Olympic Hot Springs: ONP hopes to open the Hot Springs Road by Saturday

Several vehicles belonging to park visitors were marooned in snow along the Whiskey Bend and Olympic Hot Spring roads in the Elwha Valley.

Power lines are also down in the Elwha Valley.

Park rangers, road, and trail crews are working to clear numerous trees that fell across several park roads under the snow load.

One man’s pickup became mired in the snow along the Olympic Hot Springs road.

He abandoned the vehicle only to learn that a tree later crushed the cab.

Superintendent Bill Laitner says crews are working to safely remove trapped cars and downed trees.

Getting into the Season-Thars Snow in dem Mountains

Earlier in the day as I struggled in 3-4 feet of
fresh snow up in the Beckler River area

Seattle’s getting hammered with a freak snowstorm, dropping temperatures (dealt with one frozen water pipe already), and stressed out people wondering how they’re going to get to work tomorrow.

Not me . . . can’t get anything done work-wise so it was the beautiful, raw majesty of Mother Nature up in the Cascades. Much better than sitting in traffic inching along on glaze ice at half a mile an hour (at best). My Civic is really proving itself . . . I’ve yet to put the chains on I bought two years ago!

Needless to say, eventually we had to head back to reality and the mess in Seattle. I saw more cars abandoned or stuck than I have since the ‘96 storms in the area. The drive was thoroughly stressing. Then I had to deal with the water pipe. A fire in the fireplace was a natural. It’s a pain in the ass to get one going. Essentially I’m lazy and impatient. I won’t split kindling and constantly mess with the fire . . . it’s a wonder I can ever get one going. My pyromaniacal idea is to wad up the entire Sunday newspaper in an attempt to get a fire going.

A cheery fire is one of my favorite things. I just love to sit next to one and absorb the radiant heat, watch the dance of the flames. No TV tonight . . . just spiced wine and good music . . . and it doesn’t matter how much the Arctic-blast wind is howling outside.

A good hot fire, a pot of spiced wine, classical music . . .
what else do you need. Season’s Greetings to
all my friends and wish you were here.

Getting into the Season-Thars Snow in dem Mountains

Earlier in the day as I struggled in 3-4 feet of
fresh snow up in the Beckler River area

Seattle’s getting hammered with a freak snowstorm, dropping temperatures (dealt with one frozen water pipe already), and stressed out people wondering how they’re going to get to work tomorrow.

Not me . . . can’t get anything done work-wise so it was the beautiful, raw majesty of Mother Nature up in the Cascades. Much better than sitting in traffic inching along on glaze ice at half a mile an hour (at best). My Civic is really proving itself . . . I’ve yet to put the chains on I bought two years ago!

Needless to say, eventually we had to head back to reality and the mess in Seattle. I saw more cars abandoned or stuck than I have since the ‘96 storms in the area. The drive was thoroughly stressing. Then I had to deal with the water pipe. A fire in the fireplace was a natural. It’s a pain in the ass to get one going. Essentially I’m lazy and impatient. I won’t split kindling and constantly mess with the fire . . . it’s a wonder I can ever get one going. My pyromaniacal idea is to wad up the entire Sunday newspaper in an attempt to get a fire going.

A cheery fire is one of my favorite things. I just love to sit next to one and absorb the radiant heat, watch the dance of the flames. No TV tonight . . . just spiced wine and good music . . . and it doesn’t matter how much the Arctic-blast wind is howling outside.

A good hot fire, a pot of spiced wine, classical music . . .
what else do you need. Season’s Greetings to
all my friends and wish you were here.

Baker Hot Springs is wiped out

Image © NWHotSprings.net

Baker Hot Springs has been completly washed away by the last series of rain storms to go through the North Cascades area. Read more about it and look at the disheartening photos in the discussion thread by clicking the title link.

Baker Hot Springs is wiped out

Image © NWHotSprings.net

Baker Hot Springs has been completly washed away by the last series of rain storms to go through the North Cascades area. Read more about it and look at the disheartening photos in the discussion thread by clicking the title link.

