The hike along the beach was great. It was a beautiful day with no rain in sight. The tide was out, so much of the hike was on packed, grainy sand. A few hours into the hike, the tide moved in somewhat and pushed us to rocks. That was okay except for the person *cough*adult*cough* who equated “beach” with “soft sand” and wore tennis shoes instead of boots. Along the way, we identified a lot of different birds, animals, weird creatures, and rocks. We passed Ebey’s Landing, Pratt’s Preserve, and Perego’s Lake. 200′ up to the Bluff Trail. On a skinny switchbacked path. Halfway up, Duane informs us that he’s afraid of heights. He managed. Whew. Finally up at the top. Remember that little break in the line that the ranger wasn’t sure of? It was the END OF THE TRAIL, an impassable gorge. Augggh!

That meant backtracking all the way back to Ebey’s Landing, to where we would have been in the first place if we had taken the other route (not that I’m saying “I told you so”). We hiked through the incredibly beautiful Ebey’s Landing, through some neat-as-a-pin farms, past a very cool cemetery, and on to the Kettles Bike Path. A few miles up the road, and everyone’s feet were feeling it. “Only two more miles… oh, wait; those are whole miles, not half miles.” We found the Kettles Trailhead and felt that we were on the home stretch. By the end of the two miles (two real miles) to the other end of the trail, it was getting dark. Which way? Without going into details, let’s just say we got a little turned around and made a big circle. We were on a road, so not too terribly concerned about staying lost, but we gained some practical experience about hiking close in the dark, keeping the smaller people in the middle, and making noise as we went. When we were nearing the end of our pleasant moods, we got to a sign that read, “Falling can be deadly!” — the bluff trail that would lead to our campsite. That wouldn’t do. Lakeside Middle School was camping out nearby and gave us a bus ride to the camp (roundabout, would’ve added another 1.5 miles). Bless them! [$21 cash-only for camping. Same with Casey.]

By now it was 10 pm, we were all tired. Forget a lengthy prep for dinner. Cup o’ Noodles to the rescue. We cooked up the meat that had to be eaten that night, and otherwise ate noodles. Into bed for a well-earned sleep!

Mileage: conservatively 11 miles. That doesn’t count any “lost” mileage. My feet say closer to 13.

Day 2:
7:00 is NOT sleeping in. Go back to bed, Caleb! We were all finally up by 9:00. Breakfast, then breaking camp. Ready to go by 11:00. The park host told us there was beach access near the bunkers. She lied. She was misinformed. It was a nice walk and certainly was interesting, but we ended up backtracking (again) to Kettles Trail. Out to the road; the two miles seemed much faster in the daylight. We followed Kettles Bike Path into the town of Coupeville. By now, the familiar call of teen-aged boys (”I’m hungry”) could be heard with regular frequency. There’s a Pizza Factory on Main Street, and it was a welcomed sight! Hmmmm… and a bus stop. We’d already hiked 5.5 miles (at least) today plus the 11 (at least!) yesterday, so mileage wasn’t an issue. Did we want to hike down the road and get to camp in time for dinner and sleep, or did we want to take the bus and have some time to explore Ft. Casey? It was a unanimous decision. Made even better when we found out the bus was FREE.

Ft. Casey is great! What a wonderful place to explore. We set up our tents across the street from the ocean, then headed to the Fort to play. Came back to fix a late dinner, Caleb built a huge fire, then we stayed up and talked. 5.5 miles meant that we weren’t very tired, but we all slept pretty well.

Day 3:
We headed out for a nature walk where Duane helped us with plant identification. Then it was off to the beach for shells and rocks for our Nature merit badges. We skipped breakfast because we were less than an hour from getting on the ferry, and knew we could have a big lunch back in Pt. Townsend. Packed up and headed out.

Conclusions:
Absolutely beautiful!
Next time, we will go with the map as written rather than with unknowns.
Would be a blast to go cycling here.
The trip was fun except that it took so long for us to find our campsite the first night.

~Alex, Caleb, David, Duane, Patrick

There’s a cut-out trail available for hikers to climb the ridge and bypass the old washout. It’s steep, with switchbacks, but quick. Within minutes, you’ll be on the west side of the washout and back on level ground. Sign in at the NPS kiosk and then it’s only a mile stroll to Elkhorn Campground, alongside the river and in deep, old-growth, moss-covered beauty. There are many, many flat and hardened campsites with fire rings, but several of the old picnic tables have begun to collapse. This was a vehicle-ready campground until 2003 but is no longer maintained. The “bear boxes” are gone, so you’ll need to hoist your foods and odorous items. There are no bear wires, but we found many strong branches reaching out to get our bear bags sufficiently out from the tree and off the ground. We spotted no wildlife while we were there…not even a bird. Both of the pit toilet buildings are now permanently closed, with their doors fastened shut, so you’ll need to practice your LNT skills out in the forest beyond. Elkhorn is on US Forest Service land. While the Dosewallips River is glacier-fed, you still need to treat your water. A filter pump is best, since there’s just enough sediment to be annoying if you only try to boil it. Filtering is arguably still the best method to guard against protozoa.

