Winter hike up Mt. Walker

After Christmas I had a few days off, and since the sun was shining I decided to hike up Mt. Walker. Mt Walker is just past Quilcene, and only an hour from home. The elevation of the summit is 2,805 feet, so it's not a huge mountain, but because it stands by itself, it has some great views. I hiked up the trail and returned by hiking down the road, which is closed during the winter.
2,000 feet elevation gain and 6 miles.

At first the trail was snow-free, but about halfway up it became snow-covered. I hadn't anticipated this much snow, especially since the trial soon became snow-packed and icy, making footing difficult.

I made it to the north summit in two hours. I shared the view with a couple other guys and a hungry gray jay. You could see Mt, Baker to the north.

Mt Constance in the Olympics to the west.

At the south summit, you could see Hood Canal, Mt Rainier, and downtown Seattle. On the southern horizon was Mt Adams and Mt. St. Helens. It was hard to get a good photo because the low southern sun produced a lot of glare off the water.

I asked one of the guys at the summit to take my photo.

Then I started down the snowy road.

It was a lot easier walking down the road. I got back to the trailhead by 12:15 pm.

High Olympics Hike August 14-18, 2015

Katy drove ten hours on Friday to drop my car at Duckabush River and drive me around the Olympic Peninsula to Graves Creek Trailhead on the Quinault River. I hiked about 49 miles in five days with 4,300 feet elevation gain, right over the top of the Olympic Mountains.

Linsley Glacier from O'Neill Pass Trail

When Katy took this photo at the trailhead the first time, my camera said, "Battery Exhausted." Thinking quickly, Katy said, "I'll charge it up with my laptop." She plugged it in and half an hour later I was ready to go. She saved the day.

It was cloudy and misty as I hiked up the Quinault River. My shirt was soaked by the time I got to O'Neill Creek Camp at 6 pm.

On Saturday morning I joined the parade of hikers going to Enchanted Valley. I met three chattering young women who asked if I wanted them to take my photo at this enormous cedar rootwad. Of course!

The upper crossing of the Quinault River is this skinny footbridge high over the river. When I got to the middle, I went hand over hand, trying not to look down. The guidebook doesn't mention this!

I can see how Enchanted Valley got its name. This old chalet was built in 1930 and served as a resort lodge before WWII. It's located in a large meadow with cliffs looming above. Other hikers told me that in a normal year there are dozens of waterfalls cascading down the cliffs. It's enchanting.

I continued on and hiked up to O'Neill Pass Trail. It was a good amount of elevation gain but my legs and lungs stood up pretty well. I met several members of a trail crew who told me about torrential thundershowers the day before.  I arrived at White Creek meadow about 4 pm. This is a long meadow formed by avalanches that thunder down from the cliffs above.

Sunrise Sunday morning on West Peak above my camp in White Creek meadow.

Looking down at White Creek meadow and across to West Peak and Mt. Anderson.

Linsley Glacier is a beautiful blue-white hammock nestled under Mt. Anderson. It's visible all along the O'Neill Pass Trail that traverses for miles along the mountainside.

As the trail turns eastward, the entire Quinault Valley unfolds below. You can just barely see Lake Quinault near the horizon.

On Sunday afternoon I left the trail to hike cross-country to Lake Ben. I had to cross Upper O'Neill Basin and climb over the ridge in the center of the photo. There were some elk trails but they weren't much help. After much sweat, I made it to the ridgetop about 3 pm.

Looking down into Lake Ben Basin. This is one of the most breathtaking places I've been in the Olympics. It's a pristine glacial cirque with no evidence if humans. No boot path around the lake, no tent circles, no campfire rings, just elk tracks and a bear feeding on huckleberries high above the lake.

My camp at Lake Ben at sunrise Monday morning. I woke up in the night shivering, and got up to see a miraculous spread of stars across the sky, the Big Dipper on the northern  horizon. I could almost hear my dad pointing it out to me fifty years ago. I added my fleece sweater and spread my gore-tex parka over my legs and went back to sleep. The morning air was pure, fresh and bracing. I felt fully alive.

I sweated my way back over the ridge and re-joined the trail and soon I was at O'Neill Pass. Linsley Glacier appeared again like a recurring dream.

