Flapjack Lakes '08,  Olympic National Park,  Oct 11, 2008 - Oct 12, 2008     page 2 / 36

The four-mile hike to the Flapjack Lakes junction was quickly completed. I took a brief break for water and food. The cool autumn air encouraged me to keep moving, though, so I made my stop a short one.

The Flapjack Lakes trail is more challenging, ascending about 2400 feet over four miles. I had no problem staying warm on this section of trail.

A couple of years ago, a tree fell across the bridge spanning Madeline Creek. Review of trip reports from the past year indicated that the park service was still allowing its cautious use in 2007. This year they shifted to a more conservative stance, closing the bridge for safety reasons. Flagging now directs the hiker to a safe location to ford the creek. The bridge closure did not deter me from taking a look at the damaged structure, however. The ford was a simple one. There was no more than five or six inches of water at the creek's deepest point. I took another look at the bridge from the north side. That tree must have been pretty hefty to damage the strong steel structure!