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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
April 16, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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April 16, 2020
 
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Page A—38 Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, April 16, 2020 1 THE TRAIL Moss-clad alders and maples line the dry river channels that crisscross t Olympic National Forest. Journal, photo Mark Woytowich ‘ he Hamma Hamma Bottoms, making for excellent dispersed camping in the . .q mm. How to stretch your legs without stretching the law. et the record show that on the afternoon of April 9, 2020, a warm, sunny Thursday, as I stood alone be- side the highway at the public dock in Hoodsport, a long pa- rade of shiny, expensive motor- cycles throttled by. Perhaps totaling 20 motor- cycles, with most carrying two riders, I watched with wonder as they motored north into th social distance. ' A smaller gang of motorcycle riders were already in town, walking about in pairs or fours along the store fronts, and milling close together by the out- door tables at the burger joint and ever-popular walk-up window at the ice cream parlor. Outside in wonderful weather, I was looking for places along Hood Ca- nal where a person could get fresh air, exercise, and still maintain all those CDC precautions they’ve been drilling into my head like catechism lessons from 1962 the same year, by the way, when elementary school kids in America were assured that “duck and cover” drills beneath their desks Were going to save them from a direct hit by an atom bomb. “Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.” The more things change, the more they remain the same. at LEGAL EXERCISE Let’s see, where to legally move my legs along Hood Canal? Potlatch State Park is definitely closed. The campgrounds are empty and spotlessly manicured, as I suspect are many of your front yards. Up the road, past the Lilliwaup bridge and north side of the bay, the staircase at the pullout for Craigs Beach did NOT appear to have any By MARK WOYTOWICH driftwood, as well as oysters signs, fresh postings, or other warnings that this Discovery Pass fee site was off-limits. So, with public access some- what uncertain, let me say simply that the beach below stretches north for nearly a mile. At low tide it is an amaz- ing but rocky place to find old bottle glass, unusual (to a lesser degree). A precious few sandy spots are good for picnics, light romance and sun tans. In case clear signs are posted pro- hibiting Craig’s Beach use, try parking at the abandoned building just south of the Lilliwaup bridge, then walking the dead-end road that parallels the southern shore of the inner bay. Less than a half mile, it meanders by shal- low, subtle Lilliwaup Creek, ending at the high, wooden wall separating you from Lower Lilliwaup Falls —— priVate ' property. Finch Creek'Road, in Hoodsport, offers another sweet, half-mile road walk along a similar, scenic course. Park in the no-man’s land between . the Post Office and the Visitor Center, crossing the footbridge over Finch Creek to find the road. ‘ A r If you choose either of these neigh borhood strolls, remember all the beauty you see is someOne else’s prop- erty. Don’t make loud coughing sounds —— I’ll get complaints. MAN OH MANZANITA For top quality legal “hikercise,” in . the Hood Canal region, the network of trails at the end of Manzanita Drive, ' in Union, are long-time local favor- ites. Much of the network is Green Diamond Resource Co. forest trails, off—limits to motorized vehicles, but friendly to walkers and joggers. Park at the end of the road, then go through either of the closed gates to start your exploration. The yellow gat- ed trail meanders and splits off, mak- ing it easy to get lost, but most routes follow the slope down to the canal, where you can connect with the Har- mony Hill trail system, for instance. Follow the orange gated trail downslope for about a third of a mile before the first branching trail leads into the woods on your left. Both trails are favorites of dog own- ers. Be prepared for off-leash —— mostly joyful —4 canine encounters. GETTING WORSE? DISPERSE ‘ While all developed trailheads, day- use areas and campgrounds are closed, dispersed camping, as well as road walking, bicycling and off-trail hiking is still permitted in the Olympic N a- tional Forest. A good general rule, if you choose to car camp (dispersed camping) in the National Forest, is to camp only with the same people you are homebound with. The whole idea behind all park clo- sures is that far too many people were gathering at the same locations out- doors, which was defeating the “social distance” mandates. If you can stay to yourself or with your immediate loved ones, then some of the best car camping spots are up the Hamma Hamma Recreation Area, starting just before the Lena Creek , Bridge. Set your odometer the mement you turn off US. Highway 101 onto the Hamma Hamma Road, bear right at the Y in 6.4 miles, and at 8 miles you are at the bridge, and in the mid- ' dle of a great dispersed camping zone. Continue past the bridge (now unpaved) and drive slowly, keeping a watchful eye to your left.'As this week’s photo depicts, the huge upper river basin —— known as the Hamma Hamma Bottoms offers a network of dry river channels which make great campsites for hike-in or four—wheel- drive camping. Please, when you hike or camp, keep it quiet, intim , (1 above all, clean. Buryinfigahwvmste; no one should 1(an you were there. GETTING TRASHED? Want to take back the forest? Or at least clean it up a little? Want to visit hard-to—find waterfalls and cool sWim- ming holes? Come meet new friends who are passionate about hiking, the wilder- ' ness and doing good for our environ- . merit! I am lining up several “TrashMash” litter pickup events this summer. Two events will involve cleaning up the trails to several waterfalls not well known to the public, and another will be a trash pickup at both the High Steel and Vance Creek Bridges. ' Think of it as part hike, part Eas- ter egg hunt, only the eggs are mostly Miller Lite cans. Lots more details to come, including the dates and the names of the agen- cies and businesses helping us with supplies. These litter pick-up events will start in July (pending the lifting of COVID-19 social restrictions). Check out my website, “wherewa- terfallsare.com,” to sign up and learn more. I Mark Woytowich is a writer, pho- tographer, video producer and author of “Where Waterfalls and Wild Things L Are.” He lives in Potlatch with his “0n the Trail” column appearing every oth- ' er week in the Journal. Reach him at his website, www.wherewaterfallsare. com, or by email at eyefiv'e@hctc.c0m.