Enchanted Valley 4/17/2015

retired jerry · Post by **retired jerry** » April 24th, 2015, 7:52 pm

This is why you go here:

First I saw bear poop near chalet:

Then, about 0.1 mile above chalet I went around corner and there was a bear about 30 feet away. Got up on tree and started huffing at me.

As I backed away it kept staring at me:

They normally allow camping next to Chalet, but it's a large meadow area with no privacy. Park service has closed it for camping because (that?) bear has been too aggressive. Eaten human food.

The Chalet is 13.5 miles from the trailhead. Two bridges across Quinalt:

I thought the trail had a lot of roots, boulders, and mud which made it a bit difficult. Chalet is 1500 feet above trailhead but there's a lot of up and down, so 2400 feet elevation gain in, and 900 feet going out. Maybe 10 trees across trail:

Nice camps at 3 miles, 6.5 miles, and 10 miles. With bear wires.

Trailhead is 20 miles from highway 101, about half gravel, slow in regular vehicle.

Limey · Post by **Limey** » April 24th, 2015, 8:59 pm

Very cool that you were able to get such good pictures of the bear. I have still not made it to Enchanted Valley, too far for me in my current state, very out of shape.

kepPNW · Post by **kepPNW** » April 25th, 2015, 5:09 am

Breaking news...

Enchanted Valley Closed to Camping After Reports of Bear-Human Interactions
http://www.nps.gov/olym/learn/news/ench ... amping.htm

retired jerry · Post by **retired jerry** » April 25th, 2015, 5:37 am

yeah, Enchanted Valley closed to camping. I think because of that bear. It has eaten human food

You can still camp 3.5 miles below at Pyrites Creek campsite and then hike up to Enchanted Valley during the day. Bear seems to be hanging out 0.1 mile above the Chalet.

Good lesson about not letting bears get your food. Good chance they'll eventually have to kill that bear.

justpeachy · Post by **justpeachy** » April 25th, 2015, 5:54 am

In the Washington Hikers and Climbers facebook page someone posted a photo on April 13 showing pasta scattered all over the ground around the chalet. The person who posted the picture said garbage had been left behind too. You get a few people who do that and it doesn't take long for the bears to become a problem.

retired jerry · Post by **retired jerry** » April 25th, 2015, 6:05 am

That's too bad, because that sloppiness could end up in death of the bear.

That bear seemed to be hanging around near the Chalet.

I'm normally pretty lazy about hanging food. Within reach of bear. But since I'm sleeping next to it, it doesn't matter. I used the bear wires there since there's so many bears.

rainrunner · Post by **rainrunner** » April 25th, 2015, 7:03 pm

Well there ~~ one more life experience: a huffing bear!!!

mtnhiker56 · Post by **mtnhiker56** » April 25th, 2015, 7:29 pm

Well there ~~ one more life experience: a huffing bear!!!

Trust me...if you are close enough to hear a bear huff...backing off was a good idea...

ski · Post by **ski** » April 27th, 2015, 9:38 am

excellent.
love the photos.
thank you.

Rather B Hiking · Post by **Rather B Hiking** » April 29th, 2015, 7:56 pm

That is such a gorgeous area. Too bad some people have to be so careless with the safety of bears and hikers alike. I hope they are able to rehab that bear - not its fault someone got it addicted to junk food.

Oregon Hikers