Monthly Archives: August 2010

The Brothers are Mothas’! part1

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By Bruce Greeley

August 24, 2010

Starting out, first day

Me at start

Me at start

‘Twas a beautiful full moon August 24th day, and so why not head off to the Olympics and climb “The Brothers” — didn’t Pop always point out to them across Puget Sound and wish us to do this? (to my brothers: didn’t Pop & Burry try climbing them once and one of them hurt his knee and had to walk backwards the whole way down? ooo, ominous premonitions!)

Also inspired by just going with whole family to new Robin Hood movie: “Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions” — never give up, aye aye!

it can’t be too hard, can it? This is America, they’re in a national park, of course there’s a nice well-marked trail, the guidebooks are exaggerating the difficulties, right? And I’ve done a couple hikes recently, more in shape (or more used to the agonies & pain of slogging along)

18303

So, first stop was to old stomping grounds in Richmond Beach with picture of those twin peaks and good ol’ 17th Place Northwest:

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The Brothers are Mothas’! part2

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By Bruce Greeley

Day two beginning

So, didn’t sleep too well, but never mind, a couple boiled eggs and I’m off by 7:30 am (!!) with only day pack…now see another tent which helps me actually find the right trail and I carry on….NOW the trail gets super steep, but little pink & orange ‘condoms’ (okay, flags) & rock cairns do mark the way…for awhile anyway, but then lose those too, but hey, I can see the peaks (3 instead of 2, strangely) so straight up has to be okay, yes?! Up through old forest fires (better than the loose scree and snow fields to left & right), spectacular views AND echoes (my lonely shouts caroming around the peaks and canyons, even dying out and re-echoing!), though I HAVE to get above this ridge to the east so I can see Seattle!

Scree & peaks

Scree & peaks

Nearing summit

Beyond the tree line I come up against a sheer near-vertical wall (pant pant!) but — if I’m even in the right place! — one guide book says: “From here [6000 feet], either bear right under the summit block to the ridge or go straight up through a narrow chute.”

So, I’m tired, why not take the shorter route? I drop my two walking sticks and start climbing up this wall, 30 or 40 feet high and kinda tricky to find hand and footholds at times.

Whew, now on top and just below the summit I think and above the ridge so I think that must be Seattle over there and I signal everyone with my mirror!! (see the light reflection on this tree):

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MT. WASHINGTON

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By Jim T

AUGUST 16, 2010

Mt. Hopper fire smoke plume drifting North, 2 days before the hike.EW

Mt. Hopper fire smoke plume drifting North, 2 days before the hike.EW

“It’s my favorite hike in the Olympics”
“This hike makes me feel like I’ve really climbed a mountain”
“This was harder than Mt. Adams”
“I’ve never seen so many Goats in distress before”
“… and is better suited to mountain goats than hikers.”

And the quotes went on, from each level of experience, from all 13 Goats. Mt. Washington truly merits the designation as difficult. The trail starts at FS road 2419, the Big Creek road, at about 3000’. In less than 2 miles, it climbs to the ridge at 5940’, and with another ¼ mile reaches the top of the peak at 6255’ (according to printed info and maps). Our average time to the top was 3 1/2hours, and 2 ½ hours down.

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Forty-Eight Hours in the Olympic National Park Back County

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By Bret Wirta

Part Two: The Seven Lakes Basin

Distance: 17.1 miles – Hiking Time: 14

Elevation: 5,420 Feet.

August 2nd 2010

Panorama from Mt Bogachiel

Yesterday my 16 year-old son Garrett, my 17 year-old nephew Nate and I had hiked up to Appleton Pass where we spent the night. Today we were continuing on into the Seven Lakes Basin. The kids and I were excited because we’d heard so much about the beauty of this backcountry. My son Garrett doesn’t like to eat breakfast right after he rises, so after we struck camp and put a couple of miles behind us before we stopped to eat. Leaving Appleton Pass we descended quickly into the thick forest, punctuated by open meadows of tall Bear Grass and daisies. Here and there were little stagnant ponds fed by snowmelt where we surprised an occasional frog. We caught our first glimpse of the snow and ice-bound Mount Olympus in the distance. The massive mountain lay beyond the rocky shoulder of the High Divide, the 5,000 plus foot high ridge we hoped to be hiking along in the afternoon.

After two miles we stopped at Rocky Creek for breakfast. We had bled-off a couple of thousand feet in elevation. I lit our stove and carefully prepared a small bowl of instant oatmeal and a cup of mocha coffee for each of us. I drank a cup of instant coffee for breakfast. (By the way the new Starbucks Via coffee is the best tasting instant coffee ever.) The boys peppered me with questions about Mt. Olympus, High Divide and the day’s long hike ahead. They were nervous and didn’t pay attention to their meager rations. Good for me because I hadn’t packed enough food.

CLICK HERE for PDF – Appleton Pass and High Divide Map

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Forty-Eight Hours in the Olympic National Park Back County

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By Bret Wirta

Part One: Appleton Pass Trail

Distance: 7.7 miles. – Time: 7 hours

Elevation: 5,120 Feet.

August 1st 2010

Panorama from Appleton Pass campsite

I parked our car at the Olympic Hot Springs trailhead. My 16 year-old son Garrett, my 17 year-old nephew Nate and I had only a couple of days to cross two mountain passes, scale one mountain peak and journey along two dozen difficult trail miles. It seemed a bit daunting. All the members of my family are fairly experienced backcountry hikers, but most of our familiarity has been with the North Cascade Mountains. My time in the Olympic Mountains has been almost all day-hiking, so I was worried when an Olympic National Park Ranger told me over the phone to purchase an ice-axe. The Ranger said without it there was a risk we could slip on the steep snowfields along the shoulder of Bogachiel Peak and “slide off to our deaths.” What I didn’t realize was that there would be another challenge on this trip – hunger. I didn’t pack enough food.

We began our hike at 11:30AM, later than I had anticipated, delayed because back home in Seattle, at the last minute that morning, my 18 year old daughter Becca started throwing-up with the flu. Becca cried and I was upset too because our usual summer hiking party, which had already dwindled by one when my wife bowed out with a slipped disc, now wouldn’t include my daughter either. I had planned this as a farewell hike before Becca left for college in a few weeks. I was a bit disappointed and unfocused when I started pulling items from Becca’s backpack and re-arranging our gear. At least that was my excuse for packing a Costco-size tube of sunscreen, two stoves instead of one, and leaving way too much of our precious food on the dining room table.

CLICK HERE for PDF – Appleton Pass and High Divide Map

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