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Ski
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PostThu Sep 18, 2014 1:04 am 
Queets River Trail - 56th Anniversary (reprise) 09-05-14 - 09-09-14 USGS 12040500 444 CFS - 09-05-14 @ 04:30 PDT Central Park 53° F @ 06:05 PDT Amanda Park 49° F @ 07:10 PDT Sunrise (Kalaloch) 06:42 PDT Sunset (Kalaloch) 19:49 PDT Four vehicles at trailhead (plus my own) upon arrival at 08:30. There were plenty of Backcountry Permits in the trailhead registration box this time. Picked a boulder field to ford through just above Sams, and the water was still only knee deep. Had a handful of yummy blackberries in Andrews Lower Field, and then another handful of yummy blackberries in Andrews Upper Field. The Evergreen (R. Laciniatus) berries are dripping with the morning dew and are tasty! Queets "Big Fir" Trail About 70 yards past the eastern side of Andrews Upper Field, or about 125 yards west of Coal Creek, is the junction where the recently rerouted "Big Fir" Trail branched off the main Queets River Trail. The first hundred yards of the trail have been obliterated by this enormous spruce that fell during the last year.
queets_trail_mile_2.4_090514
queets_trail_mile_2.4_090514
To reach the "Big Fir" trail, climb up onto the bottom end of the downed spruce and follow it to its eastern end. From there you will see an enormous cut log near the edge of the bank along Coal Creek.
From that cut log, bear north-northwest and find the trail, which has gotten a little brushy but is still easy to follow. From that point the big tree is just under two-tenths of a mile away. There is a 12" spruce down on the trail about 200 feet up from the big cut log. It still appears to be alive, and it has the distinction of still retaining the only remaining sign along the Queets River Trail (other than the small "Queets Trail" sign at the bottom- if that one is still there.)
Met two gentlemen about three miles in who were coming out. They said they had come in on Tuesday (09-02) and it had rained heavily. The river crested the other night at 501 cfs and the trail is muddy in places. Saw no other people the rest of the day. Once the sun came up above the trees it started getting really warm- in the mid-80s. Lower Crossing campsite vacant and clean. Spruce Bottom campsite vacant, but somebody ditched a bunch of burned cans under one of those big spruce trees there. Perhaps Ranger Rock might know what this is:
queets_trail_mile_6.5_090514
queets_trail_mile_6.5_090514
Got up to a campsite and set up the tent and had a little lunch in the sun.
Wandered around and checked out the campsites upstream, all three of which were vacant.
More wandering led to discovering treasures. Is that cache? Or trash?
No doubt their mothers would be proud.
Dove into the Queets a few times, gathered a little firewood, and then made spaghetti for dinner just before the sun dropped at 7:49.
Following a note by Destination Up in her trail cuisine experiments, I added a splash of olive oil to the spaghetti sauce when I reconstituted it, which seemed to be an improvement. After building a little fire and having a few conversations with the bats, at 11:35 the moon had the gravel bar lit up and it was clear, calm, and cooling off very nicely. The water is so low I can hardly hear the river- just a murmur and some bubbling now and then. Saturday 09-06 I woke up early but went back to sleep until the sun started beating on the tent at about 10:00. Got up and made a cup of tea. Clear, calm, and warm: at 11:30 in the mid-70s in the shade. Left about 1:00 and walked up a bit and found a right shoe on the trail at Tshletshy. About a half mile farther up I found a left shoe.
whose_shoes_be_these
whose_shoes_be_these
There seems to be a recurrent problem with people here abandoning their footwear. Over the years I've lost count of how many shoes I've found on the Queets. I remain mystified. The recently constructed little footbridge just above Tshletshy is in fine shape.
queets_trail_mile_7.5_090614
queets_trail_mile_7.5_090614
I've always been astounded by the girth of this monster a bit farther up. The trail tread is about 15"-18" wide- I'll let you do the math.
Now and then there are critters to see.
The trail is pretty easy to follow above Tshletshy. There's an over-abundance of flag tape between 8 and 10 miles- more than is actually necessary. The tape at Bob Creek does reduce the confusion level, however. A little ways past Bob Creek I cut out to the river and had a little bit of lunch, enjoyed the view, and listened to the river. My chocolate bar got a little soft in the heat.