After a hot breakfast, we broke camp, cleaned the area, and started up the trail to the Dosewallips Ranger Station and campground, about 3.5 miles distant and another 1,000 feet in elevation. The old single lane dirt road has been slowly reclaimed by nature and in years to come may become impassable due to rockslides, tree falls, and other erosion. On the route up, we scrambled across 4 rock slides (one major new one since last year), a new and worsening washout at a creek, two bridges still intact, and many, many fallen trees. The Lake Constance Trailhead branches off to the north, but is in poor shape due to last year’s forest fire and a winter’s erosion. After you reach the Olympic National Park boundary (the sign is all but gone, but the snow gate is still there), look for the magnificent photo opportunity on your left at the Dosewallips Falls. You’re now only 1.2 miles from the shuttered Ranger Station and the campground.

The “Dosey” campground is like Elkhorn, originally built to accept vehicles but is now overgrown and looks like an episode of “Life After People“. It’s a mix of old growth and open meadow. There are several large, working bear boxes, large enough to put 3 or 4 whole packs in them if you wish. The single remaining pit toilet is open, with an old shower curtain for a door. The heavy timber tables are clear of moss and usable. The continuous rush of the river alongside the campground will lull you to a deep sleep. There’s a steady, cold wind accompanying the flow of water down from the glaciers, so make sure you have extra layers of clothing to don. With the high mountain walls on either side, the sun disappeared early and didn’t show up again until mid-morning the next day. There’s lots of downed wood and dried flotsam along the river banks for great, friendly, warming campfires. We had a family of deer visiting us, but they kept their distance.

It’s a quick jaunt down the trail and back to the cars the next morning. We took our time to rest and hydrate and still only needed about 90 minutes before we were on our way. Don’t forget to stop at the Quilcene General Store for an ice cream cone or a frappuccino on the way home!

As reported by Crew 1042. Used with permission. Are you interested in an active Venture Crew (for young men and women 14-20) in the Silverdale area? Contact Crew 42 for information.

Busy Bee Camporee * May 7-8, 2010 * Zion’s Camp, Belfair (near Trails End)

Buzz on over to the Busy Bee Camporee for a weekend full of games!

Orienteering Pirate Booty Find
Frisbee Golf
Plant ID Hike
Emergency Shelter Build
Blindfolded Square
Diminishing Load
Height Alignment
Bowline Stroll
Human Load
Lost Paddle Save I & II
Ring the Bell String Burn
Knot and Lash
Wood Cookie Cutting
Conserve and Observe
Rapid Transit
My Tree
Which way do we go?
Fahrenheit 212
Guesstimate
Stick it to “em”

Cost: $10 per Scout or adult

Schedule:
Friday, May 7
4-7 pm Check-in
8-10 pm Opening Campfire with skits (scored!)
11 pm Lights out

Saturday, May 8
7-8:30 Wakeup/Breakfast
8:30-11:30 Games
11:30-1:00 Lunch
1-5 Games
5-7 Dinner/Breakdown
7-8 Awards Campfiore
8-9 Checkout

Questions and registration:
Scoutmaster Willy, or
Sean Neal 360.373.5393

*directions to Zion’s Camp*
From Port Orchard area -
Highway 3 South to Belfair
Continue through Belfair
At the last stoplight, make a right onto 106 (if you continue straight, you’ll go up a steep hill to the high school – that is the wrong way)
Follow 106 approximately 4 miles (watch your speed)
Turn left onto E. Trails Road (you should see a large purple and white teepee)
Follow that road approximately 2 miles.
Turn left on Trails End Drive. Stay to the right until Crest Drive.
Turn right on Crest Drive.
Take the right road (Coon Drive South) around the end of Coon Lake.
Follow the signs to the end of the road to Zion’s Camp.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints * 200 S. 177th Pl., Burien, WA 98148 * (near the airport)

Pre-registration available through May 5, 2010. After that, Scouts accepted on space-available basis.

Badges offered (subject to change):

Eagle Required Merit Badges:
Camping * Citizenship in the Nation * Citizenship in the World * Communications * First Aid * Hiking

Note: Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking are offered on Friday night through Saturday morning.

Elective Merit Badges:
American Heritage * Art * Aviation * Backpacking * Energy * Medicine * Pioneering * Public Speaking * Sculpture * Weather * “Partials Class”

*Many badges include visits or community service hours that cannot be completed at a clinic. Partials will be issued when these have not been done beforehand.

Contact jsburrage@aol.com to sign up or for further information. Cost: $3 per Scout. Hot dog lunch included.