets Valley remains of structure SW corner 090518 02

Smith Place Queets Valley glider behind remains of structure 090518 01

Smith Place Queets Valley remains of structure NE corner 090518 03

Smith Place Queets Valley remains of structure NW corner 090518 06

A hundred yards due north of the remains of the structure is where the beginning of the Upper Crossing Way Trail can be found. As has been the case for several years, the western half of the trail is fairly easy to find by looking for the orange markers nailed to the trees and looking for cut logs. Beyond the halfway point the trail gets hopelessly lost in blowdowns. Oddly I was able to pick up the last couple hundred feet of it just before it breaks out onto Tshletshy Creek, which was only a pitiful little trickle.

Upper Crossing Way Trail Queets Valley 090518 01

Upper Crossing Way Trail Queets Valley 090518 02

Upper Crossing Way Trail Queets Valley 090518 03

Upper Crossing Way Trail Queets Valley 090518 04

Upper Crossing Way Trail Queets Valley 090518 05

Upper Crossing Way Trail Queets Valley 090518 06

Upper Crossing Way Trail Queets Valley 090518 07

Tshletshy Creek Queets Valley 090518 01

Tshletshy Creek Queets Valley 090518 02

As I was walking back to camp, I spotted someone out on the gravel bar with a fishing rod. I walked down and when I got to within 20 feet of him he looked up and asked "Are you Ski?" Brendan (from Bainbridge Island) told me we'd met up there a couple times before, and asked how to get back to the trail. I walked with him through the trees until we got to the trail where he pulled out his cell phone and grabbed a photo of both of us.

Brendan C and bk Queets 090518 (photo courtesy B. Curran)

Wandered back to camp and had a little snack before diving into the Queets a few more times. About 7:00 I had tortellini and salmon with sun-dried tomatoes for dinner. Sunset at Kalaloch was at 7:45 PM, and there was just a tinge of pink on the western sky.

Queets River 090518 04

Queets River 090518 05

Thursday I wanted to get an early start before the weather changed, so I packed up and had a little snack before heading down.

Queets River 090618 01

As it had been for the previous two days, it was sunny and warm all the way down, although a bit noisy with a helicopter ferrying fisheries people up and down the valley. I spotted four guys camped on the south bank just across from Spruce Bottom, and assumed they must have been the party that Gino and Ken told me were making all the noise the night before. I figured the rain that was forecast and on the way would be a just reward for their reveling.

Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 6.0 090618 01

Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 4.0 090618 01

Queets River Trail (approx.) mile 4.0 090618 02

I stopped at Coal Creek to rest for a couple minutes, and heard voices coming nearer. When a face came out of the trees I said hello, and introduced myself. The gentleman said he was looking for a Big Fir tree, and I told him he'd just passed it. I led him back down the trail a few hundred feet and gave him directions on how to get up to the Big Fir by climbing up on the huge downed spruce, and then following it to its end, where the trail could be found. He introduced himself as Fred Weinmann, and he and his wife Ann were from Port Townsend, where they were both on the board of the local chapter of the Native Plant Society. We had an interesting conversation about Cirsium Arvense, Rubus Discolor, R. Laciniatus, and a few other things that were not related at all to non-indigenous invasive plant species. Meeting Fred and talking with him for just a brief time was truly a pleasure.

Fred and Ann Weinmann Queets Big Fir 090618 (photo courtesy Fred Weinmann)

Unlike the last trip, when I got down to Andrews Field the top of Kloochman Rock was actually visible, and not obscured by smoke haze.

Andrews Field Queets Valley 090618 01

Andrews Field Queets Valley 090618 02

About a half a mile up from the trailhead, I met Becky and Katie, who were dayhiking and were looking for a Big Fir tree. I gave them instructions on how to find the tree and they went on their way. Less than 500 feet from the trailhead I met two gentlemen from Germany, who had come all the way out to take a look at our trees. I drove up to Queets and asked about a fish, but they said the nets wouldn't go into the river for another week - there just wasn't enough water in the ditch.

Then I cruised up to Kalaloch, stopped in to say hello to Birdie, went across the street for a gigantic latte, and then back down to Ashenbrenner for the obligatory post-hike feast as the rain began to fall along the coast.

On the way back down Hwy 101, I ran into Becky and Katie at the end of the #21 Road. They said they'd found the big spruce, but Becky had reservations about climbing up on top of it so they didn't get to the Big Fir. Friday morning I contacted Larry up in PA and he assured me he would put "Big Fir Trail" on his "to do" list for the 2019 season. There is a good possibility the season may be over: USGS 12040500 09/04/18 @ 05:30 PDT 335 CFS USGS 12040500 09/09/18 @ 16:30 PDT 576 CFS USGS 12040500 09/09/18 @ 21:30 PDT 1120 CFS USGS 12040500 09/09/18 @ 22:30 PDT 1640 CFS USGS 12040500 09/09/18 @ 23:30 PDT 1840 CFS USGS 12040500 09/10/10 @ 09:30 PDT 2350 CFS USGS 12040500 09/12/18 @ 09:30 PDT 1980 CFS

USGS 12040500 091218 0930 PDT 1980 CFS

Stay tuned.

[Sculpin]

I'm beginning to see a trend in your hiking choices. You like Italian food!

[Brushbuffalo]

Ski: Interesting, personalized account. I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I really need to up my back-country culinary skills, and you are my inspiration.

[JonnyQuest]

Really enjoy these reports, Ski.

[Ski]

[Kim Brown]

This has everything a trip repoey should have, and more! I enjoyed reading about the people you meet. And the FFOOD! I hope there's a Part 3!

[Ski]

I'm hoping for a good weather window and low water. It might happen. It might not. Kim, you would have loved meeting Fred! Look him up and listen to that "podcast".

[Ski]