| DECEMBER 4 -5, 2010 My friend from the Midwest enjoyed
our backpack trip to Goldmyer Hot
Springs in February so much that when she returned to Seattle to
visit her daughter, she wanted to go back. When
we reached North Bend, the wind was blowing fiercely, and I was
beginning to have doubts about this trip, but we decided to drive to the
trailhead and see what it was like there. FS 56 was a rough,
pot-holey mess, partially covered with snow and ice, but we arrived
safely at the gate where the road is still closed for repairs. It
was 29 degrees and calm when we set out on the muddy road hike. About a
mile later we were surprised when pickup trucks came up behind us and
offered us a ride to the nearest blow down. It was the Goldmyer
work crew, armed with chainsaws and accompanied by Beth, who mans the
Goldmyer office, and her dog Cocoa, the tireless chaser of sticks.
Their offer saved us at least 3 miles of walking and deposited us close
to the Dingford Creek trailhead, where snow covered the road. It
was tough hiking for a road walk. The snow was not deep enough for
snowshoes, but we post-holed and sank ankle deep with every step.
There were several ugly snarls of blow downs on the road, and although
we could step over or go around some of them, we had to climb over and
through the worst of the clusters. The amazing Goldmyer work
crew cleared all the blow downs and caught up with us near the road down
to the Goldmyer property, where they had a few more trees to clear from
the trail. We set up camp and waited for them to complete their
work before we headed up to the hot springs. It was dark when we
headed up to the springs. There are certainly easier ways to soak
in a hot tub, but none so satisfying as the one you have to work for.
Soaking in a hot spring on a star-filled night in an old growth
forest--priceless. We were still warm when we returned to our
tents and crawled into our sleeping bags. Clouds moved in during
the night and kept the temperature at a reasonable 29 degrees outside.
During the night a mouse joined my friend in her tent, and she woke to
the joy of having a mouse run amok in her tent. We broke camp
early and started our hike out before 9:00. The trucks had packed
down the snow on the road, and our hike out was much easier.
Approximately 17 miles roundtrip
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