Interrorem Ranger Cabin

Interrorem Ranger Cabin

Olympic National Forest

Dorothy and Jayson had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Hood Canal Ranger District Recreational Residence Cabin Rental Program at the Interrorem Ranger cabin (whew!). One of our gifts last Christmas was a guide to Washington State Parks and it mentioned the Ranger cabin rental program. Dorothy, who is never reluctant to pick up the phone, called and got the details, and off we were!

Dorothy overlooking the Duckabush River Valley

The Interrorem Ranger cabin is located in the Duckabush Recreation Area which borders the Duckabush River and Olympic National Park. Area attractions include access to the Brothers Wilderness Area, Hood Canal, Murhut Falls, and Olympic National Park. Hiking, mountain climbing, fishing, hunting, and river walks are also available in the area

We brought our own water but it is avalable from a hand pump. And of course, not to be too plush, there is no indoor plumbing so it's the outhouse when nature calls!

While the Interrorem Ranger cabin is nothing to look at from the outside, it proved to be wonderfully clean and comfortable on the inside! The convienience of having a gas fireplace and appliances was a welcome change to typically damp-weather camping in Washington. It is a log cabin, built in 1907 as the first administrative site of the Olympic National Forest. The cabin facilities include a kitchen, living room, and one bedroom. Propane heat provided by a large gas fireplace keeps the cabin very toasty and propane powers the lights and refrigerator (the lights are SO cool!).

The rainforest atmosphere is awesome!

After we unpacked the truck, we hiked down to the Duckabush River. The trail to the river was blooming with new growth and the birds were having a party! The terrain is a little steep going down to the river, and the moss hung from the trees like an old woman's shawl. The sun was out, filtered through the branches, patches of bright light and blue sky, with the steady roar of the river in the distance. The Duc was running high due to the heavy snows last winter and the warm temperatures this spring.

Caught a big fish downstream from here !

The fishing was GOOD!! I got a huge fish on, giant and strong. As I was yelling to Dorothy to look at it jump and fight, the fish jumped and spit the hook out! But it was gonna let him go anyway.

The next day we hiked through the Brothers Wilderness area along the Duckabush River all the way up to a lookout point over the river valley called Big Hump. Man!, that was a long hike! Lot's of switch-backs up the steep side of the mountains surrounding the river. But it was worth it. The clouds parted and gave us an panoramic view of the river valley all the way to Hood Canal.

After getting back to the cabin and grabbing some chow, we did the hike to Murhut Falls that evening. These falls have to be the biggest this side of Niagra Falls! All the run-off made the water fly off of the cliffside and shake the ground as it smashed it's way down to the river.

The next day we were invaded by huge animals....

A large herd of elk decided to munch some grass right outside of the cabin!

They were Roosevelt Elk from the Olympic National Park and they were not shy at all! I got up and looked out of the window and hollered at Dorothy to grab the camera. I went out on the front porch for a picture and at first they ignored me, but a few looked up as I got closer. There were a few young bucks in the herd and Dorothy saw a buck with a rack on it's head , which promptly disappeared when the camera flash when off. But the rest of the herd remained for quite a while, until we ran them off.

The trip to the Interrorem Ranger cabin was truly like visiting a different world. It got a little cloudy and the showers started on the morning we packed to leave. In the cabin there is a set of guestbooks with comments left by past renters. We had stayed up reading each other some of the comments the night before.

Most of the past renters told of how restful and peaceful the cabin was during their stay, while some comments relayed instances of 'cabin-fever' and complained of constant rain and pent-up children driving each other crazy.

But one thing was clear. Many renters had been there before and many would like to go back to the Interrorem Ranger cabin. We want to go back and try a winter stay. Dorothy and Jayson found the cabin warm and inviting, full of memories, like the surrounding hillsides covered in their bright green tapestry, and the deep growl of the river as it made it's way down through the wilderness fog.

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