Looking to the South I could see the hanging glaciers on Mt. Duckabush. O'Neill Pass is the low place on the horizon.

From there it was all downhill. I hiked until late in the afternoon, down through the stands of timber as the shadows lengthened. I was so tired I stumbled and rolled my right ankle, causing some pain for the rest of the afternoon.

At five pm I arrived exhausted at Ten Mile Camp and quickly made camp.  Nearly fourteen miles that day.

The next morning I packed up and walked out the last, very long, ten miles. When I got home, Guy made a big juicy hamburger for me on the grill and Katy had fresh tomato pie with tomatoes from her garden.

I brought an audiobook on this trip; Eventide by Kent Haruf. It's about a set of characters in a small town in eastern Colorado, revolving around two bachelor brothers in their sixties who have operated a ranch together all their lives. The dialogue is lean, pitch-perfect for the dry midwestern mileu. I enjoyed it immensely, finishing on my last night.

Sunny day hike to Royal Lake August 3, 2015

As a reward for a successful Barn Sale at St. Antony's last Friday and Saturday, Guy and I did a day hike to Royal Lake. It was a pretty ambitious hike - 15 miles and 3,000 feet elevation gain - but it turned out well. We were pretty tired by the end of the day.

Avalanche chute on Royal Creek

The weather was perfect - sunny and mild. It was warm while we were hiking on the way up, but in the afternoon we had a nice breeze as we hiked downhill.

 Crossing Royal Creek

We left the house about 6:30 am and got to the trailhead by 8:15. We started hiking at 8:30 and got to Royal Lake at 2:00. Guy rested at the lake while I hiked into the upper meadow. I couldn't quite make it to the upper tarn because of time constraints.

 The upper meadow. Royal Lake is surrounded by rocky peaks. It's an inspirational place, especially for a day hike.

Royal Lake 

We started down at 3:00. A cool breeze was in our face as we trudged back to the car. We were beat.

Hiking in the afternoon shadows. 

Despite the drought, there's still a good flow in the Dungeness River. 

We got back to the trailhead at 6:30 and were home for Katy's shepherd's pie at 8:30. Another good day in Olympic National Park.

Hike to Deer Lake in the clouds, July 24, 2015

Guy and I hiked 4 miles through the clouds to Deer Lake in Sol Duc Valley. Eight miles total and about 2,500 feet of elevation gain.

Deer  Lake

We drove to the Sol Duc Road on Thursday night, arriving about 8 pm to find a sign saying "Campground Full." We turned around and found the last campsite in the Fairholm campground. It was lovely hearing the voices of children and smelling the wood smoke of campfires as we set up camp and ate Dinty Moore beef stew.

In the morning we drove to the Sol Duc trailhead and started hiking at 8 am. Our original objective was Bogachiel Peak, but the mist and clouds would have obscured any views we would have had, so we opted to just go to Deer Lake.

Sol Duc Falls

The bridge below Sol Duc Falls

Despite the drought and low stream flows, Sol Duc Falls was truly lovely. We got some photos of the log bridge that spans the gorge below the falls. What a photogenic site.

On the trail up to Deer Lake

We pressed on up the trail to Deer Lake. It's a steep trail with lots of rocks, but we made good time and got there by 10:30. It was misty and drizzly, but we stayed warm by hiking steadily

Deer Lake

The lake itself was really charming. There are many campsites scattered around the lake, and we kept seeing people in their camps. We scouted out the area in case we might come back camping. There's a meadow in the upper end of the lake that is quite lovely. Half a dozen deer were grazing as hikers passed by.

After a good break and devouring some trail mix, we started down at 12:30, arriving at the trailhead at 2 pm. We passed lots and lots of backpackers huffing and puffing their way up to Deer Lake, and the trail below Sol Duc Falls was a highway of day hikers going to the falls. One family had two little boys, the youngest of whom insisted on carrying their day pack which hung almost to his knees.

Into the misty mountains: Duckabush River, July 10-13, 2015

Criag Vocelka took the Sunday Eucharist for me, so I decided to take four days to go to the headwaters of the Duckabush River in Olympic National Park. You can see a Google Map of my trip here. Forty six miles and four thousand feet elevation gain.

