[Hesman]

Since the first time I hiked to Dodger Point about 10 years ago, I have been wanting to do the loop where one starts at Whiskey Bend and hikes to Dodger Point, then hikes down to Remann's Cabin and then hiking out on the Elwha Trail back to Whiskey Bend. With snow melting out quickly this year and a river level that was most likely lower earlier in the summer than normal for fording the Elwha River at Remann's Cabin, I had decided a few months ago to give this loop a try. I found it to be a good hike for a three day weekend, with a few bouts of excitement along the way. August 18th After getting off work, I made the drive to Whiskey Bend and with about an hour of daylight left, I hiked to Humes Ranch for the night. I left the parking at 7:45 and arrived at the campsite under the two big Douglas Firs in the Humes Meadow at about 9:00. I managed to make it there without using my headlamp and the last quarter of a mile I was stumbling along like a drunk. I just about did myself in by tripping on a root and falling on the ground in front of the Humes Cabin. Of course, I got up and kept right on going like a happy hiking idiot. One of my knees would ache on and off for the rest of the hike because of this. After setting up my tent, I would attempt to fall asleep in muggy temperatures that took forever to cool off. August 19th I was awake early with the hopes to get an early start hiking up the aptly named Long Ridge Trail to Dodger Point, but I didn't starting hiking up the trail in earnest until 9:00 in the morning. The sun was out and it was a hot, long and sweat dripping on my glasses hike up the trail. About an hour into hiking up the trail, I met two hikers coming down the trail who mentioned they had just spent two beautiful days at Dodger Point and that there was no one camped in the vicinity of Dodger Point. They also informed me that there was a small trickle of water near the camp area in the basin below Dodger Point. It is my opinion that it probably won't be there for much longer and it is probably a better bet to fill up on water at the springs in and around the 4000 foot level of the Long Ridge Trail. The tarns at Dodger Point were looking kind of murky to me. After about 7 hours of slowly plodding my way up the trail, I made it to the camp area in the basin below Dodger Point. I set up my tent and ate some dinner before heading up to the fire lookout to watch the sun go down behind the Bailey Range. This was the only area I had any bug problems was at my camp below Dodger Point. The mosquitos were down right obnoxious. On my walk up to the fire lookout from my camp, still thinking I was the only person in the area, I was spooked by a voice suddenly speaking behind me as I walked up the trail to the lookout. It was a guy who was coming off the Bailey Range on his way to the fire lookout. I found out that there were two other people in his group. He asked if there was a fire lookout up the trail and I said there was. Off he went up the trail leaving me in the dust. As I got close to the lookout, I heard voices, and I thought this was odd because I thought the guy that passed me was the only one at the lookout. Well, there were two ONP employees at the lookout and they, too, had also come off the Bailey Range. The park employees had a few of the window shutters up on the lookout and the door wide open. I was able to check out the inside of the lookout. I would have to say this was the highlight of the entire hike. I stayed at the lookout until long after the sunset and watched the stars and the Milky Way grace the dark skies with their beauty. On occasion all the people at the lookout would watch headlights at the Hurricane Ridge parking lot. We even saw the International Space Station pass overhead. Another hiker who showed up at the lookout was a photographer who I had met a few years ago at Tolmie Peak. We figured we needed to keep meeting each other like this; at fire lookouts every few years.

