11 miles of hiking • 2250' elevation gain •
Went solo today so stayed close to home. The Tarbell trail is getting less scenic as the logging has been increased on the private property outside of the National Forest. It actually looks horrible and is a shame it can't be just thinned! From some plaques, it appears Longview Fibre just about owns Larch Mt. In addition, the summit of Larch Mt. has a large fenced communication tower, which is not impressive. Part of the Tarbell trail has a detour, next to Cold Creek, due to a bridge being damaged, at least according to the Washington DNR. On a brighter note, very few people on the trail, which provided a lot of solitude. Also, a coyote darted out about 50ft in front of me, and didn't notice me, but then turned around and ran away. I also saw some very fresh (still steaming) bear scat, and started looking around and making noise. Plenty of ripe Huckleberries that tasted yummy! Also note that Dole Valley road is being actively surfaced, and I had to wait about 1/2 hour, each way, for a pilot car to take us through! What a pain. At least I connected to a previous hike, and completed this entire section of the Tarbell. I only need to complete a short 1 mile section, near Sturgeon Rock, to complete the entire Tarbell.
