Summer!

Summer is here! The rainy season ended this year on the first day of summer. We had our first day in the 80’s on Tuesday, and the forecast is sunny days with highs in the 70’s. :)

Ipsut Creek Campground

My wife and I took a dayhike to Ipsut Creek Campground yesterday. 10 miles round trip, and she was setting a fast pace for the whole hike. The first 30 minutes is walking on a gravel road in old growth timber (lots of ferns, moss, lichen, etc.); then the action starts. During recent flooding, the Carbon River has washed out great chunks of the old road to Ipsut Creek: 100 yards here, 500 yards there.
The park service would have to build about 4 miles of new road to allow car traffic to the old car campground at Ipsut Creek. It is not going to happen. They now have a trail wide enough for 4-wheelers to reach the campground. The bridge over Ipsut Creek is still standing, but Ipsut Creek has rerouted itself and washed out the road beside the bridge. The campground itself is in pretty good shape, with only about a six of the 3 dozen or so campsites unusable. The water system is dry, and the garbage cans are gone, but it is still a nice place to camp next to the roaring Carbon River. The two concrete restroom buildings are still functional, but the one near campsites 1-12 is a lot less odiferous.