Our group of eight Mountaineers Conditioning Hiking Series hikers met at the trailhead for a casual start time of 9:00 am. (In retrospect, 8:00 am would have been better due to weather conditions (sunny and hot), but most of the hikers were coming from King County.) Thankfully, much of the trail is in the shade and we had a nice breeze. The first 90 mins. flew by and we fueled up before ascending the switchbacks to Little Hump and Big Hump. There were lots of ripe thimbleberries and wild blackberries to distract us. With half our lunch consumed we headed down to Five Mile Camp for secondsies on the banks of the Duckabush River. 

Due to reports of ticks and bees on the trail I wore a long-sleeved white shirt which ultimately didn't breathe very well, and I experienced dehydration and heat stress symptoms. My co-leader and another hiker stayed with me and fed me salt tablets as we returned to the trailhead. This trail is a little unusual as there is elevation gain, then loss, then more gain, then more loss to the turn-around point, then more of the same on the way out. Particularly in warm weather, pack plenty of electrolytes and water and the ability to filter more, and whatever food and beverages give you "superpowers" -- caffeinated drinks, energy gels, hard candy, dried fruit, etc. And I'll do better practicing what I preach!

A lovely day in the Olympics with our group of 8 people. We started out at 8am. The vault toilet was well stocked, and there wasn't any trash along the trail. The trail was in great condition, and the 2 water crossings were easy to maneuver. While hiking up over Big Hump, we found ripened wild strawberries and even some white bark black raspberries. Huckleberries are coming along. There were also wildflowers blooming everywhere! Our group made it to Five Mile Camp, and the only groups we passed were a Boy Scout troop and a WTA work party cutting back plants along the trail (Thank you!!). After lunch, we made our way back to the trailhead, arriving around 2pm. 

Our work party goal was to remove 2 large trees that had fallen across the trail above 5-Mile camp. We cleared those trees and a few smaller ones encroaching on the trail. We did disturb a bees nest and suffered the wrath of the owners. That tree was left by the side of the trail. We brushed our way back to the trailhead and that is where I picked up a hitchhiker - TICK! So be sure to do a careful tick check once you are back at your vehicle. Mine was at my waist probably because I was taking off my pack, placing it off trail while brushing a section, then putting it back on without looking for hitchhikers. The wild huckleberries were just starting to ripen and they were tasty!

We backpacked the Duckabush on a rainy Saturday morning. 

Road: After 101 there is a paved then rough road two lane road with several potholes. Most of these aren't too deep and are avoidable -- even in a sedan -- as long as you drive slowly. 

Parking lot: Given the weather forecast there was plenty of parking on Saturday morning. The outhouse was relatively clean and had no toilet paper and no trash can. 

Trail: The trail is easy, flat, and wide in the first two miles with the exception of one one downed tree that we needed to climb under. (Which could be easily cleared with a saw). All of the stream crossings are low and easily passable. Poles may be helpful. After your first glimpses of the river, the trail starts to climb up a series of steep switchbacks ("Big Hump"). This part of the trail is rocky, and poles are helpful given the uneven footing. The rest of the trail to Five Mile camp is brushy at times and otherwise clear. There are no junctions, and you cannot get lost. We did not venture past Five Mile camp.

Bugs: There were some mosquitoes but not too bad. We did not need to use bug gear. We looked for ticks (given the prior trip reports) and were fortunate not to find any this time.