Got back to camp about 6:00 and had just enough time to dive into the Queets a few times before the sun dropped behind the trees on the ridge above. Finished salmon tortellini dinner about 8:30 and went down and had a little fire on the gravel bar and watched the moon climb up through the trees. Saw no people all day, and it was very quiet except a lone fixed-wing aircraft off in the distance a couple times. The loudest noise is the river murmuring and the fire snapping now and then. Still warm, clear, and calm at 10:00. Watched the fire and the moon and the stars for an hour or so and went to bed. Sunday 09-07 I woke up at 7:30 to pea-soup fog right down on the river and went back to sleep for a couple hours. Got up about 9:30 and made a cup of tea and took some pictures. Made some oatmeal about 11:00 and listened to the river run over the rocks and a kingfisher chattering.
Left camp just before noon and went for a little walk up Tshletshy Creek. Walked up about a mile or so, through the big boulders until the banks started getting a little steep.
Cut up into the forest and found a Western Red Cedar that would rival some of the specimens down on Long Island.
There are some awesome specimens of Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, and Douglas Fir in the lower end of the valley between Tshletshy and Smith Place.
It was fairly easy walking following elk trails along the south bank about 50 yards back away from the edge of the bank.
I broke back out of the forest and found a nice log in the shade and had a little lunch.
Wandered up the Queets just a little bit. The small hill in the background in the second image is what Robert L. Wood coined the "Chocolate Drop".
Got back down to camp and met three young men on the gravel bar: Rob, Forrest, and Bryan, who were up for a fishing trip they were making an annual event. All three were using big spinners with barbed treble hooks. They were happy to show me their trophy shots on their little point-and-shoot cameras. I did make them aware that their equipment wasn't in compliance, as well as making clear (as I had in my conversation with the Acting Chief Ranger a couple weeks ago) that I was not on the Queets to play policeman. (I am, after all, just the duly-elected mayor and designated janitor.) There was some consolation in their telling me they were tossing everything back, but one has to wonder about mortality rates with barbed treble hooks. Rob said we'd met up there before about five years ago. They headed back to their camp upstream and I went down and dove into the Queets a few more times, then made a cup of tea and finished off the hummus and the flat bread. Had spaghetti for dinner again about 7:45 and watched the last light on the ridge above Harlow.
Made another cup of tea and walked down the gravel bar and made a little fire and watched the bats come out with the almost-full moon
Watched the moon climb through the trees until about 11:00. A few wispy clouds blew in off the coast, signaling a possible change in the weather. Monday 09-08 I got up at 6:40 to an overcast and gray sky. Not the "dripping-wet-right-down-on-the-river" fog like yesterday, but higher and thicker- blocking out the light from the sun. Went back to bed and slept until about 9:30. It was still overcast but the clouds started to pull up enough to be able to see some of the trees.
By 11:30 most of the clouds had burned off or blown away. I wandered down the gravel bar and found Rob and Forrest and Bryan casting into a pool and waded over and talked with them a bit.
They said they were going to move downstream a bit so it would be easier to pack out. Went back up and had a nice cup of tea about 2:00 and enjoyed the quiet- the Air Force jets finally left after about an hour of their overhead droning.
Walked downstream and picked up some wood for a fire as the clouds and breeze are looking like a cool evening. Hauled the tarp and tent fly that were stashed in the trees down to the river and washed off the moss and mold and hung them up to dry so I could pack them out. Picked up the buckets that were stashed back in the trees and hauled them up to the trail with a large chunk of some sort of foam insulation or padding. The shoes, bottles, cans, tarp, and tent fly are enough weight. I'm hoping maybe Ernie will haul the buckets out on his way out next week. If not I'll try to get them next trip. On the way back to camp met Jeff, a nwhikers member, and his friend James, both from Seattle. We talked for a while, and they headed downstream and made camp. Had salmon tortellini again for dinner about 6:30 in the fading light. Jeff was down in front fly fishing about 6:45, and I walked down and talked with him and drew him a map in the sand showing him how to get over to Smith Place. He went back down to have dinner and I made another cup of tea and then built a little fire down on the gravel bar. Clouds completely envelop Queets Ridge upstream, and there are some dark clouds to the west, but a pretty good-sized piece of blue sky directly overhead with just a couple stars is starting to show. Hopefully just enough to keep the rain away for a couple days. Waited for the full moon to climb up through the trees, but most of the time it was obscured by the clouds blowing in off the coast. A few light sprinkles came down right about midnight, and I went to bed about an hour later.
