Wilson River Trail: King Mt TH - Dog Creek

Continuing our trek from one end of the Wilson River Trail to the other, we started this weeks hike from Kings Mtn TH and work backwards to Dog Creek. This is a beginner to intermediate hike on a well maintained and very beautiful trail. The hike leads to the beautiful Dog Creek and the log bridge across the creek. Here is a Map of this trail:

http://egov.oregon.gov/ODF/TSF/docs/KingsElkMtnTrail.pdf

Where:
Wilson River Trail: Kings Mtn TH - Dog Creek

Difficulty/Distance:
Beginner to intermediate / ~3-4 miles

Directions:
Rt 26 West to Rt 6 towards Tillamook

Co-ordinates:
The trail is on the north side of Rt 6 near milepost 25 at the Hiker sign
Coordinates: 45.59709, -123.50626

Weather:
Cloudy with occasional rain showers. High 51F, Low 43F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph (be prepared for some showers – bring a rain jacket and dress in layers)

Pictures:
Link to the blog
David's Pictures
My Pictures

My Experience:

This time the weather changed drastically in the 30-40 min it took to drive down to the trailhead. It was cold and gloomy when we started, it then turned sunny and then almost when we reached the Tilamook National Forest, it started raninig :(. Since all these hikes were RAIN or SHINE, we jsut continued the hike.  Everything around us looked very green and very fresh. Even though it was raining, the greenery made it look very beautiful.

We reached the end of the trail in no time. It was very short this time, not many slopes too along the way. The Dog creek was gushing with water due to the rain. It was just awesome :) This is where I started experimenting the manual setting in my point and shoot camera. And I dont know if it was the place or the camera, I just loved clicking pictures.

Since I learnt it the hard way last time, I came prepared with a snack bar and a camera :) Though this time I missed a rain caot so much !

We headed back very soon and it was a real mess getting into the car because the trial turned out to be very muddy and our shoes all got spoilt. But we managed. Overall loved this hike, though it was not much of a workout :)

Wilson River Trail: Elk Creek CG - Dog Creek

We will be starting the hiking season by doing the entire Wilson River trail from Elk Creek CG to Koenig Creek TH. This week we started with the Wilson River Trail from Elk Creek Camp Ground to Dog Creek. This is a beginner to intermediate hike on a well maintained and very beautiful trail. The hike lead to the beautiful Dog Creek and the log bridge across the creek.

Where:
Wilson River Trail: Elk Creek CG - Dog Creek

Difficulty:
Beginner to intermediate

Directions:
Rt 26 West to Rt 6 towards Tillamook
The trail is on the north side of Rt 6 near milepost 28

Map and Coordinates:
Coordinates: Start: 45.60968, -123.46625 (364m);
End: 45.60858, 123.49451 (264m)

Weather:
Windy. Mostly cloudy skies will become partly cloudy in the afternoon. High 56F, Low 44F. Winds NNW at 15 to 25 mph.

It was a great start to the hike season. We had incredible weather, dry trail, and a big turn out. The water level was still relatively high so we were treated to a few small stream-crossings along the way – these would be dry by July.

Pictures:
David Canfields Pictures

My Experience:
My first ever hike with Intel RCG club. I was all excited, I dint know anyone there, so I was kinda nervous too :D  The weather was incredible. Perfect for a hike. Though it was chilly in the begining it turned out just perfect by the end.

Since this was the first time, I was not prepared for the hike, and I was very hungry. I had everything to eat at the cube, but I forgot to carry them with me. :( By the end of the hike, I was alive :)

The hike started with almost like a 30deg slope for almost 10-15mins. By the time it turned plateau I ran out of all the energy. And after like almost 30 mins of plateau region and a steep slope downwards, we reached the log bridge and the beautiful dog creek.

We spent a few minutes there, taking pictures and snacking and then started our way back. This time, the slope got even steeper upwards. I could not catch my breath back for a good 10 mins after the slope ended.

The sky looked beautiful while we were returning back. We gained a very high elevation, so the views were amazing.

This is finally when we reached back to the trailhead. It was very tiring and it was quite a workout and I hurt my back ! But overall it was fun :)