LaCrosse Basin,  Olympic National Park,  Aug 12, 2002 - Aug 16, 2002     page 1 / 19

I recently had a couple of weeks vacation. Tom and I had wanted to get a multi-day backpacking trip done during the summer, and ended up visiting the LaCrosse Basin area of the Olympic National Park. We headed out first thing Monday, August 12. We entered the park at the Staircase Ranger Station on the Skokomish River. This river feeds into Lake Cushman and is about 45 minutes driving time west of Hoodsport. The weather Monday was great. A bit warm perhaps, but not a cloud in the sky. The Skokomish river offers a variety of environments to walk through, all very relaxing. There are areas which are covered with moss, as in the rain forests, areas of old growth timber, as well as a few flower-filled meadows in the higher end of the valley. Tom and I planned a somewhat aggressive schedule in order to arrive home Friday evening. We hiked from the trailhead all the way through to Two Bear Camp the first day. This resulted in 10.5 miles of walking and 3000 feet of elevation gain that day.