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Two other friends and I did a trip to Camp Handy on the Upper Dungeness River Trail in the Olympics of WA this weekend. The forecast looked like complete poo poo (lots of wind and rain), but it was the only weekend all three of us could make it. It was supposed to be four, but one of our friends sprained his ankle at work and couldn't make it. It's about three and a quarter miles to the camping spot. The trail was mostly flat with two log bridge crossings and a few steep inclines followed by steep declines. Despite having a map, we thought we'd taken a wrong turn at some point, but the dense forest suddenly opened into a small clearing and an Adirondack shelter that marks the location. This part of the trail is a dispersed camping area, and we had everything to ourselves. It was great, because we had a lot of clothes to hang and dry. Luckily the rain that had drenched us started to clear within an hour of reaching the camp (turns out you should make sure your years old rain gear is still waterproof before hiking out into the rain). Other than some light showers on Saturday, the rain passed, and it was partial to mostly cloudy the rest of the weekend. There are several things I learned this trip: -It's time for a larger (read: longer) tent -A 20 degree sleeping bag isn't great, even if it's in the mid 30s at night -It's also time for a larger pack -A Nalgene bottle filled with boiling water & wrapped in a towel is great for keeping your feet warm (until it's not longer hot) -River rocks are pretty good at sharpening a hatchet -Other things Overall, I'd recommend a hike out here. A day hike or multi-day camp would be worth it. It's amazing how quiet everything is when you're in the thick of the forest, and the ground is covered in moss. Here are some terrible photos:       
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Sep 29, 2020 05:05
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 17:47 |
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There was a little plaque on a log stating it had been "recreated in the original style" or something along those lines. We couldn't decide whether there was a shelter there that was rebuilt, or some people built a shelter there in a traditional style. Either way, it was nice to have. I shoved a 12x16 tarp on my pack expecting that another group would already have taken it, but we lucked out.
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Sep 29, 2020 06:08
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A friend of mine went hiking outside Phoenix a few years ago. Being from the PNW, she was overly concerned with the heat and was constantly drinking water. She ended up getting hyponatremia. It did not sound like an enjoyable experience.
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Oct 10, 2020 16:57
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Anyone around the PNW done mailbox peak around this time of year? The weather is supposed to clear up this weekend, and I was thinking of tackling it. Mt Si was my original plan, but I've done it several times already. The most recent WTA reports & photos still show plenty of snow ice. I have all the gear I'll need short of microspikes and snow baskets for my poles (which I can get easily enough before I go.)
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Mar 4, 2022 20:15
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Turns out Mrs. Rice wants our first trip to mailbox to be together, so I hit up Mt Si again yesterday. Fantastic day for a hike. While it was a bit cold, the air was crisp, and it made for a great trip. Didn't hit any snow until about 3.25 miles up the trail. Luckily, the rocks at the top were (mostly) clear of snow, so scrambling over was easy. The end of the trail was right at the top of the cloud layer. It made for an interesting mix between cold & sunbathing during lunch.  