Goldmyer Hot Springs: Update

From: Beth

On November 7th/8th, the latest ‘Pineapple Express’ flood, with it’s record breaking rainfall, turned all of the river valleys and low lying lands in Western Washington into raging torrents. At Goldmyer, the caretakers, who live on the property, had an experience of a lifetime being able to observe the full force of Ma Nature! The streams and rivers flowed brown with mud and debris. They roared with crashing boulders being swept downstream. The hotspring cave and outside hot pools remained intact, and the water is still good and hot.

The Middle Fork Road sustained major damage in one area. About 2 miles before the traditional river ford, a side channel of the river literally washed away the road in a couple of spots. The Forest Service already has a contractor working along the road repairing smaller washouts on their way towards the big washout. The FS has just closed the gate at the Dingford Trailhead, because of concerns of vandalism to the road repair machinery up above. They don’t know how long it will take to complete repairs.

Additionally, at the traditional Goldmyer river ford, the force of the river during the peak of the flood was so great that it washed away numerous boulders that used to line the river bottom. If you’re experienced at crossing the river there, you will find it deeper than it was before because of the pockets left behind where the boulders used to be. The big tree stump that sat in the river at the ford for about 15 years is gone.

The section of Burntboot Creek by the Goldmyer campsites widened it’s channel during the flood, and swept away a couple of our campsites. On the other side of the Creek, and heading downstream, an long stretch of the Middle Fork Trail was washed away. These changes will make it more difficult for hikers coming up from the lower section of the Middle Fork Trail to find where to ford Burntboot Creek and to find the continuing trail on the Goldmyer side.

For the time being, access distances to Goldmyer are:

1) Dingford trailhead is about 4-1/4 miles (each way) to the river ford, if hiking or biking along the road. The MF river might or might not be low enough to ford this time of year, with continued rainfall, and the changed river bottom. Please use your common sense!

2) Hiking in along the lower stretch of Middle Fork Trail from the Dingford Trailhead is about 5 miles (each way), but it requires fording a number of moderate sized creeks and Burntboot Creek (which is more of a ‘river’ than a ‘creek’).

3) The only way to get to Goldmyer without having to ford a river is to use the upper end of the Middle Fork Trail, which is located farther up valley beyond Goldmyer. From Dingford Trailhead, this is appoximately 10 miles (each way).

For those who enjoy a more challenging access, the reward is fewer folks using the hotsprings!!

Be prepared and be sensible.

---

To aid in setting references points, here is the Interactive Map I have of the area:

The full interactive version is here. Rick

Goldmyer Hot Springs: Update

From: Beth

On November 7th/8th, the latest ‘Pineapple Express’ flood, with it’s record breaking rainfall, turned all of the river valleys and low lying lands in Western Washington into raging torrents. At Goldmyer, the caretakers, who live on the property, had an experience of a lifetime being able to observe the full force of Ma Nature! The streams and rivers flowed brown with mud and debris. They roared with crashing boulders being swept downstream. The hotspring cave and outside hot pools remained intact, and the water is still good and hot.

The Middle Fork Road sustained major damage in one area. About 2 miles before the traditional river ford, a side channel of the river literally washed away the road in a couple of spots. The Forest Service already has a contractor working along the road repairing smaller washouts on their way towards the big washout. The FS has just closed the gate at the Dingford Trailhead, because of concerns of vandalism to the road repair machinery up above. They don’t know how long it will take to complete repairs.

Additionally, at the traditional Goldmyer river ford, the force of the river during the peak of the flood was so great that it washed away numerous boulders that used to line the river bottom. If you’re experienced at crossing the river there, you will find it deeper than it was before because of the pockets left behind where the boulders used to be. The big tree stump that sat in the river at the ford for about 15 years is gone.

The section of Burntboot Creek by the Goldmyer campsites widened it’s channel during the flood, and swept away a couple of our campsites. On the other side of the Creek, and heading downstream, an long stretch of the Middle Fork Trail was washed away. These changes will make it more difficult for hikers coming up from the lower section of the Middle Fork Trail to find where to ford Burntboot Creek and to find the continuing trail on the Goldmyer side.

For the time being, access distances to Goldmyer are:

1) Dingford trailhead is about 4-1/4 miles (each way) to the river ford, if hiking or biking along the road. The MF river might or might not be low enough to ford this time of year, with continued rainfall, and the changed river bottom. Please use your common sense!

