CHS 1 Hike - Duckabush River

Our group of eight met at the trailhead for a casual start time of 9:00 am. (In retrospect, 8:00 am would have been better due to weather conditions (sunny and hot), but most of the hikers were coming from King County.) Thankfully, much of the trail is in the shade and we had a nice breeze. The first 90 mins. flew by and we fueled up before ascending the switchbacks to Little Hump and Big Hump. With half our lunch consumed we headed down to Five Mile Camp for secondsies on the banks of the Duckabush River. 

Due to reports of ticks and bees on the trail I wore a long-sleeved white shirt which ultimately didn't breathe very well, and I experienced dehydration and heat stress symptoms. My co-leader and another hiker stayed with me and fed me salt tablets as we returned to the trailhead. This trail is a little unusual as there is elevation gain, then loss, then more gain, then more loss to the turn-around point, then more of the same on the way out. Particularly in warm weather, pack plenty of electrolytes and water and the ability to filter more, and whatever food and beverages give you "superpowers" -- caffeinated drinks, energy gels, hard candy, dried fruit, etc. And I'll do better practicing what I preach!