It's a long standing tradition here on the peninsula to rain on Memorial Day Weekend. Dogs are an issue as they are not permitted on most trails. And they do ticket violators.

I may drive up tonight.

I hunt cougars outside the park, they are somewhat rare so even seeing one is an event. The chances of being attacked by one are higher odds than winning the lottery, twice. So enjoy the sighting if you get one, and carry bear spray if it is a concern for you.

I've never been much of a fan of Heart of the Hills. It's in a north-south valley that always seems damp and only gets sun around midday. I'd rather stop at Sequim Bay or the Dungeness Spit campgrounds. This is early in the season and not a weekend, so there should be room in one of those, if you get there early enough. Kalaloch on the weekend, maybe not so much.

That's another issue, if you don't want to see some naked feral people, stay away after dark. Actually just stay away.

It's better than it used to be when the trailhead was only a mile or so away. I remember people making the trip with hand trucks and coolers and the site was very trashy. Now that it's much further away, it has less traffic and a lot less trash. ETA: I agree with you that it's not much more than a muddy hole in the ground at times, the Sol Duc hot springs are better for a good hot soak.

You can do it in a Prius cybertruck

FIFY

It was very funny to be identified by just 'old man with a beard' the wife and kids got a good laugh out of it. If you want someone to hike with or just need a weather report, let me know. The dogs looked miserable, I met them at the second Lee's creek crossing just as the rain snow mix was hitting hard. The people probably weren't miserable till they got back to the trailhead because I may or may not have stopped at the entrance station and mention them.

Not in the park but a WA state park, Salt Creek and Tongue Point is a good place to explore. There are some old artillery bunkers there also.

And it was nice meeting you! I think it was just before a large rain cell went over too, lol. Did you meet the folks with the dogs?

I disagree as well, its a lot like taking fish out of half of a pond and nature finding a way. I liked them anyway and there are lots of invasive species that would have better used the effort. Like Scotch Broom for example.

That picture was taken about a mile past the lake, the first time I've ventured above the lake this year. There is very little snow left at the lake but it still can snow at that level any time. And it does, I was there last Tuesday and it was snowing hard. I'll do the hike again tommorrow or Monday depending on the weather. If you see an old guy with a beard, say hi!

Doing the boardwalk of the Cape Alava - Sand Point - Lake Ozette loop is an awesome 9 mile hike.

If you want someone to hike Lake Angeles with, I do the hike about once a week, the last time the day before yesterday, and I'd certainly be up for it.

There's not much snow at the lake anymore but it is still mostly frozen over. This was taken at about 4900 feet and I wouldn't have gone too much further without an ice axe.

My first video, sorry. I have fixed it.

Atop the summit of Mount Pleasant with a view toward Mount Angeles and Klahhane Ridge, I am using my 50-year-old Svea 123 I purchased new in 1975, to warm up some water for coffee. The wind is blowing a bit and I'm having to shield it from the gusts. I love the stove; it's compact, boils water fast, and in a pinch can run on car gas. The downside is messy priming and refilling procedures. A pump that replaces the cap is or at least used to be available but the windscreen has to be removed to use it.

'Yet another video' isn't going to settle the bigfoot issue either way. A good deep fake will have everything you describe so it will mean nothing other than more disagreement.

Several years ago, I was doing some landscape work with my bulldozer and noticed I'd dug up a rag of clothing. Picking it up, I see that it's a torn off sleeve of an old child's coat and out tumble an appropriately sized humerus, radius and ulna. I called the po po and they decided in about 30 minutes of looking, that they were from a pig or some swine type, bear perhaps and as long as I didn't find a skull, I was free to go back to doing what I wanted. I didn't find that answer very satisfying so I posted up pics to r/whatdidIfind or a group like that and the consensus agreed it was a pig or similar. I still have a box with the bones and rag on an out of the way shelf in old shed.

Mt Pleasant is on DNR and therefore dog/bike/quad friendly. It's logging roads and not a trail per se but it's easy to stay out of the way.

I do the Lake Angeles trail at least once a week, if you want someone to hike with.

I wonder if its harder to tear the head off a running vs. standing deer.

Nah, it's that "illusion" of mathematics. You should show your work or give up.