The Enchanted Valley, 50 Mile Birthday Backpacking Trip
The Enchanted Valley
Aug 17th thru 22nd, 2023
W/Kandace and Janet
Aug 17th thru 22nd, 2023
W/Kandace and Janet
For my 50th Birthday, I wanted to backpack 50 miles. We originally planned on doing the Three Sisters North to South, but a wildfire closed access to the area. Our second option was the Wallowas, but there was a thunderstorm planned during our trip. So our third option was the Olympic National Forest, which looked to be clear and beautiful. This is the importance of having a backup plan and knowing your options.
Day 1
Met at my house at 730am
Departed at 830am
Arrived at Olympia REI to pick up Bear Cannisters.
Stopped at total wine to pick up beverages
Stopped at Phoebes cafe for brunch
Hit the road for the Graves creek TH.
Stopped in at a cute little town I think was called Quinault. Toured the Lodge, stopped off at the mercantile for waters and gas. Back off to the TH. The forest road was easy, unlike the reviews we got at REI and other sites.
After rearranging our packs for the new bear Canisters, we hit the trail around 330pm. Our packs weighed in at around 45lbs for K and myself. J was closer to 35lbs with food and water. This made the 2.5m to Pony Bridge grueling! It was a gradual climb most of the way, but the beautiful old growth made each step magical. It was a muggy 86deg on our arrival so we all were sweating profusely.
Upon arrival ,at 530pm, we found no campsites available. There was a very sweet gentleman that offered to share his, but there were no options for hammocks. A family of four were informing us that the permits were just guidelines and you could stay any where you wanted per a forest ranger. The REI employee stated that the campsites were based on permits. If you had a permit for that night you could stay there, but if you wanted to stay in a dispersed site, you could with no problem. It was not mandatory to stay at the campsites, but you also could not stay off you didn't have a permit for that night.
Overall, there were two small camp sites by the bridge that were occupied. There was a large campsite up the hill from the bridge that had a single tent and a bear canister on the other side. There was also a big sandy beach located down the hill from the large site that was occupied by young scouts. We ended up making camp across from the large camp on a slope next to a creek. It was a little crowded, but we made due. We stored our food and bear bags up in the tree. That was a nightmare to hang, as there was only one branch that would work and it wasn't easy to get to.
On a side note, K and I did some rock climbing to get down to the river and clean up. On a side, side note they had a privy at this campsite, which is another name for an outhouse. They have a very open feeling which has its pros and cons. I found them a nice feature.
One guy on the trail said there were no bugs out on the trail. We find them, night one.
Day 2
K forgot her nook in the car, so we day hiked back to car to go get it. 5m round trip. We left at 9am and got back around 12noon. Packed up all of our stuff and hit the trail. Our original plan was to make it to Pyrate camp site, but with the extra miles we decided to stop at O'Neil. Since we didn't have a permit to stay there we opted out of all the standard sites and took the trail thru camp and followed it to a beach just past the bear line. The beach was covered in aspens, which are a small strong tree prefect for hammocks and soft for J tent, since she didn't have an air mattress. She found a leak in it first night, so she took it back to the car on our trip back.
O'Neil was not a great campsite. It was packed with people by late afternoon. The privy smelled rank! I was happy to get out of there.
The Trail to O'Neil was a lot of rolling hills. Definitely challenging with our packs, but was doable.
BTW, there are still bugs. Lol
Day 3
We left O'Neil and headed up to the Enchanted Valley. It was a 6.5m hike that consisted of rolling hills that were gradually climbing up, followed by meadows filed with big leaf maples and aspens. It was almost like clock work. One hill, down same hill, Meadow, repeat. There were four total meadows. We then crossed over the Quinault, headed up river about a quarter of a mile and arrived at the chalet.
We talked with a dad and son on the way up, about 90mins from the valley, they gave us some great pointers, including where to camp, and the visit to Anderson Pass, which was already in our plans. He was surprised more people didn't stay in the valley. I could see how that could be a lot for some people, and they might need to work up to it.
We realized that alot of people make a weekend trip by backpacking into either O'Neil or Pyrate Creek on a Friday, day hike into the Enchanted Valley on Saturday, then backpack out on Sunday. So we shared the trail with a lot of fast day hikers.
Upon arrival we went up into the trees on the right and claimed a spot just below a waterfall. The Trail followed the dried up river bed. We went and scouted the rest of the valley but couldn't find anything that wasn't being used or we liked as much or was hammock friendly. So we stayed in the trees. It turned out to be a blessing, it was cooler in the evening, no one else knew we were up there, so we had the place to ourselves, and we could people watch up on our perch.
After we set up camp we went and explored the waterfall, then waited for all the day hikers to head out, which was about 5pmish. Then did some skinny dipping in the river to get clean. Afterwards we laid in the small patches of sand soaking up the last bit of sun. It was glorious. We ended our day on our kitchen dining wine and having dinner.
Our campsite was three small campsites right next to each other. Each could hold one tent and many hammocks. We used one for our sleeping arrangements and one for our kitchen.