Tuesday 09-09 I got up about half past eight to clear sunny skies- not a cloud to be seen. Made some tea and oatmeal about 10:00 and figured it would be a good idea to head out today. Left camp about half past twelve, but not before running down for another quick dive into the Queets.
Stopped at Spruce Bottom and picked up the pile of burned cans, to which somebody added an empty 15-ounce can of cranberry sauce in the past few days. The question is not "who leaves empty cans in the National Park", but rather "who packs cans of cranberry sauce five miles up the Queets?" What? You brought it to put on that roast turkey? Stopped at the lower crossing campsite, which was empty, but some stupid sonofabitch left a fire burning in the campsite.
I tried to do what I could, but at that moment my bladder lacked the capacity to effect remedy, so I walked back up to where I had dropped my pack, got my water bottle, and made a few trips down to the river to get enough water to put the smoldering mess out. I have to wonder if the moron who left that fire burning ever stopped to consider that site is 4.2 miles from the nearest road, and another 27.6 miles to the nearest reliable telephone in an area where cellular reception is either non-existent or sketchy at best. Got down to Sams just after four and changed into the Vivos for the ford. They worked okay, although that last quarter mile of gravel bar up to the road carrying a pack was a little brutal with no insole liners. (More on the footwear in another thread.) Met a couple from the U.K. who were out on vacation. The drove all the way out here from England. Amazing. There were three vehicles at the end of the road when I came out. For some odd reason, in spite of there being vault toilets in the campground, the streambank in the campground was littered with toilet paper blossoms. I decided I really didn't need more water at that point. I put my dry Tevas on when I got back to the truck and drove up to Queets to see about a fish. I got there a little bit late and all I could get was a couple seal-chomped salmon, but the young man did make an attempt to filet them out for me, although I might have done a better job myself with a dull hatchet. It was, nonetheless, outstanding. (recipe here)
queets_salmon_091114
queets_salmon_091114
Drove up to Kalaloch for a latte and then stopped for at Ashenbrenner just long enough for a couple photos. It was cold and foggy out on the coast.
Drove inland a ways and stopped to snack on some cheese and the last piece of flat bread before the long drive home.
Stopped on the way home and picked up a piece of cow and some potatoes and had steak and fried potatoes and ibuprofen for dinner before sleeping in a real bed. All in all, a pretty good trip. I didn't get rained out, suffer from equipment failures, get stung by hornets, or have any terrible accidents. I did get in a bit of a hurry below Andrews Lower Field coming out, tripped on a root and flew headlong about ten feet, but managed to break the fall with my left hand and came away without a scrape. The NB "Minimus" shoes were okay walking up and down the trail, crashing through the Upper Crossing Way Trail a few weeks ago, and wandering up Tshletshy, but with only about 20 miles on them the "rand" around the toe started coming unglued.
There was no problem getting a replacement pair from REI. I am hoping the new pair will hold up a little better, and hope to have the opportunity to put them to the test soon. But I digress. I'll post some more observations about the "Minimus" and those fancy "Vivos" in another thread. Something tells me we'll have at least one or two more good weather windows, and I still have a bunch of zip-locks full of dried dinners in my freezer.... and brand-new shoes to break in! smile.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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Phil
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PostThu Sep 18, 2014 7:37 am 
Good stuff, Ski. Glad to see that big fir is still up.