On Friday I drove to the trailhead on the Duckabush river and started hiking by 8:10 am. The day was cloudy but I expected it would clear off by afternoon.

By 10:40 I had panted my way to the top of Big Hump, a 900-foot gain followed by a 400 foot descent back to the river. It's a grind, but the trail is good with lots of switchbacks.

Switchbacks up Big Hump. It was burned a few years ago and there are lots of standing dead trees.

I continued up the trail, making good time. I passed Ten Mile Camp at 3:10 and decided to push on to Crazy Creek Camp, arriving at 5:20 pm. The clouds of the morning gave way to sunshine in the afternoon, brightening my mood considerably. The trail above Ten Mile Camp goes through open forest with little brush, making a pleasant walk. The trail goes steadily upward but I took lots of breaks.

Open forest above Ten Mile Camp.

This has been the driest summer on record and the river is very low. I can't imagine what it will be like in September. Still pretty, though.

Duckabush River

Saturday morning I was on the trail by 8:10, continuing up a  long sloped trail. The weather was gray with clouds hovering on the ridges above me. This is a nice section of trail.

A clump of cedars above Crazy Creek. 

At 11:15 I passed Upper Duckabush Camp. I like this camp because it has obviously been used by generations of hikers. It has multiple campsites and fire pits and has a comfortable feel to it.

Upper Duckabush Camp

I started to feel a pain in the upper part of my right foot. It was red and swollen and gave a sharp pain when I started walking after a break. The pain eased a bit as I continued walking. I'm not sure what it was.

Redness and pain in my foot.

In addition, I had a blister on my right ankle and blisters on my next-to-the smallest toes. Probably because I'm wearing a new pair of boots. Because there was mist and showers on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, my feet were continually wet. My poor feet!

Continuing past Upper Duckabush, I started into the steep portion of the trail leading to Marmot Lake. There was a shower, then mist and occasional showers, so I was pretty wet from the waist down. The trail was very steep and I went slowly, pausing every few minutes. By 3:15 I topped out at Marmot Lake and flopped beneath a tree. I rested until 4:00 and then began scouting for a campsite. Finally found one in a copse of trees above the lake. Set up my tarp, got water, and settled in for dinner. I was really pooped.

Frankly, Marmot Lake was a disappointment. It was a shallow, crummy little lake with some ragged rocks and a few scrubby trees. The clouds were hovering around and it was wet and depressing. It felt like Lake Mordor.

My camp at Marmot Lake.

Instead of a book, I brought my mp3 player with music and an audiobook: Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck. I found this a real pleasure. After dinner I could lay in my sleeping bag and listen to hours of storytelling about Danny and his rascally friends. On the third night I finished the seven hours of the book and fell asleep.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling much refreshed and decided to explore the upper basin. I didn't want to come this far and miss the real beauty of the high country. It was breathtaking, well worth the extra effort. The upper basin is rocky and open with a few trees climbing the high walls above. Lake Lacrosse is a green gem set in the upper basin with meadows leading down to the water. I spent some time exploring and taking photos.

 Lake Lacrosse

The mist hovered above the lake but occasionally lifted to show the ridgetops. If you go to the Olympics, you gotta expect some moisture.

I could look across the valley to see the glaciers on the side of Mt. Duckabush.

I hiked a side trail that came around a corner and revealed beautiful Heart Lake in a rocky bowl.

Looking back down the Duckabush Valley.

From that point on, it was all downhill back to the trailhead, twenty three miles of trail to get home. I started down at 10:45 , had lunch at Upper Duckabush Camp, and continued to Ten Mile Camp.

On of my favorite places in the Olympics is the stretch just below Upper Duckabush. It's a flat area with huge trees and almost no brush, like walking through a park.

I continued walking although I was tired, wet and my feet hurt. Arrived at Ten Mile Camp at 5:20 after a nine and a half hour day and 13.9 miles.

Ten Mile Camp.

Monday I hiked the ten miles back to the trailhead. Since it was mostly downhill (except for Big Hump!) I made good time and arrived at the trailhead at by 3 pm. There were just enough showers to keep the brush wet which meant my pants and boots were continually soaked. Sure felt good to put on dry socks and shoes at the car. Katy had pot roast and hot rolls for me when I got home.