Counting Blowdowns on the Quinault, April 2025 (Re-edit)

Counting Blowdowns on the Quinault, April 2025 (Re-edit)

A 5-day backpacking trip up Quinault and into Enchanted Valley during early April. Primary purpose, other than getting away just before work project starts, was to check on condition of Enchanted Valley Chalet. Went in about 48 hours after vehicle access to Graves Creek trailhead restored. I expected to encounter numerous gnarly blowdowns, and was not disappointed.

Blowdown 7 monolog:
So what constitutes a “blowdown”?
My hiking partner and I use a fairly liberal definition of any tree that impedes natural progression down the trail, whether that means a step over, duck under, or re-route off trail. I counted nearly two dozen. Yet another trail report by someone I met and talked to twice, so I know he hiked same trail, mentions less than a dozen.
Is there a minimum diameter? Number 11 is fairly small, but waist high.
Or is there a strike zone of between knees and shoulders that it has to fall into, otherwise it is easily enough passable. Or there a difference between dead fall and still green with only (recently) live trees counting?
Share your thoughts in the comment section of what you consider a blowdown or what you think of when you hear a trail report mention blowdowns.

Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
3:26 Blowdowns 1 -5, and a water challenge
5:09 Fire Creek bridge and camp
7:19 What constitutes a “blowdown”?
10:10 More water crossings and blowdowns 11 – 13
11:16 Stream crossing, 2025 vs 2021
12:14 The most challenging blowdowns (14-17)
15:15 Day 3, Area clear of bears
16:49 Trail washout, and more blowdowns
18:26 Entrance into Enchanted Valley
20:24 Enchanted Valley Chalet
22:22 Avalanches!
29:17 Quinault River channel changes
31:15 Chalet status update
32:53 Exit and hike out
34:05 Epilog and future plans
37:10 End card links to other videos