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ranger rock
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PostThu Sep 18, 2014 8:40 am 
Laetiporus conifericola Common name "Chicken of the woods" edible but it has to be prepared and harvested just right. I see you did not go hungry during your hike. smile.gif

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Chico
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PostThu Sep 18, 2014 9:02 am 
Good for you to educate. And regarding the shoes - let us hope they don't eventually end up all tied to a tree or maybe tossed into a tree like some kind of monument.

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RumiDude
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PostThu Sep 18, 2014 10:32 am 
In my opinion, nit's the rivers which are the real jewels of the Olympic Peninsula, not the mountains. And the Queets is one of the most magnificent jewels there ever was. Great trip report and photos. Thanks for sharing. Rumi

"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
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Ski
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PostThu Sep 18, 2014 2:40 pm 
Thank you Phil and Rumi. Ranger Rock, I would never have imagined something with color that intense would be edible. You should know the chanterelles abound up there in the fall. And yes, I tend to pack an adequate supply of food. Probably why my pack is so danged heavy! Chico, I have to wonder if you've ever driven from Gold Beach to Grants Pass and seen the "shoe tree" up there in the mountains. Quite the sight: everything from hockey skates to five-inch-stilettos festooning an old tree along the road. As for "educating": it's not something I want to do, it's not something I should have to do, and it's not my place to do it. It's the responsibility of the angler to know the regulations on any stream or lake he drops a line into. The fishing regulations are posted at the trailhead. Some people choose not to read them, or choose to ignore them. flatsqwerl, I'm going to address your PM questions here, for the benefit of those who may ask the same:
flatsqwerl wrote:
How far up the Queets valley did you go? Does the trail end at the Pelton shelter?...or does it keep going unstream ?
My best guess would be about half a mile above Bob Creek, so probably about 11 or 12 miles. The trail ends at Pelton Creek Shelter at 16.2 miles. Last time I was up there a fisherman trail wandered up a little bit farther to the west end of a long gravel bar opposite the mouth of Alta Creek, but that may well have changed. Consider anything above Pelton in the bushwhack category.
flatsqwerl wrote:
Does one need a permit for hiking / camping here...if so, are they easy to get, or limited ( like Enchantments )?
Backcountry Wilderness Permits are required for all overnight visits in all areas of Olympic National Park. Self-issue permits for the Queets should be available at the trailhead registration kiosk. The Queets is not a "quota" area, so there should be no issue procuring a permit. Permits are also available at the South Shore Quinault Ranger Station, or from the Wilderness Information Center in Port Angeles, or over the phone by contacting the WIC at 360-565-3100.
flatsqwerl wrote:
The river ford at the at start could be interesting in early summer perhaps?..any experience with that?
Normally the river remains pretty high until mid-July. Sometimes it will stay up too high to ford into August. The earliest I've been up there was on May 18 several years ago, and it was a little too high to ford at Sams so I bushwhacked up along the south bank about a mile and a half and forded immediately south of Andrews Lower Field and connected to the trail from there. The water where I forded was about navel-deep on me (I'm about 6'4" and wear a 36" inseam.) You will find reports here where people have gone over in inflatable rafts (raising3hikers) or kayaks earlier in the season, but I've never tried it myself. Hope that helps. Thanks again all for your kind remarks. wink.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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iron
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PostThu Sep 18, 2014 4:14 pm 
sounds like it was a pretty rough trip with all that eating and sleeping in each morning of questionable conditions. that couple from the UK is impressive. that's a seriously lonnnngggg drive from there... moon.gif

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raising3hikers
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PostThu Sep 18, 2014 4:35 pm 
good to see that the big fir is still standing. everytime i hike the queets trail, i go look at it. i agree that the queets river valley is one of the best!