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Mar 7, 2022 21:46
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Mrs. Rice went on her first backpacking trip with a friend and I this past weekend. It was a four day trip with one night at Dewey and two nights at Anderson lake along the PCT. Starting point was the Naches loop trailhead off WA-410. Along the Naches loop trail is a lovely little pond that's a nice spot to adjust your packs after warming up.  Once we got to Dewey, we trekked around to find an open camping spot. It gave us better views than last year.   They're tiny, so I didn't get any photos, but the mosquitos were terrible. My friend and I were in scouts and have been camping for years in the PNW, and this is the worst we've ever experienced. No amount of bug spray kept us safe. We planned on going the next two(ish) miles to Anderson lake, but hadn't decided whether or not to stay one or two nights at Dewey. The consensus was to see how bad the bugs were the next day: there are lots of marshy and standing water areas around the lake; less at Anderson. While Dewey gave us a lovely morning with a bit of mist rolling off the water, we were quickly descended upon and decided to break camp after breakfast.  The trail to Anderson lake was considerably more narrow and rocky, but we eventually made it to Anderson lake and greeted by... llamas.  Turns out there was a group of people that were using Anderson lake as a base camp for themselves and rest point for people coming through on the PCT. We were at Anderson for three days/two nights and the llamas were staked in the whole time. We're unsure of the humanitarian ramifications of leaving a llama contained to a 10 square foot area for several days. While the mosquitos weren't as bad at Anderson, they were still very relentless. Small, pretty lake, though. We decided to setup camp and stay there the remaining two nights of our trip.  The next morning, our friend elected to just relax in his tent reading and resting for the day, while Mrs. Rice and I went for a short hike to American lake. It was a lovely hike with some gorgeous views, Mt. Rainier included.   American lake was beautiful and quiet. Dewey was packed when we got there, and we were lucky to find an open spot. Mrs. Rice and I walked around the entirety of American lake without coming across anyone.   We wanted to stop a minute and enjoy the lake. The mosquitos had other plans, so we headed back to camp. The llamas were there to greet us when we returned.  On the final morning we ate breakfast, cleared camp, and set out. Somehow the mosquitos were even more abhorrent. We could barely stop for more than 15 seconds before being assaulted. Either way, we pushed through and made it back to the car.  Found some good spots for camping next year at American lake, and we're planning on camping later in the season. Like I said, my friend and I have been camping in the PNW for years but have never experienced mosquitos this bad. Apparently our wet, mild winter followed by the summer heat wave made for a perfect storm of mosquito. Still a good trip. All pics here: https://imgur.com/gallery/xiGXFGy There was one rear end in a top hat with an unleashed dog that charged us and barked aggressively. The owner's response was "Oh he's more bark than bite!" while the leash was just dangling from his back pocket. Leash your loving dogs.
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Aug 10, 2022 07:39
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Went to Paradise on the west side of Mt Rainier not too long ago and finally went through the pictures. You could see the goat rock fire once you got up in elevation  The smoke from the all the fires has been pretty thick    Didn't think I'd see any, but came across some marmots    Full album: https://imgur.com/gallery/rMC4mH6 E: An enchantments thru-hike sounds great. Sucks my weekends are booked through November.
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Sep 24, 2022 13:13
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I'm looking for some recommendations on places to disperse camp in the Washington Cascades or Olympic Peninsula for 2-3 nights during spring or summer. We've done Camp Handy and Dewey Lake a few times over the past couple years and are looking for a new place to check out. Honestly, we'd do Dewey again, but fires aren't allowed within 1/4 mile of the water, and that's something a few people have deemed as high desire. We camped at Anderson Lake (which is a few miles past Dewey) but it's not really a good spot. Marmot Lake is a place we've been considering, with a day trip to Jade Lake, but TBH I'm not sure everyone would by physically up/conditioned for it. There will be 2-5 people. Some of us have been hiking and backpacking since our time in the Scouts, to folks who have 1-2 years of experience. We're not super concerned about finding sites in dispersed areas, as this trip will be in the middle of the week. We'd prefer a place with some sort of toilet, but it's not entirely essential
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Jan 13, 2023 00:59
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 17:47 |
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Yeah fires are nice but difficult. We did boat in camping on Ross Lake last year, and there was no burn ban in the NCNP. The people camping next to us had, essentially, a bonfire. We left the next day and went down to Diablo, where there was less than 1/2 mile visibility and ash on our car. Regardless of how some people in the group feel about fires and how essential they may be to camping, we adhere to the rules. If I'm being realistic about our group's distance capabilities, I'd say 5 miles a day at about 1,000-1,500' total gain. That also depends on starting elevation. We're set on a canoe trip in May, so the backpacking will most likely be mid to late summer. At that point, fires are definitely a non-starter. Pasayten wilderness looks like a great area. It wouldn't take us much longer to get out there than to the upper Dungeness trailhead.
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Jan 13, 2023 06:20
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