Yep, still bugs
Day 4
None of us slept good the night before, we were all worried about bears. So we had a slow morning. We left camp around 10am for our 11m day hike up to Anderson Pass. It started out as the typical rollers but coming down less. We crossed over four good size creeks then started our ascend through switch backs that were forested, open alpine and repeating. It was about a 3k ft climb in 5 miles total with most of the elevation happening around the last 2m.
When we got to the pass we had lunch, J and I explored around the pass a bit, we saw hidden meadows camp ground but didn't stop. You could technically make a 50m lollipop loop adding some more miles up here. There is no way with the weight of our packs and the steep climb. We would have to lighten our load alot and train for that. This was our first backpacking trip of the year.
Many people took the Anderson Moraine trail up to the glaciers. It's a 0.6m ascend, more of a scramble really. I wasnt up for it, after no sleep the night before. I'm really not a fan of scrambles. Especially steep ones.
The way down was much faster, we spotted a black bear at the beginning of Enchanted Valley. He was curious, but just as scared of us as we were of him. We handled ourselves well, talking loudly to the bear and moving away from him.
We also saw the largest hemlock on the trail. It was really tall, but not very wide. We were not impressed.
I also got bit by a hornet on the hike up. Painful little critters. The bugs were the worst on our day hike. Horse flies terrorized us almost the whole way. Hornets we're every where.
After we got back we rounded up some of our dirty clothes and went and bathed in the river while washing our clothes. Then let them dry out on the rocks while we sunned ourselves. The sun went over the ridge early, around 5pm. So we went back to camp and made dinner and drank wine.
Day 5
We slept a little better but not much. We got up made breakfast, packed up and headed back down the trail. Leaving at 930am, we were cruising back down fast. We stopped for a quick break at pyrate creek at 1130am where we saw our first people on the trail for the day. At 130pm we stopped at a dispersed campground about a mile and a half down from O'Neil to have another break. We decided to go a bit further to fire creek camp. To call it a night. We set up camp, journaled, bathed, and sunned ourselves out on the rocks. It was a night of whiskey, meals and laughter. We were all feeling tired and are looking forward to getting home tomorrow.
The weather was perfect at around 70 to 76 by the end of the day. We made it down fast. I could easily see making the 13miles back in one day. We would've made it by around 530pm, even with the slowing down towards the end. Going up is a whole other story.
P.s. the bugs were the worst at fire creek camp, unless you were down on the water.
Day 6
Got up early. Hit the trail at 750am. Wow, that was early. I think we were motivated to get out. Arrived at the TH at 925am after a stop at the privy in pony Bridge.
Side notes, each night we were in bed earlier and earlier. But we were up earlier ready to take on the day.
Pack weight at end was 37lbs. With bear vault.
Wrong sandles...they weighed 1.5lbs.
Day 1
Met at my house at 730am
Departed at 830am
Arrived at Olympia REI to pick up Bear Cannisters.
Stopped at total wine to pick up beverages
Stopped at Phoebes cafe for brunch
Hit the road for the Graves creek TH.
Stopped in at a cute little town I think was called Quinault. Toured the Lodge, stopped off at the mercantile for waters and gas. Back off to the TH. The forest road was easy, unlike the reviews we got at REI and other sites.
After rearranging our packs for the new bear Canisters, we hit the trail around 330pm. Our packs weighed in at around 45lbs for K and myself. J was closer to 35lbs with food and water. This made the 2.5m to Pony Bridge grueling! It was a gradual climb most of the way, but the beautiful old growth made each step magical. It was a muggy 86deg on our arrival so we all were sweating profusely.
Upon arrival ,at 530pm, we found no campsites available. There was a very sweet gentleman that offered to share his, but there were no options for hammocks. A family of four were informing us that the permits were just guidelines and you could stay any where you wanted per a forest ranger. The REI employee stated that the campsites were based on permits. If you had a permit for that night you could stay there, but if you wanted to stay in a dispersed site, you could with no problem. It was not mandatory to stay at the campsites, but you also could not stay off you didn't have a permit for that night.
Overall, there were two small camp sites by the bridge that were occupied. There was a large campsite up the hill from the bridge that had a single tent and a bear canister on the other side. There was also a big sandy beach located down the hill from the large site that was occupied by young scouts. We ended up making camp across from the large camp on a slope next to a creek. It was a little crowded, but we made due. We stored our food and bear bags up in the tree. That was a nightmare to hang, as there was only one branch that would work and it wasn't easy to get to.
On a side note, K and I did some rock climbing to get down to the river and clean up. On a side, side note they had a privy at this campsite, which is another name for an outhouse. They have a very open feeling which has its pros and cons. I found them a nice feature.
One guy on the trail said there were no bugs out on the trail. We find them, night one.