Eric Eames
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Chico
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PostThu Sep 18, 2014 5:01 pm 
Ski wrote:
Chico, I have to wonder if you've ever driven from Gold Beach to Grants Pass and seen the "shoe tree" up there in the mountains. Quite the sight: everything from hockey skates to five-inch-stilettos festooning an old tree along the road. As for "educating": it's not something I want to do, it's not something I should have to do, and it's not my place to do it. It's the responsibility of the angler to know the regulations on any stream or lake he drops a line into. The fishing regulations are posted at the trailhead. Some people choose not to read them, or choose to ignore them.
I've heard of the tree which is why I brought it up. I'd not like to see same in a wilderness.

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PostSat Sep 20, 2014 10:21 am 
Be careful crossing this river, it can be very dangerous. Don't get caught upriver in a rainstorm, the water can rise fast. If it starts raining much, start hiking out. I will apologize for all those who: are thoughtless, did not remember to leave a clean camp site, forgot their manners, expect the mayor to be garbage man. True stewards of the wilderness leave no trace. I am happy you had no problems at 3 Mistakes Camp. Water really low, nice swim. See any big animals? Thanks for the clean up.

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PostSun Sep 21, 2014 6:49 am 
Very enjoyable TR and photos, Ski. Your matter-of-fact accounts of how you enjoy your time up on the Queets always leave me feeling some degree of the relaxation and contentment you find up there and amply demonstrate that it is not necessary to rack up massive daily miles and vertical gain to experience and appreciate what the Olympic wilderness offers. I also experience in your TRs some of your exasperation with those who leave their stuff behind on the Queets. Thanks for all you've done over so many years to clean up their messes.

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PostMon Sep 22, 2014 11:47 pm 
thank you, G and G. sams, no reason for you to make apologies. just kind of seems to be the norm up there... nothing new. and I have no problem trying to give back a bit to a place that's given me so much. I'd try to do more, but old rotator cuffs really don't like me swinging a D-ring up there anymore. no big animals, unless you count a huge woodpecker that hipppity-hopped along right in front of me the length of that big spruce downed just before Coal Creek. tried to get a shot of him but he just wasn't going to hold still for the camera. AA, I get up there about so many miles or so and there's a place where the trail goes up over the crest of a little bump that looks down into a meadow full of old maples and alders and it's always the same smell, and it's "home". I could go up or I could go down, but then when I start thinking about it I usually come to the conclusion that I'm in the right place. fortunately the trash and nonsense is nothing compared to what I saw yesterday along the Naches- trash everywhere all over the gravel bars and in the trees. I guess that's what comes with highway-accessible riverfront. dizzy.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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Magellan
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PostTue Sep 23, 2014 12:21 am 
Lovely trip report. I'm feeling quite relaxed after reading it.
Ski wrote:
Met a couple from the U.K. who were out on vacation. The drove all the way out here from England. Amazing
That would be amazing!

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PostWed Sep 24, 2014 4:17 pm 
sams rapids wrote:
If it starts raining much, start hiking out.
I've stressed in previous trip reports the river's capacity for rapidly rising after heavy rainfall. Since "a picture is worth a thousand words" here is a graphic which should make perfectly clear why one needs to start running when the big rain hits:
usgs 12040500 092414 14:30 PDT 3680 CFS
usgs 12040500 092414 14:30 PDT 3680 CFS
On Friday, September 5 the river was running at 444 CFS, which was just barely knee-deep on me. On Wednesday, September 17 the river was running at a low of 379 CFS. Per my phone conversation with Ernie Vail the other day, there was a little rain September 18-19 which brought the river up to just over 500 CFS. Yesterday, September 23 the river was down to 424 CFS at about 10:00 AM PDT. It crested today, September 24, at 2:30 PM PDT at 3680 CFS.

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
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ranger rock
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PostWed Sep 24, 2014 5:48 pm 
Dang! The Skokomish only went from 200 to 500 in that same amount of time.. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?12061500

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