Trail report week of May 20...99 live, slimy slugs

Mid-week Port Gamble Trails update: Rain early this week has created a layer of surface mud on access roads and on the singletrack. I also encountered deep mudholes on the "Ho Chee Minh/Maggie Rocks" singletrack between PG Road 1000 and PG Road 1700. You are sure to bring some of the trail home with you on your shoes, your downtube, or your dog's undercarriage. Remember the upcoming event:

• Saturday and Sunday June 9-10 NW Adventure Sports Festival

Trail encounters this week:

• Hike Sun. May 20, PG gate 1, 70 minutes, with Tia and my family and 7-lb pack. One consistent challenge has been to interest our girls in regular outings on the trails. Today, our younger daughter, 12, made a game of counting slugs she sighted. In our 70-minute loop walk of approximately 3.5 miles, she counted 99 live and 3 dead. Altogether, now, to the tune of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall: "99 live, slimy slugs on the trail 99 live, slimy slugs...stomp one down, squish it around, 98 live, slimy slugs on the trail...
• Hike Mon. May 21, PG gate 2, 180 minutes, roughly 9.5 miles, a mix of access roads and singletrack with Tia. 20-lb pack.
• Hike Wed. May 23, PG gate 2, 80 minutes with Tia, 20-lb pack.
• Hike Thur. May 24, PG gate 2, 70 minutes with Tia, 7-lb pack.