2) Hiking in along the lower stretch of Middle Fork Trail from the Dingford Trailhead is about 5 miles (each way), but it requires fording a number of moderate sized creeks and Burntboot Creek (which is more of a ‘river’ than a ‘creek’).

3) The only way to get to Goldmyer without having to ford a river is to use the upper end of the Middle Fork Trail, which is located farther up valley beyond Goldmyer. From Dingford Trailhead, this is appoximately 10 miles (each way).

For those who enjoy a more challenging access, the reward is fewer folks using the hotsprings!!

Be prepared and be sensible.

---

To aid in setting references points, here is the Interactive Map I have of the area:

The full interactive version is here. Rick

Scenic Hot Springs Conditions

Lots of snow up there . . . a snow berm across the access road.

There will be an updated condition report in a day or so from Ryan who is going to check out conditions.

Rick

Night-time Nude Hike in the Rain

Despite the windy, rainy weather we have been having, the temperatures have not been as cold as might be expected. And, of course, given half a reason I’m going to be looking for any excuse that I can to go hiking. Saturday was not a bad day for a hike but I had spent too much time driving the Index-Galena Loop, checking out damage to trails and roads. I had little time left over before my evening appointments. The Index-Galena road is closed just short of Trout Creek with a rock berm emplaced before the bridge. The road is washed out beyond that. When we get better weather I’m going to hike down the road to get a better perspective of the condition of the Sunset Mine Trail . . . which I personally think is in extremely bad condition (if not destroyed).

From the other side of the loop, the Beckler River road (or FS 65), the unpaved section at the Rapid River junction is in bad shape with lots of deep potholes and worrisome slumping on the edges. I did not travel up very far knowing that Jacks Pass is above the present snowline and probably impassable to my Civic. If there is serious damage to FS 65 from that side, some of the most popular trails will not be accessible next year until repairs are made.

Sunday I went out again in the late afternoon. There was driving rain by the time I reached the Cascades. As typical I hadn’t any firm plans . . . just a need to get out of the city. Mainly exploring, which eventually found me back at FS 6310 as the only reasonable alternative for a short hike. I almost didn’t stop; it was dark, windshield foggy and raining hard. The urge just struck me. If there had been a car behind me, the driver would have been pissed at the sudden braking and turn into the trailhead.

A wind-ravaged tree lays across the space where
I last parked to hike here. This time I parked
way in the open away from large trees.

Raining pretty hard and yeah, I was dressed to the hilt.
Though I’m still in sight of the main road, there is little traffic.
Might as well get naked here to maximize the hike.

Deciding to do a hike nude . . . at night . . . in the pouring rain . . . at temperatures in the high 30s . . . didn’t come immediately. I was fully dressed in four layers of warm and water-repellent clothing yet for some reason, as I left my car, I stuffed a large plastic sack into my fanny pack . . . almost an unconscious gesture. By the time I’d reached the gate across the road fifty feet away I knew I wanted to hike nude in the rain for awhile.

I undress slowly near the gate, carefully folding my
clothes and placing them in a plastic bag to stay dry.

Undressing in a downpour and keeping your inner clothes dry is an excerise in patience. The parka is a great help. The clothes get folded and placed in the sack. My intent is to hike away from my clothes for as far as I can, and then hike back. I wanted those clothes dry when I returned.

A quick nude pose by the gate and then it’s off hiking.

I carry my bagged clothes a little ways in
to place in a safe location while I hike.

Initially I was going to leave the sack and my clothes sitting next to one of the posts at the gate but got a little paranoid about leaving them so close to the main road and the trailhead . . . in plain view. I actually did hike off for several hundred feet thinking about that very thing. What if my clothes got stolen? I returned and picked up the sack to move it in a little bit further.

It’s not often that I leave all my clothes behind on a nude hike. Even less so when I’m hiking in cold weather. But doing so is a special type of freedom and I do it whenever I can.

Reaching the extant of tonights hike at a bridge over a creek.
My skin is soaked by cool rain. It feels delicious!

