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 :)