May began, for me, with new gear, new camera, an excellent weather forecast, and a three day weekend. I headed to Nine Stream, about 10 miles up the North Fork Skokomish River, Olympic National Park. I only planned to go to Camp Pleasant, but after a late start, and an early arrival, decided to push on upriver.
I ended up sharing the camp at Nine Stream for the first night; another fellow was camped alongside the trail, and kept to himself. I chose to camp next to the river, hanging my hammock from two well-placed alders. Dinner was early, as was bedtime; falling asleep with the stars overhead is one of life’s most wondrous things.
The second day, Mayday, I ventured, camera in hand, up the trail to Two Bear, where conditions were quite snowy, and melting very fast. Rather than struggle through the thigh-deep slush, I opted to bound back down the trail to my lunch, and a long nap in the afternoon sun. Dinner was followed by a campfire – a rare luxury for me.
After sleeping in, I hiked out the next day on what has been perhaps the hottest start to May I’ve ever experienced. Talk about a sweaty hike! That dip in the Skokomish River afterward was sublime!
Having purchased a new camera, I was eager to get out and try my hand at some real DSLR photography. I brought along a tripod and everything.
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