The hike doesn’t last long . . . and I knew it wouldn’t. Not in driving rain that was thoroughly soaking me, and low temperatures. Then there’s the darkness. I hike about a mile in to a bridge over a creek. Far enough. The rain isn’t too particularly cold. I don’t feel a chill though I know my skin is cold.

After almost one hour I arrive back at my
clothes and dally about getting dressed.

Walking back to where the car is parked,
the coat useless on my drenched body.

As always, eventually you have to get redressed. My skin feels good during the entire drive back to Seattle. Tight from the exposure.

Night-time Nude Hike in the Rain

Despite the windy, rainy weather we have been having, the temperatures have not been as cold as might be expected. And, of course, given half a reason I’m going to be looking for any excuse that I can to go hiking. Saturday was not a bad day for a hike but I had spent too much time driving the Index-Galena Loop, checking out damage to trails and roads. I had little time left over before my evening appointments. The Index-Galena road is closed just short of Trout Creek with a rock berm emplaced before the bridge. The road is washed out beyond that. When we get better weather I’m going to hike down the road to get a better perspective of the condition of the Sunset Mine Trail . . . which I personally think is in extremely bad condition (if not destroyed).

From the other side of the loop, the Beckler River road (or FS 65), the unpaved section at the Rapid River junction is in bad shape with lots of deep potholes and worrisome slumping on the edges. I did not travel up very far knowing that Jacks Pass is above the present snowline and probably impassable to my Civic. If there is serious damage to FS 65 from that side, some of the most popular trails will not be accessible next year until repairs are made.

Sunday I went out again in the late afternoon. There was driving rain by the time I reached the Cascades. As typical I hadn’t any firm plans . . . just a need to get out of the city. Mainly exploring, which eventually found me back at FS 6310 as the only reasonable alternative for a short hike. I almost didn’t stop; it was dark, windshield foggy and raining hard. The urge just struck me. If there had been a car behind me, the driver would have been pissed at the sudden braking and turn into the trailhead.

A wind-ravaged tree lays across the space where
I last parked to hike here. This time I parked
way in the open away from large trees.

Raining pretty hard and yeah, I was dressed to the hilt.
Though I’m still in sight of the main road, there is little traffic.
Might as well get naked here to maximize the hike.

Deciding to do a hike nude . . . at night . . . in the pouring rain . . . at temperatures in the high 30s . . . didn’t come immediately. I was fully dressed in four layers of warm and water-repellent clothing yet for some reason, as I left my car, I stuffed a large plastic sack into my fanny pack . . . almost an unconscious gesture. By the time I’d reached the gate across the road fifty feet away I knew I wanted to hike nude in the rain for awhile.

I undress slowly near the gate, carefully folding my
clothes and placing them in a plastic bag to stay dry.

Undressing in a downpour and keeping your inner clothes dry is an excerise in patience. The parka is a great help. The clothes get folded and placed in the sack. My intent is to hike away from my clothes for as far as I can, and then hike back. I wanted those clothes dry when I returned.

A quick nude pose by the gate and then it’s off hiking.

I carry my bagged clothes a little ways in
to place in a safe location while I hike.

Initially I was going to leave the sack and my clothes sitting next to one of the posts at the gate but got a little paranoid about leaving them so close to the main road and the trailhead . . . in plain view. I actually did hike off for several hundred feet thinking about that very thing. What if my clothes got stolen? I returned and picked up the sack to move it in a little bit further.

It’s not often that I leave all my clothes behind on a nude hike. Even less so when I’m hiking in cold weather. But doing so is a special type of freedom and I do it whenever I can.

Reaching the extant of tonights hike at a bridge over a creek.
My skin is soaked by cool rain. It feels delicious!

The hike doesn’t last long . . . and I knew it wouldn’t. Not in driving rain that was thoroughly soaking me, and low temperatures. Then there’s the darkness. I hike about a mile in to a bridge over a creek. Far enough. The rain isn’t too particularly cold. I don’t feel a chill though I know my skin is cold.

After almost one hour I arrive back at my
clothes and dally about getting dressed.

Walking back to where the car is parked,
the coat useless on my drenched body.

As always, eventually you have to get redressed. My skin feels good during the entire drive back to Seattle. Tight from the exposure.