The end of August is normally a great time to do The High Divide, but this year, our winter was so late, (we had snow in May), that it made for a really interesting trip.

We started out at about 9:00 and decided to go up the Heart Lake side first, knocking out the 5 mile section following the river. It was just a routine hike, gradually working our way up through the old growth fir and blueberry patches which were just about prime for the picking. There wasn’t much wildlife to be seen, but there were plenty of other hikers coming down from up above.

At the Sol Duc Campground we came across 4 mountain goats grazing near a group of tent that were set up. They let us get within 20 feet of them before strolling off. We walked a short ways away to refuel ourselves with some carbs before tackling the rocky stair case up to Heart Lake.

Shortly after the Sol Duc River campground we came across a marshy pond with some nearby peaks in the back ground. Gene wanted a picture so we stopped. Upon stepping off the trail we saw about 5 frogs jumping out of our way and into the pond. They were all over the place, probably a couple hundred lined the pool and everywhere you stepped they scramble to get out of the way. I believe that they were Cascades Frogs. Gene said that this is just a great big orgy pool for them.

Checking out the frogs

The approach to Heart Lake is a killer. If you aren’t used to it or aren’t prepared, it can really take you by surprise. Large rocky steps prevent you from half-stepping, forcing you to step all the way up or not at all. It’s something else.

Heart Lake outlet

Before long, though, you come up over a rise and there lies the lake, snow-fed and ice cold. Step over to the stream and splash your face, it feels awesome. From this level you cant see what gives the lake its name, but continue up the trail and looking down from above it’s obvious: It’s shaped like a heart.

It was above the lake that we  got the first taste of snow. climbing hils in the snow is bad enough, but this snow was melting just enough to make the first inch on the top soft and almost slushy. The going was slow and aggravating and we had at least 2 miles of this to look forward to.

Snow going

The divide itself is the apex of this hike. Running east-west it divides the Hoh and Sol Duc watersheds. Looking south you see Mt. Olympus and the mighty Blue Glacier. It’s truly amazing.

Mt Olympus

Finally after trudging through the snow we reached the top of the divide; It was all downhill from here. Past the spur to the top of Bogachiel Peak and past the junction to Hoh Lake you come to one heck of a series of switchbacks. There’s only about 3 of them but it’s steep as heck. Today it was covered with snow as well. Jerry, being the lightweight agile fellow that he is took off across the snow field and was at the first switchback when suddenly we heard a couple choice words from Gene along with the sound of canvas sliding on snow. I looked up and there he was, sliding down the hill, snow was flying to the sides of him like a Bayliner plowing through the water.

There was a moment of  ”Oh shit!”, but I quickly realized that he would reach the trail below if he kept going. He kept going. Jerry shouted out, “That’s one way to cut out the switchbacks”. I couldn’t think of anything funny to say, so I just watched helplessly, wishing I could have gotten this on film.

Here's the snow bank gene slid down

Well, he finally caught a tree and was hanging there about 3 or 4 feet over the trail below. We heard a whimper come from somewhere down below. Gene said it was a marmot, but we couldn’t be certain.

Once he regained his composure, took a mental inventory of his limbs and other assorted body parts that he might have left behind, we continued.  The only casualty was his sunglasses. There was no finding them in the thick brush and he decided to leave them behind.

Most of the remainder of the trail was clear. There were patches of snow above Deer Lake, however. Going downhill on the snow is MUCH more enjoyable than climbing it. We were running and sliding and having a good ol’ time when suddenly, we rounded a corner and there was a shapely young lady in a bikini up in the snow getting some sun. Naturally, when faced with the unexpected up in the mountains, all trace of suaveness escapes you and the best you can do is “Uh, hi.” Gene managed to get out a “Just do your thing…” and we continued on hurriedly.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful. We stopped at Deer Lake to refill some water bottles and then tackled the final stretch: about 3 miles down a rocky trail, picking our way over rocks and boulder that look like they’d be more at home on a river bottom. Gene, not used to this sort of thing was getting angry at the rocks. I could see it in his face, he HATED them. He swore that a few of them reached up through his boot and punctured the soles of his feet. We had to stop occasionally to let him calm himself.

Before long, though, we reached the falls and the throng of tourists ever present there, and quickly covered the last mile to the truck. Those beers tasted wonderful.

Full Album of the trip

The other day I took off early in the morning to scoot on up to Lake Angeles. The weather was perfect, I was the first one on the trail and I enjoyed the solitude as long as I could.

Once I hit the lake, (about 2500 foot elevation gain in 3.5 miles), I found a patch of sun, layed my head down on my backpack and woke up two and a half hours later. It felt so good.

I spent the rest of the day exploring around the lake, napping here and there and then found a nice out of the way spot to curl up for the night. It was about perfect.

The week before at work was insane. We had a Navy Blackhawk helicopter make an emergency landing at our heli pad and then the next day two inmates attempted to escape, taking one of my friends hostage while the other smashed though the fence forcing one of our officers to shoot him. The insanity that followed was draining to the body and soul. People were stepping up and doing jobs that normally don’t get done by staff. We were doing laundry, making meals, hauling trash… Lock downs aren’t all that fun. We work harder than ever keeping the place running.

I had three days off and spending those two up in the mountains was the best thing that I could have done.

Sunday night I got home and went with the family up to a friends house for a barbecue and fireworks. I showed the kids how to make a simple snare and played a lot of fetch with the dogs. Good times were had by all.

Monday the 4th was a rare day in this area. Fourth of July in Forks is almost ALWAYS spent in the rain. This year sunburns were a common sight. It was nice.