Day 2
K forgot her nook in the car, so we day hiked back to car to go get it. 5m round trip. We left at 9am and got back around 12noon. Packed up all of our stuff and hit the trail. Our original plan was to make it to Pyrate camp site, but with the extra miles we decided to stop at O'Neil. Since we didn't have a permit to stay there we opted out of all the standard sites and took the trail thru camp and followed it to a beach just past the bear line. The beach was covered in aspens, which are a small strong tree prefect for hammocks and soft for J tent, since she didn't have an air mattress. She found a leak in it first night, so she took it back to the car on our trip back.
O'Neil was not a great campsite. It was packed with people by late afternoon. The privy smelled rank! I was happy to get out of there.
The Trail to O'Neil was a lot of rolling hills. Definitely challenging with our packs, but was doable.
BTW, there are still bugs. Lol
Day 3
We left O'Neil and headed up to the Enchanted Valley. It was a 6.5m hike that consisted of rolling hills that were gradually climbing up, followed by meadows filed with big leaf maples and aspens. It was almost like clock work. One hill, down same hill, Meadow, repeat. There were four total meadows. We then crossed over the Quinault, headed up river about a quarter of a mile and arrived at the chalet.
We talked with a dad and son on the way up, about 90mins from the valley, they gave us some great pointers, including where to camp, and the visit to Anderson Pass, which was already in our plans. He was surprised more people didn't stay in the valley. I could see how that could be a lot for some people, and they might need to work up to it.
We realized that alot of people make a weekend trip by backpacking into either O'Neil or Pyrate Creek on a Friday, day hike into the Enchanted Valley on Saturday, then backpack out on Sunday. So we shared the trail with a lot of fast day hikers.
Upon arrival we went up into the trees on the right and claimed a spot just below a waterfall. The Trail followed the dried up river bed. We went and scouted the rest of the valley but couldn't find anything that wasn't being used or we liked as much or was hammock friendly. So we stayed in the trees. It turned out to be a blessing, it was cooler in the evening, no one else knew we were up there, so we had the place to ourselves, and we could people watch up on our perch.
After we set up camp we went and explored the waterfall, then waited for all the day hikers to head out, which was about 5pmish. Then did some skinny dipping in the river to get clean. Afterwards we laid in the small patches of sand soaking up the last bit of sun. It was glorious. We ended our day on our kitchen dining wine and having dinner.
Our campsite was three small campsites right next to each other. Each could hold one tent and many hammocks. We used one for our sleeping arrangements and one for our kitchen.
Yep, still bugs
Day 4
None of us slept good the night before, we were all worried about bears. So we had a slow morning. We left camp around 10am for our 11m day hike up to Anderson Pass. It started out as the typical rollers but coming down less. We crossed over four good size creeks then started our ascend through switch backs that were forested, open alpine and repeating. It was about a 3k ft climb in 5 miles total with most of the elevation happening around the last 2m.
When we got to the pass we had lunch, J and I explored around the pass a bit, we saw hidden meadows camp ground but didn't stop. You could technically make a 50m lollipop loop adding some more miles up here. There is no way with the weight of our packs and the steep climb. We would have to lighten our load alot and train for that. This was our first backpacking trip of the year.
Many people took the Anderson Moraine trail up to the glaciers. It's a 0.6m ascend, more of a scramble really. I wasnt up for it, after no sleep the night before. I'm really not a fan of scrambles. Especially steep ones.
The way down was much faster, we spotted a black bear at the beginning of Enchanted Valley. He was curious, but just as scared of us as we were of him. We handled ourselves well, talking loudly to the bear and moving away from him.
We also saw the largest hemlock on the trail. It was really tall, but not very wide. We were not impressed.
I also got bit by a hornet on the hike up. Painful little critters. The bugs were the worst on our day hike. Horse flies terrorized us almost the whole way. Hornets we're every where.
After we got back we rounded up some of our dirty clothes and went and bathed in the river while washing our clothes. Then let them dry out on the rocks while we sunned ourselves. The sun went over the ridge early, around 5pm. So we went back to camp and made dinner and drank wine.
Day 5
We slept a little better but not much. We got up made breakfast, packed up and headed back down the trail. Leaving at 930am, we were cruising back down fast. We stopped for a quick break at pyrate creek at 1130am where we saw our first people on the trail for the day. At 130pm we stopped at a dispersed campground about a mile and a half down from O'Neil to have another break. We decided to go a bit further to fire creek camp. To call it a night. We set up camp, journaled, bathed, and sunned ourselves out on the rocks. It was a night of whiskey, meals and laughter. We were all feeling tired and are looking forward to getting home tomorrow.
The weather was perfect at around 70 to 76 by the end of the day. We made it down fast. I could easily see making the 13miles back in one day. We would've made it by around 530pm, even with the slowing down towards the end. Going up is a whole other story.
P.s. the bugs were the worst at fire creek camp, unless you were down on the water.
Day 6
Got up early. Hit the trail at 750am. Wow, that was early. I think we were motivated to get out. Arrived at the TH at 925am after a stop at the privy in pony Bridge.
Side notes, each night we were in bed earlier and earlier. But we were up earlier ready to take on the day.
Pack weight at end was 37lbs. With bear vault.
Wrong sandles...they weighed 1.5lbs.
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