Duckabush River — Saturday, Feb. 28, 1998

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

The road to the trailhead is badly potholed, but the drive from Highway 101 is only about six miles, and it's flat most of the way. We were the only people on the trail, except for one we met at the very end. This gave us the solitude so beautiful on a river walk through a misty canyon. The trail is in good shape; the nearly impassible section of blowdown last year has been cleared off the trail. We enjoyed our lunch at the false summit of Big Hump with a momentary clearing giving us a brief view of the surrounding peaks. The river and all the streams are very high, making it quite dramatic--especially the waterfalls along the way. This is a wonderful winter hike because it gives you elevation (about 1500 feet) and and is snow free.