Enchanted Valley

Over thanksgiving break we departed for the east fork of the Quinault river in the southwestern region of the Olympic national park. Unfortunately when we arrived, we discovered that the road leading into the valley had been closed adding an extra 5 miles (one way) to the trail head. We departed on foot anyway, and landed at the campground just before the trail head. With the sun going down, and freezing temperatures imminent (lows in the 20's all week) we realized our cooking stove was still in Olympia; a beautiful moment for all to cherish. We hunkered down, ate our no-cook food and decided we best hike out in the morning. After all, starting a fire in a frozen (and recently flooded) rain forest is a difficult task. Hiking out in the morning we were lucky enough to sneak up on a very large bobcat, who couldn't hear us over the sound of the river beside us. We slowly followed him up the road, and then watched as he climbed down the river and faded in the distance. Also saw a family of river otters feasting on salmon fry in the shallows, a black bear cub as well. Luckily didn't see any human beings though.

 We got home Monday afternoon, re-evaluated our supplies (bought a couple bear canisters, a thicker wool blanket etc.) and then set out again first thing Wednesday morning, much better equipped than our first endeavor. This time we brought our bicycles for the closed forest road, and most importantly, walking sticks, something which would become as vital as our cooking stove itself. With the recent storms that hit the northwest, we quickly came to discover a trail fraught with numerous obstacles, from debris flows to down old-growth trees that often seemed impassable. Nonetheless we worked our way up the river counting the obstacles as we went. On black Friday we reached the height of our trip -enchanted valley. Surrounded by 5000ft peaks that rise straight up out of the valley floor, in the rear end of the valley one could see Anderson Glacier, the headwaters of the Quinault river. In the 1930's a couple of enterprising brothers built a two-story chateau for hikers and caravans. When the land was turned into a national park the building went with it, becoming a seasonal ranger station and emergency retreat for hikers in need. With recent changes in the river's course however, the structure had to be moved to prevent being taken by the water. We hiked around, found many amazing stones, and then made our way back to camp while the sun was still up. Saturday was a very long day, with nearly 15 miles covered over the 7 hours of daylight, not to mention 13 debris flows, 12 washouts and countless down trees that were traversed. We got home late that evening and discovered the true meaning of the Chinese fire drill: order chow fun and pad thai while starting a fire as quickly as possible in the trailer that's 37 degrees....