Humes Ranch Cabin

The Bridge to Dodger Point

Path Through a Quiet Forest

Long Ridge and Elwha Valley

Hayes, Elwha & Goldie Rivers

Dodger Point Fire Lookout

Sun and Tree

A Setting Sun

Dodger Point Fire Lookout

Olympus In The Evening

Sunset From Dodger Point

Milky Way

Dodger Point Lookout at Night

Milky Way

August 20th I was up early and off down the trail to Remann's Cabin at 7:30 in the morning. I met the photographer and his wife again as I was starting down the trail and they wished me luck and happy trails on the rest of my hike. Since I knew the trail between Dodger Point and Remann's Cabin was rarely used and hard to follow in places, I took it nice and slow down the trail. It took me 4.5 hours to hike the trail from Dodger Point to Remann's Cabin. The upper 2.5 miles of the trail is very brushy and nearly nonexistent and it completely disappears in two meadows, so if one is to travel this part of the trail, it is my opinion that you need to have excellent route finding skills. I did not look around much so that I would be able to stay on the trail. The trail is also hard to follow in spots between Semple Plateau and the ford at Remann's Cabin. I had intended on finding The Gallery, but I was tired from the long hike down the trail and not exactly sure where to begin looking on where to leave the trail, so I figured I'd look for it another time. The ford at Remann's Cabin was not too bad. For most of the way across the river, the water level was about 12 to 16 inches deep. At the deepest point where I crossed the river, it was about 26 inches deep. The river was running swift, but not too strong at the deepest point. I noticed that many rocks in the river were slick with slime. Just as I was thinking that I hoped I wouldn't slip on the slimy rocks, I slipped and fell forward into the river. After floundering in the water for about 10 seconds or so, I was able to get back up onto my feet with the help of my walking stick and stumble to the river bank on the Remann's Cabin side of the river. Luckily, when I slipped, my pack did not get too wet from the water. Just the shoulder straps and the hip belt. I wondered if my pack floated a little since I did have my hip belt unbuckled, or that unknowingly, I did not fall into the water as deeply as I thought I did. After I was out of the river I made my way to Remann's Cabin to eat lunch and dry out. In the hour I was at Remann's Cabin, I saw 7 people. Once I was filled with food and rested, I was off down the trail to Elkhorn Ranger Station, where I stopped for about half an hour since I was in no hurry to hike down the trail. I ran into a backcountry ranger just as he was leaving Elkhorn and he mentioned that there was a group of Boy Scouties at Canyon Camp. I had planned to camp at Canyon Camp, but with an unpleasant memory of the last encounter of camping near Boy Scouts (immature and noisy), I decided that I had enough time in the day to continue hiking down the trail to spend the night at Mary's Falls Camp.

Olympus Sunrise

Meadows

Can You Find The Trail?

Remann's Cabin

Elkhorn Ranger Station

Star Trails at Mary's Falls Camp

August 21st I awoke to another gloriously sunny day that would soon become warm. Once again I was up early, but stayed wrapped up in my warm sleeping bag since it had cooled off rather well overnight for another half an hour after waking up. I was on the trail an hour after willing myself to leave the warmth of my sleeping bag. Not much to report on the last day of my hike, just that I made good time to Lillian River, where I took some river pictures and chatted with an older gentleman who was camped at Lillian River. My hiking slowed after leaving Lillian River. By what the heck, right? I was in no hurry and content to just plug along down the trail towards Michael's Cabin and Whiskey Bend. As I neared Michael's Cabin I was passed by the group of Boy Scouties and came across a ONP volunteer hiking to somewhere. After the volunteer had looked at my backcountry permit, she was under the impression that I had started at Whiskey Bend, hiked to Dodger Point, down to Remann's Cabin and out to where we saw each other in one day and this was 11:00 in the morning when I saw her. I gave her a quizzical look and promptly informed her that, ahem, this was my 3rd day out and there was no way I was able to hike that far in so little a time. She apologized and said she read my permit wrong. I rested at Michael's Cabin for a little while before hiking the last bit of trail to my car. When I saw a hot babe in revealing clothing and earbuds tightly entrenched in her ears and smelling too clean hiking up the trail, I figured I had to be getting close to the trailhead. And I was and so came to an end another good hike.

Lillian River

A Framed View

[Quark]

I always enjoy your photos and trip reports. So what's The Gallery? Any pics of Michael's cabin and/or the fragrant hot babe?

[Nietzsche's Horse]

Very nice report, and beautiful photos. It's been many years since I've been to that part of the Olympics, and I wonder if you have any additional shots of the area around the Elkhorn Guard Station...particularly of the meadow there, or the Elwha with the forested hill on the opposite side, or even the Shelter, where I once had a very memorable evening of "sleep." I've got many pictures in my mind's eye of this place, but they could use some refreshment.

[Quark]

Well, the Press Expedition made a lot of unwise choices; buncha crazy guys. Looking forward to more comments here, and of your next trip report.

[Ancient Ambler]

Excellent trip, report and wonderful photos, Hesman. You're fortunate ONP employees were at the lookout and let you in; whenever I've been there the lookout has been shuttered and locked. I recall a now-long-absent nwhikers member named goats gone wild who also lucked out and posted a bunch of interior photos of the lookout years ago. I'm glad you had a fairly easy though somewhat exciting crossing of the Elwha at Remann's. I recall an August crossing there with the water three feet deep, submerging the bottom of my pack and swirling around me, with wake waves flowing downstream from my pack. Those slippery rocks make the crossing a bit spicy at times. I'm glad you got such fine weather for your trip. Thanks for sharing your trip and great photos with us.

[Ravenridge]

Thanks for the report, Hes. Glad you were able to go inside the lookout. That Elwha river ford is tricky, fortunately you weren't injured after falling.

[reststep]

Thanks for sharing. That is pretty cool getting to check out the inside of the lookout.

[RodF]

[Ski]

I have to wonder... ...what effect does three days on a trail have on one man's perception of "hotness"? great report.

[Magellan]

Calendar worthy. Quark, visit this TR for more info about the gallery

[Bruce]

There should be some fotos of the inside here or maybe one of the other albums https://plus.google.com/113556425679394623621/photos

[Bruce]

SORRY! that link isn't too good...look around 2006 time at any rate took a bunch of the inside

[reststep]

I couldn't find those Bruce but Goat's pictures are here.