Compared with my recent War Creek hike, this was a very nice long hike (from the Thirtymile Trailhead to the Horseshoe Creek camps at 8.4 miles). The first minor "vehicle" obstacle was Kay Creek, about 100 yards before the Thirtymile trailhead. The two channels/ponds were about 7" deep and easy to drive across in my 4Runner.
It is too early for flowers, and there weren't any ticks, yet! I'm sure both will be coming soon.
The 78 logs over the trail are significant obstacles. Hikers are not stopped and can get over/under/around them with some level of difficulty. There are only 4 logs in the first 2 miles, and things get gradually worse. In the last 2 miles before Horseshoe Creek, there are 32 logs. I was glad to be wearing long pants to protect my legs while getting over, or going X-C to get around the logs.
Recent adult moose tracks start at 2.8 miles, along with scat. At 3.5 miles, the moose tracks changed to large and small. I did not want to repeat last year's near encounter with a moose cow and calf hidden in the willows less than 30ft from the trail. So, I did a lot of loud "talking" to myself for about a mile to avoid surprising the two moose.
At 4.3 miles, an 8" deep stream is flowing down the trail for about 100 yards. The trail is walled in by tall brushy willows, making a dry cross-country alternative more difficult.
The large camp with views at 5.7 miles is usable. All the other camps I observed are usable, including the many camps in the trees at Horseshoe Creek.
Snowpatches start at 6.8 miles, shortly after the junction with the Basin Creek trail, where the trail is in a mature forest. The trail tread has some very wet sections in this area. Half the open area at Horseshoe Creek is snow covered as is the trail on the opposite side of the creek.
I think the springy (sketchy), two log bridge is still over Horseshoe Creek, but I didn't push through the brush to confirm it. The Horseshoe Creek ford is clear and wide with the spring flow rates.
Even though I was thoroughly exhausted by the time I got back to the car, I really enjoyed this hike.
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