The first time I ever tried getting to the Rugged Ridge trail I didn’t make it. There’s one sign out on Highway 101 that says “Rugged Ridge Trail – 13 miles” and thats where the guidance stops. I missed a turn and never found it that day. After a little research I discovered where I went wrong and now, obviously, I can get there every time.

I’m going to give you the knowledge you need to get there the first time without any trouble.

I love my phone. There are apps for everything, but most importantly the mapping functionality is a lifesaver. Between MyTracks from Google and all the other fitness tracking apps out there you can do some pretty amazing things. For recording my driving routes I like MyTracks. For jogging and hiking I like to use Trimble Outdoors AllSport GPS.

AllSport records a lot of handy information and has many map overlays to use. See an example here. I especially like the elevation profiles and the topographic maps.

So, without any further prattling about my tools, here you go: Rugged Ridge Map for Google Earth  (For just the driving Directions go here: http://g.co/maps/akkg8)

Rugged Ridge Map

Hopefully you can visit this trail. It’s rarely used and there are often trees across the path, but it’s something different to do to get away from the crowds. I have yet to meet anyone on the trail, but there are plenty of elk in the area, plus trout in the Calawah River. If you venture further, (you must wade to cross the river), the Bogachiel River is about 3 miles past the Calawah.

I had some time this morning so I decided to go up to Kloshe Nanitch, aka The Snider Lookout. There is a road that takes you up to it, but I like walking more than driving so I took the trail. The road is about 7 miles of hard back-road driving, while the trail is just under 4 miles of nice smooth trail. It’s steep in places and a steady grind to the top, but it’s more than worth it. Also, in the fall, the trail is lined with chanterelle mushrooms. The last time I was here I came out of the woods with about 15 pounds of delicious gold.

Kloshe Nanitch Trail Head

The trail head is at the end of Snider Road past the work camp and there’s plenty of space to park on a normal day, (you’ll likely be the only one there), though occasionally you’ll have to share the parking lot with fishermen when the steelhead are running. This morning the temperature was in the mid 20′s and everything was frozen and crispy. I love it

The beginning of the 3.5 mile trail follows the old Snider Rd and the Sol Duc River for about a quarter mile before cutting up the hill for a steady climb of about 2300 feet to the top.  The trail itself is rather bland, without much to see besides the 2nd growth forests of Douglas Fir and Hemlock. It lies almost entirely within National Forest land and because of that you can bring your dog if you want to. Just keep it leashed because there’s lots of wildlife in the area.

About a third of a mile up the trail there’s a nice little log bridge crossing the stream and not far after that I was surprised by a Ruffed Grouse along the trail. I got within 15 feet of him before he decided to fly off.

Shortly up the trail, the snow began. It started out as a dusting here and there, but before long it covered everything completely. I love walking in the snow, everything feels so much softer, quieter and peaceful. It’s nice to check out the animal tracks as well. There was a rabbit that had recently used the trail before hopping off into the under brush.

Snow Trees

As I neared the top, the snow became deeper and deeper. The snow froze to the fir branches causing them to sag low over the trail and I frequently got a surprise down the back of my shirt.

Almost to the lookout and I came up to a stretch of trail below a rock face and for about 50 yards I was trudging through a waist deep slide and using my hiking stick to keep from sliding down the hill. It wasn’t really that bad, but it was interesting nonetheless seeing the chunks of the cliff above that had fallen recently, laying on top of the snow.

The Tower

Almost there. The trees gave way to an opening where you can look up at the lookout building. The snow was deep here but it was frozen enough that I only sunk into it every couple steps. The sun was shining and there was no wind, it was actually a pretty nice day.

The Lookout

Upon reaching the top my tracks were the only ones there. No vehicles had been here since it snowed.

I took in the view; From here you can see the Olympic Mountains and most impressively, Mt. Olympus.

Olympics Panoramic (Click for Full Size)

The sun was shining so brightly that despite the freezing temperatures, I was quite warm. I took off my sweatshirt and layed it on the back of the bench. I then took off my wet socks and hung them up. The sun felt so good I stretched out on the bench and dozed off for about an hour.

Waking up refreshed I gathered my gear together and prepared for the trip back down the hill. It took about 2 hours to make the 4 mile trek up the hill. The trip down I completed in about 50 minutes. I jogged a lot of it. The snow made it easy, the trail was softer and it added an element of fun to it.

Here’s a Google Earth file of the trail

Here’s my profile on Trimble Outdoors of the trail

Growing up I remember having nothing but cast iron cookware in the house. I remember getting up in the morning, walking out to the chicken coop, grabbing some eggs and then to the garden and picking some potatoes right out of the ground, heading back inside and cooking up a fresh breakfast and then spending the rest of the day running around our property pretending I was exploring some distant jungle looking for exotic creatures.

The pots and pans we used in our house were awesome. you almost never had to grease them and the eggs never stuck. They are the ultimate camping cookware. Throw the pan right over the fire and cook breakfast lunch and dinner. They’re indestructible and hold heat like a champ. The only issue my wife has with them is that they’re too heavy. Tough, honey, you’ll get used to it.

It was these memories that spurred me to start buying cast iron for my house and family. There was only one problem: No matter what I did to them, the modern cast iron I bought would NEVER let go of the food I was cooking. All the eggs end up scrambled just trying to flip the bastards. I’ve followed many different peoples advice on how to season them and still they’re crap.

That is until I discovered this page ( RichSoil.com – Cast Iron)  via this podcast (The Survival Podcast: Episode-787- Paul Wheaton on Cast Iron Cooking, CFLs and Rocket Mass Heating). A side note: Both these guys, Paul Wheaton and Jack Spirko, and their websites hold so much knowledge and resources about self sufficiency and living a fulfilling life. Check them out.

Come to find out, I’m not crazy or inept at cast iron cooking; it’s the pan. The saying is true. They just don’t make them like they used to. The dominant modern company for all your cast iron needs doesn’t put out a product like they did “back in the day”. When it says “Pre-Seasoned” on the package, that’s code for “The pan is covered with a hard black crust that offers less than zero benefit to you”.

Today, as I was scrubbing my pan I had an epiphany. I noticed a chunk of the “black crust” was missing and peeking out was a patch of grey metal. “Hmmm…” thought I and I took my metal spatula and started scraping. Instantly flakes started flying as more and more of the actual cast iron was exposed. I kept this up for about an hour, keeping the pan on medium heat with about a 1/4″ of water in it at all times to help carry away the slag.

When I was finished I gazed up on the bare metal in wonderment. Why do they ruin it the way they do? It’s still going to take years and years before my pan is of similar quality to the olden days, however. According to the above page, the old pans get a factory milling, smoothing out the pan allowing for almost instant no-stick goodness. Since Lodge never expects you to actually see the cast iron, the surface is bumpy and rough. (I’m not sure I’ll ever understand. One of the main reasons you buy cast iron is to take advantage of its’ non-stick conditioning properties. Why cover that up?) After years of use with a good metal spatula I suppose that the high spots will be ground down and the low spots filled with “seasoning” allowing for an adequate cooking experience.

Even so, after a quick greasing, I crack an egg on the freshly exposed surface. To my surprise, it was easier to flip than ever. It still took a little digging to get it over, but it’s already better than before.

Lesson learned. From now on I’ll only buy the good stuff: Griswold or Wagner according to the Rich Soil article. You can’t go wrong at estate and yard sales. You can go wrong at Walmart.