Some photos taken from a hike today. Unfortunately due to a balky camera lens (forgot a spare) I did not get as many photos as I hoped.

The hike was fairly easy (by my standards) and according to my map calculations and GPS waypoints, was about 19 kms (11.5 miles). The original plan was for a longer hike, however wet weather is moving in which means snow at the higher elevations. In terms of weather, this is an unpredicatble area and is not uncommon to see more then a foot of snow dumped in a night.

The weather was cool (36F at the trailhead and varied as the sun heated up to as high as 40F in the lower reaches then back down to 35F at the highest elevation of 1600'

Fresh snow overnight makes for a nice view up river and mountains. Today's destination was slightly NE of this photo which is almost looking directly north.


Looking down river (south)


This trail is fairly easy and with only a few steep sections


Great scenery all morning as a few low cloud rolls by


Break time along the river


The break time view looking NW up river


I cannot recall the name of this peak, but she is a beaut!


This area was logged in the 1920's and in the stumps you can see where loggers cut out notches for their springboards


Old shovel...it has been there for years.


Old double axe. There are many old logging tools in this area and fortunately for the most part, people do not take them.

Into the snowline and this log bridge is a treat to keep your footing even with the bits of extruded metal for grip as the top of the log is also rounded.



There is a nice waterfall above and to the right of her shoulder however due to camera issues, this is the only photo of this area. The trail into the backcountry is officially closed about 1km past this point (dangerous snow conditions) which is where we turned around.


Met this person heading up the trail and he was not very friendly. Judging by the size of the pack, it looks like he was headed out for an extended stay. Note the blue jeans....it is very wet, muddy and just above freezing here.


Down in the river bed with one last NE look at the mountains before heading home

Looks like a nice area for hiking. Reaching here, but judging by the Western Red Cedar stump with the springboard notches I'm thinking the area is in Western WA. Close? Which area specifically? TIA

It looks like a great hike. Thanks for sharing the pics.

Sweet photos. A very pretty area.

A lot different from Florida woods. Which, other than the sinkholes, is flat as pi$$ on a plate, and mostly oak or pine scrub.

Teslinhiker, thanks for the great photos. Wish I was there.

@Russ: Good eyes. Yup, it's on that side of the continental divide. Just go north a wee little bit.

great photos of a part of the country i have not got around in yet.
if i did i would have a PSK for sure!.around here it's just a walk in the woods,that looks like the sort of place you could get lost or injured in..i wounder if the guy with the big pack was taking stuff back to his bail out camp/hideaway?

Thanks for the great photos
I just love that sight of some "icing" on the peaks and on the higher elevation trees.

Canoedogs - I haven't been in that area, but my experience is that in this kind of terrain it is relatively easy to keep track of your position. The steep mountains confine you to the flat valley areas unless you deliberately struggle uphill. The abundance of big terrain features gives you plenty of land marks that are easy to spot on the map. Unless you mess it up on a ridgeline and enter down into the wrong valley it would take a profound lack of geographical common sense to become lost. Even in foul weather (no sight of the peaks) you will be confined between the river and the steep slope at the side of the valley. Anyone can find themselves in a state of geographical confusion anywhere, but it is pretty hard to find a terrain where it is so easy to recover. (Walk to the river and you've narrowed down the "where-am-I" problem quite a bit).

Put me in a flat area or worse - in an area where all the canyons and hills are just too small to stand out distinctly on a topo map.... now THAT is hard to navigate. For me, at least.

Jeans are very close to the top of my "worst outdoor clothing" - list. Walk through wet bush and you're soaked after 50 meters, and then they're both clammy and cold.


I must say that I find it pretty absurd that you can have "closed trails" out in the wilderness. A cultural difference, I guess. (Of course I would respect it, coming as a guest to the area and all).

On the lower reaches, the terrain along this river is fairly easy to follow. Once you get higher up into the backcountry mountains away from the river, navigation becomes much more difficult due to the PNW wet rain forest and the numerous ravines and gullies. With the dense and high tree cover, you cannot see the peaks such was the case in the photo taken at the falls. At that point, you can hear the river down below, but all the surrounding peaks are invisible due to this dense growth. Also with low cloud and fog on an almost daily basis during the winter/spring, it is real easy to get turned around or miss that critical turn that leads down off the mountain to safety. Smarter people stick to the trails because of this, however there are some who get lost all the time on the old overgrown logging roads and paths, so much that SAR is out in this area numerous times per month, year round.

At the trailhead, there is a sign that states to the effect: "No overnight parking, any vehicles found here after 8:00 pm will initiate an immediate search and rescue". This is not a bluff message, SAR will be called out for a search if you do not show up to claim you vehicle before the alloted time is up.

As for closed trails, they are officially closed for good reason this time of year, namely being the avalanche risk,. Yet people disregard the closed signs all the time and many os these are people who you hear about on the news when SAR has rescued them or found a body. I have no problem with the trails being closed, the avalanche experts are smarter then I when it comes to deciding what the risk is and I would never risk a SAR person's life to come rescue me because I chose to disregard the posted closed trail signs.

Thanks for the update, I agree completely. Finding myself landlocked in the wrong ravine is not particular fun - been there, done that. Still had a pretty good idea of my location and my directions, though...


We don't have parks with that level of regulation where I live. Except from houses and agriculture the whole country is basically one big unregulated park. Outside cultivated and populated areas you can walk and camp anywhere you like, no matter who owns the land. Legal limitations are about the environmental impact (no slashing, fishing or hunting without owners permission), the duration (two days per camp site) and some special rules to protect the owners economical interests.

This background gives me a slightly different set of gut reactions about "closing down" parts of a wilderness area. Of course I can't bring that attitude with me when I come as a guest to your beautiful part of the world... Violating rules just to satisfy my ego (and potentially put rescuers at risk looking for me in avalanche country) is not my idea of how visitors should behave. Abide by the rules or stay home.

Just to be clear here. Although the trails are 'closed", legally there is nothing the .gov/authorities can do to stop you from venturing out on these closed trails and into the back country as it is all on crown land (public owned.) If you so choose to disregard the trail closure advisory signs, you must be fully aware that help may not be forthcoming when you really need it the most...

That being said, 99.99% of the population do not have a problem with this and respect the closures so that they do not put themselves or anyone else at risk. You can probably deduce what happens with the remaining .01%.

In my experience, that .01 creates .90 of the "interesting" situations.

I guess the reasons for closing a trail are fairly reasonable and also clearly communicated. There are plenty of places without such restrictions if you want to explore the conditions the authorities want to safe-guard you against. I may not like the concept of "closing" a wilderness area, but I can see how that can be effective in keeping large numbers of people out of totally unnecessary mishaps. Including me, if I ever go there.


Do you know the reasons for the no-camping rule? Is it to lessen the environmental impact, channeling the stream of campers into other less vulnerable areas?

I agree, the closures are reasonable. If I want to disregard the signs, then that is my choice. Getting into predicament where I get hurt and require rescue (if at all), then maybe I will have my 15 minutes of fame on this forum with all the pleasentries that go with it such as being nominated for the "Darwin Awards" et al...

This google shot speaks volumes of the terrain in the back country here. Make no mistake, it is no place in winter for those who do not have complete survival gear, extensive back country and mountaineering experience.


As for visiting other areas without closures, yes you are correct I can go elsewhere which is often the case. On this day, the area was chosen due to it being close to home with only a 20 minute drive, and not to mention the great scenery. While we are there, we obey the trail signs...

Really nice pictures. Thanks.