I headed out on my 40th birthday to get a hike in. I really didnt know where I was going to go. I didnt get out of bed early enough for a real hike, and I am not really ready for a real hike. So, off I went towards the Olympic Nat Forest.
I considered Mt Walker at first. You can drive all the way up and there is a hike that is 1.5 miles to the top of the summit. Sounded good for a starter hike. Unfortunately, the road is closed for the winter and its 4 miles just to get to the trail! There were several cars there with people stretching. This was not what I was looking for.
I remembered that there is a trail in the Falls View campground, just a short distance from Mt Walker. The campground was also closed for winter. Perfect. I parked out side the gate and walked in. The trail starts out with 7 switchbacks, to take you down 20o feet to the edge of the Quilcene river. Then the trail meanders along the river before making a loop and heading back the same way. This means of course, the hike ends with a 200 foot incline. That was tough, but manageable.
I didn't see any wildlife, or people. It was very serene. I did learn that I need to get some sort of rain pants or gators or something. My pants got soaked from the wet ferns lining the trail. It did not rain on the hike, but after I was safely back in my car, the skies opened and it rained really hard for 30 minutes. I realized how lucky i was to have made it back to the car before that started...