I showed up to work on my Monday surprisingly refreshed and ready to go. Things still aren’t completely back to normal, but I thrive on chaos. We own this.

I set out this morning hoping for snow. I was initially disappointed. However, before long the flakes started falling and by the time I got back to the highway, I was wondering if I was going to make it home without going in the ditch.

The Spruce Railroad Trail is a 4 mile point to point stretch connecting the end of Camp David Jr. Rd to East Beach Rd on the north side of Lake Crescent. The trail itself is almost exclusively flat and follows the shoreline closely. It is also one of the few trails in the park that allows mountain bikes.

I set out from the Camp David Jr. side of the lake, my clothes layered up more than I have ever been bundled. I never get cold, but I figured, if I get too warm I can always take off some. Before I was done though, I wished I had another layer.

The trail was clear. Not a trace of snow, but the breeze was biting at my nose before I even reached the 1st tunnel at about 1 mile in. Shortly after that, a couple snowflakes fell and gave me some hope that I’d get to play in the snow before the day was done.

There are 2 tunnels on this trail. The 1st is, in my opinion, the most impressive. You can walk right through it, it has several railroad ties laying around and you can just imagine a train, cars loaded with old-growth logs barreling through. The other tunnel has more timbers intact, but it doesn’t connect all the way through.

Shortly after the first tunnel is a nice little flat spot along the lake, perfect for a family picnic on a nicer day. (That is where I took the family earlier this year on a nice little outing).

The trail follows the shoreline closely, but it rarely gets within 20 feet or so to the water. Like the name implies, it follows the route of the old rail road that was built here in WWI to haul out the big spruce trees for the aviation industry. However, the war ended and the need for the railroad disappeared before it was able to pull a single load.

The other tunnel is about 50 yards south of Devil’s Point and Devil’s Punchbowl. There’s a steep climb up to the mouth of it and a steep climb down into it. The other end is completely closed off and it’s quite dark in there.

Devil's Punchbowl

About 3 miles in, (about 1 mile from the Peidmont side), is the Devils Punchbowl. This is the best spot of the whole trail. There’s an iron and wood bridge spanning the mouth of an inlet, about 50 feet square, and there is speculation that it’s in the area of 300 feet deep.

On nicer days, daredevils can be seen jumping from the cliff on the south side of the cove and the bridge itself. Today, however, I never saw another soul on the trail.

The trail continues another mile or so the the Piedmont side of the lake, but I decided to turn around here. (The rest of it is kind of boring after the awesomeness of the punchbowl).

By this time the snow was accumulating on the bridge and leaves along the trail. It was nice. Apart from the breeze, and the waves lapping at the shore, it was dead quiet. Strangely, also, it seemed no matter which way I was walking, the breeze was straight in my face. On the way out it was biting my nose and then, on the way back, it was right in my face again.

Barkface

Also, I noticed more of the little things on the return trip as well; There is still old telegraph wire hanging here and there, small birds nested in between the multitude of boulders along the trail, and mushrooms all over the place.

There are little viewpoints along the trail where you can look straight down into the water and see the cliff face extend indefinitely down into the blue-green depths. On warmer days, this trail is a haven for picnickers and swimmers.

As chilly as it was, I was quite comfortable. A couple months ago I won some gear from Merrell on Twitter. It was quite a surprise; Merrell tweeted “It’s Merrell Monday! Submit a pic of you in your Merrells outside and win free gear.” I figured what the hell and posted a pic of my boots on the last trip I took them. A couple days later I got a message saying I won, and they sent me a $110 gift card. I was stoked. So I got an $80 shirt (Merrell Cairn) and some $20 socks. I didn’t care, they were free. (In fact, it’s Merrell Monday right now)

I tell you what though, that shirt is nice. I don’t think it’s $80 nice, but it’s close. It keeps the wind and the water off of me, out here and at work. If nothing else, it shows that Twitter isn’t just a bunch of idiot teens tweeting that they got wasted on 4loko last night, it’s quite a powerful tool for businesses if used wisely.

Before long I was back at the car and there was a light dusting of snow on the roads. My little “Mario Kart”, (my nickname for my Geo),  is quite an adventure on the roads. On the 4 mile trip back to the main highway I was, intentionally, spinning the wheels, and sliding around the corners: You have to have fun when you can. Once I hit 101, though, I was sliding around UNintentionally. Heading up Fairholme hill I was lucky to get up to 35 MPH.

Lovin' the snow

Before long, though, I made it home and the kids were playing in the driveway. Every year it’s like this. You’d think they never saw snow before. It’s all good though, they love it, so I love it. No, wait, I love it anyway.

All in all, the Spruce Railroad Trail is a great, easygoing trail suitable for the entire family. You can go as far as you like or turn around where you like. There’s plenty of little spots to stop and fish, have lunch or go swimming.

You can see some interesting photos of the construction of the railroad here: http://bit.ly/cIIATf

Additionally, this section is supposedly in planning to become a paved section of the Olympic Discovery Trail. I can’t find any definitive on the timeline, but I do know that it’s already in use connecting the ODT between Piedmont and Camp David Jr. Rd. I don’t know how I feel about it becoming paved, but I think I like it best as it is.  On the converse, the 2 mile stretch of paved trail leading to the Olympic Hot Springs are vetted to be removed and turned to dirt in the near future. I know that a dirt path is easier on the legs to walk on, and a mountain bike is built for dirt, and horses like walking on dirt better.

What do you think?

Picasa album here, including a video of one of the tunnels.