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Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020 — Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A—39‘
3-? ‘T'x
The eastern bend of the Oxbow, where the South Fork Skokomish River cuts
away at 30-foot cliffs hosting a pair of cherished camp sites.
Jourrial photo Mark Woytowich
Trail: Beloved location held in highest regard'by‘ locals
continued from page A-37
campsites, not saying a word.
“Oh, I’ve got to come back here,”
he finally said, “this place is heav-
en.”
We ended up sitting on a log in the
sunshine together, marveling at the
raindrops and spider webs winking in
the grass, and feeling the sonic mas-
sage and contemplative tones of the
river rushing along the cliffs. The low
roar of the river as it passes on three
sides is a big part of the essence of
the Oxbow - it’s a contained bowl of
Eden.
NATURE’S CATHEDRAL
Hold 'out your hand and stick up
your thumb. Now imagine a river
running around your thumb; that is
the near-wheel shape of the Oxbow, a
floodplain peninsula elevated enough
to support about a dozen campsites
fanning out like numbers on a dart
board or the face of a clock.
The South Fork Skokomish sweeps
by, west to east, cutting 60-foot-high'
cliffs opposite the campground. At
about 12 on the clock, a flat, grassy
knoll perches above a low bank leading
to the river. Between three fire rings
you have enough room to spread picnic
blankets or put up half a dozen tents.
The peninsula rises as the river
moves east, and the campsites on the
far side sit on 30-foot bluffs above deep
swimming holes. Below the eastern-
most camp site, the river churns a cir-
cular whirlpool, with strong and frigid
current, carving away the cliff, before
it fans once again, growing shallow as
it ril’fles off in the distance.
THE HIKE, THE HISTORY
There’s ample parking at the trail-
head. But an iron gate ensures only
feet, bikes or wagons go any farther.
I would haul in some firewood if you
plan on spending the night. Dead, fall-
en trees are very few down here and .
the driftwood, when dry, can be very
large and difficult to bring up from the
river. ‘
The trail is actually a former road
bed. At one time this was a Forest Ser-
vice car campground but a landslide
took out the road. As usual, the Forest
Service cut their losses rather than re-
invest in'their recreational obligations,
and, to further discourage human use,
rangers recently took out the small
latrine and iron fire rings at the last of
the camp sites.
No matter, this is a beloved loca-
tion, held in the highest regard by
locals who’ve been coming here for
years.
So, to continue, the road bed makes
an easy, wide walk downward for less
than'a mile- You glide gently onto
the flat floodplain, gaining your first
glimpse of the river at about 7 on
the “thumb clock.” Note the giant old
growth trees beached like blue whales
at the river’s edge.
The path, now level, takes you right
into the campground, where it circles
and allows you to choose which spoke
on the wheel you’d like to have as your
View of the river.
From the grassy knoll of the com-
mons (about 11 or 12), you enjoy the
extra pleasure of watching and listen-
ing to three separate waterfalls tum-
bling from the cliffs across the river.
While two are seasonal, one still trick-
les through the summer, and a bulge
in the bluffs at its base makes a great,
yet safe, place for kids to climb and
jump in the river below.
Indeed, if you can tolerate cold wa-
ter, the river here is full of gentle rap-
ids and kid-safe water obstacles; for
years parents have been bringing their
children and allowing them‘ to float on
air rafts or inner tubes.
It takes about 30 minutes to chan-
nel the river into an eddy, building up
a rock divider. On a hot day you can
have a “Northwest warm” bath in no
time at all.
How to get here? It’s in my book,
but I’ll gladly give you the directions
for free, provided you take the time to
email me at the address below. This
trail was 99.9% clean of all litter last ’
week. I intend it to stay that way.
I Mark Woytowich is a writer, pho-
tographer, video producer and author
of “Where Waterfalls and Wild Things
Are.” He lives in Potlatch with his “On
the Trail” column appearing every oth-
er week in the Shelton-Mason County
Journal. Reach hiiri at his website, '
www.wherewaterfallsare.com, or by
email at eyefive@hctc.com.
Your local Tllles
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Weekly Tide Tables Sponsored by
WWWWWSMMIW
lide tables have been transcribed and l (350) 426-0933
may contain errors.’ Not intended lor
navigational use.
Tidal Information Courtesy US Harbors.com
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