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Hiking the Enchanted Valley, Olympic NP – aligero.us

9 Apr 2012

Hiking the Enchanted Valley, Olympic NP

by adam | posted in: travel | 0

8-9 April 2012

REI flagship in Seattle for gear.

Hwy 101 around the southwest side of the park.

East Fork Quinalt River Trail - fun times. The snow forecast was accurate. And, we hung the bags.

The 7 miles of dirt road to get to the trailhead.

Suiting up.

Resting. After only 200ft.

O'Neil Creek is the destination. Someday (in summer conditions), we'll make it to Enchanted Valley.

I'm sure it was just a puppy or something cuddly.

Speaking of cuddly.

The snow begins. As do the bigger tracks!

The snow gets deeper. Trekking poles with snow baskets became a necessity.

Post-holing is a bitch. Ask Jenny how she feels about it.

Made it!

Had the whole place to ourselves.

Home sweet home.

The amenities.

Moss-covered trees. It is a rainforest.

Camp coffee in the morning. There's nothing better.

Packing up. It was a cold, cold night, until we zipped the bags up. The draft collars in the bags were a must.

Okay, so, maybe the first prepared food out of the woods is *slightly* better than camp coffee. Nah. They each have their place.

Exhaustion sets in.