Duckabush Trail Length 22.2 mi/35.7 km Access FS Road 2510-060 USGS Maps The Brothers: Mount Jupiter: Mount Steel Agencies Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park A disconcerting up-and-down route, the trail up the Duckabush River leads to beautiful subalpine meadows at the head of the valley, and then climbs to O'Neil Pass on the Grand Divide. The trail begins in the national forest (440 ft/ 134 m) at the end of FS Road 2510- 060, a spur slightly more than one-tenth of a mile long that branches from FS Road 2510 exactly 6 miles from US 101 near Hood Canal. The trail at first follows an abandoned roadbed, and then enters The Brothers Wilderness as it climbs over Little Hump (1.2 mi/1.9 km; 900 ft/284 m). The trail then descends to the river. This country was logged in the early 1900s, and thick stands of second-growth fir now obscure the grade of an old logging railroad. The trail turns north, to avoid the river's gorge, and abruptly ascends Big Hump, a rocky buttress on the flanks of Mount Jupiter. As it climbs alongside moss-covered pillow basalt that was smoothed by glacial ice, the trail makes numerous short, steep switchbacks, ascending 1000 ft/305 m in about a mile. St. Peters Dome (4490 ft/1369 m) is visible across the river from a lookout point on the trail. Rowland W. Tabor, a geologist with the Geological Survey, has pointed out that the Little Hump and Big Hump are "risers of glacial steps in the canyon, It is where the Duckabush Glacier cut deeply during the Ice Age. After the glacier retreated, the valley may have contained a lake dammed by the Big Hump until the river cut through the barrier. Beyond Big Hump (3.5 mi/5.6 km; 1700 ft/518 m), which thus far has kept civilization from invading the upper Duckabush, the trail enters the gloom of undisturbed virgin forest. The branches of the tall, slim firs and hemlocks are covered with lichen. The route then descends to the river at Five Mile Camp (5.3 mi/8.5 km; 1200 ft/366 m). The trail enters the national park (6.7 mi/10.8 km; 1300 ft/396 m) in a deep forest setting and climbs gradually, making descents from time to lime. Ten Mile Camp (10.0 mi/16.1 km; 1500 ft/457 m), in a setting of large firs and cedars, is located close to the river. The turbulent stream, its bed filled with large boulders, booms continuously, and the sound is calculated to quickly lull the tired backpacker to sleep. The isolation and solitude make the upper Duckabush one of the most attrac- tive areas in the Olympics, the type of country that lures the dedicated backpacker. Above Ten Mile Camp the trail winds through dense stands of fir and hemlock, but intermittent breaks in the forest provide sweeping vistas of fir-clad mountainsides. Beyond the junction with the LaCrosse Pass Trail (15.8 mi/25.4 km; 2677 ft/816 m), the trail meanders through the forest, which now includes silver fir and grand fir in addition to the usual Douglas fir and western hemlock. The trail then swings back to the river and crosses to Camp Duckabush, also known as Upper Duckabush Camp (17.5 mi/28.2 km; 2700 ft/823 m). Good campsites are located here beneath towering Douglas firs. A huge log that spanned the river at this point served as a hikers' bridge for many years, but recent floods have swept it away. Because no bridge has been built, crossing the river can be tricky early in the season. One can cross from the north bank to an island in the river, then cross from the island to Camp Duckabush on the south bank. Carry a long pole when wading to help you maintain your balance. Near Camp Duckabush the trail intersects the North Fork Skokomish Trail (17.6 mi/28.3 km), then follows the route of the O'Neil expedition, which explored this country in the summer of 1890. The trail crosses Home Sweet Home Creek and traverses the slopes south of the river, crossing several streams—including Wild Bear Creek—where cataracts leap down cliffs. The route then alternates through patches of subalpine forest and open glades with rank growths of salmonberry, devil's club, and slide alder. The trail now climbs steeply above the river, which cascades through a deep, narrow canyon, then descends to the stream and crosses to the north bank. The crossing can be difficult, particularly in early summer, when the river is high. At this time, too, the path may be hidden in places by patches of snow, sprinkled with forest litter, that contrast with the gloom of the shaded defiles. The route leads sharply upward to Marmot Lake (21.1 mi/34.0 km; 4350 ft/ 1326 m), a gemlike tarn with a tree-studded isle near its center. The lake occupies an ice-carved basin and is edged by rolling meadows and groves of mountain hemlock and Alaska cedar, with cliffs to the northwest. Nearby is a junction with the LaCrosse Basin Trail. The lake was named on August 12, 1890, by two of Lieutenant O'Neil's scouts. South of the lake the bluff overlooking the Duckabush provides a good view. Across the valley, Mount Steel and Mount Duckabush, clad with snow and ice, soar into the sky, and one can look down the Duckabush Valley and sec Mount Jupiter, 15 miles distant. Beyond Marmot Lake the trail climbs steadily toward O'Neil Pass, traversing subalpine meadows where, on warm summer afternoons, marmots sun on rocks near their burrow entrances and greet intruders with shrill whistles. This is the animal s danger signal, yet the creatures do not appear to be alarmed by the hikers presence, and one can often approach them to within a few feet. O'Neil Pass (22.2 mi/35.7 km; 4950 ft/1509 m) lies between Mount Duckabush and Overlook Peak. Lieutenant O'Neil s pack train crossed this pass on September 20, 1890, during his exploration of the southern Olympics. Beyond this point the route becomes the O'Neil Pass Trail, which contours around the mountain to a junction with the Enchanted Valley Trail.