"Helm's Deep" Glacier NP

Crystal lakes, alpine meadows, towering mountains, waterfalls; nine days on the "Crown of the Continent" to wrap up a summer spent backpacking.

the lowdown: Glacier is truly a hiker's paradise; over 700 miles of trail wind through soaring peaks and mountain meadows, past glaciers and alpine lakes and into waterfall filled valleys. The park's 1 million acres are bisected by the Continental Divide atop the Lewis and Clark Mountain range. The peaks that today rise ten thousand feet above sea level were conceived hundreds of millions of years ago as layers of sediment deposited on the floor of an ancient sea. About 60 million years geological pressure built to the breaking point and these layers of sedimentary rock were compressed, folded and bent, then finally forced west up and over softer rock, raising the Lewis and Clark Range. More recently, glaciers carved the mountains, creating the deep cirques, hanging valleys and horned peaks and saw toothed aretes of the alpine paradise found today.

The Continental Divide bisecting the park marks the eastern end of the moist maritime climate of the Pacific Northwest. On this side of the park lush mixed conifer forest dominates the sub-alpine region. Some areas, such as the Nyack/Coal Creek area are home to stands of giant cedar and hemlock. On the drier, eastern side of the park aspen and lodgepole pine parkland is found at lower elevation as the mountains run out towards the Great Plains. Fir-spruce forest is found at higher elevation on this side. Above treeline, both sides of the divide are characterized by grassy, mossy tundra.

Glacier is populated by a wide variety of wildlife; from grizzly and black bear, elk and moose down to pika, marmots and shrews. The mascot of the park is the mountain goat, and i was fortunate to have one visit my camp on my final morning to wish me off.

Fishing is excellent throughout the park; cutthroat and rainbow and brook trout were the most common, at least at the end of my line. Non-native lake trout, grayling and kokane are also present.

Dave's Hike

dates: 7/25-8/2

mileage, elevation +/-, pinnacle: 85mi, +/- 35000', 9375' (Mt James)

conditions: Well maintained trails through the valleys and up to tree line. Exposed scrambles over talus and scree to summits. Patchy snow at high altitudes and on north facing slopes, no tools required.

weather: Sunny to partly cloudy most days, a few storms, none too severe or prolonged. Daytime temps were low 70's in the valleys to low 50's at altitude, 20 degrees cooler at night.

highlights: The most jaw dropping scenery of the summer. Azure alpine lakes in steep walled cirques. Witnessing the sculpting power of water and ice in glacially carved mountains and seeing the process ongoing all around in waterfalls, creeks and streams. marmot fights!

the hike:

I began this hike late afternoon on the 25th, at the West Glacier trailhead. I hiked up the Middle Fork of the Flathead River (which forms the southwest border of park) for 5-6 miles, then turned east deeper into the park to my 1st night's camp at Harrison lake.

Middle Fork of the Flathead and Harrison Lake

I spent the next 2 days at low elevation in the Nyack/Coal Creek primitive area located in the southwest corner of the park. This area is characterized by towering forests of cedar and hemlock, some over 500 yrs old. The trail cuts through dense understory, surrounded by huckleberry bushes that were just ripening as I passed through. This is prime grizzly territory, so I refrained from picking the berries as I had negotiated an agreement with the bears; I don't eat their food and they don't eat mine (or me.)

Of course, I couldn't be sure that all bears got that memo, so to be on the safe side, I made plenty of noise as I passed through this area. I found the whole "hey bear, hey bear" refrain to be a little repetitive, so I improvised as I hiked. In this clip you can hear me (in my best Brooklyn accent) threatening the bears with pepper spray "hotter than fra diavlo."

I also did a few good Hans and Frans (early 90's Saturday Night Live) improv bits.

I made my way along the banks of Nyack Creek, travelling northeasterly towards the headwaters of the creek, up towards the mountains. I spent my 2nd night at the Lower Nyack campsite and my 3rd at the Upper Nyack site. As I gained very little elevation on my first 3 days on trail there were no scenic vistas on this portion of the trip, but the creekside flowers and cascades provided a beautiful backdrop to the hike.

Nyack Creek

The morning of my 4th day out (July 28th) I awoke to this view of the mountains that I would be ascending later in the day. By this point I had hiked about 30 miles in the valley and was ready to climb!

From the Nyack Creek valley I began my climb up into the mountains, towards the Continental Divide at Cut Bank Pass, 3000' above. I stopped for lunch about halfway up and was joined by an unexpected guest.

I reached Cut Bank Pass in the early afternoon and took a side trip to the top of Mt Morgan (8781'.) The climb was an exposed scramble over talus and scree.

Looking north into Cut Bank valley

a nice panorama from Mt Morgan summit showing many glacially carved features

After (carefully) descending Mt Morgan, I returned to Cut Bank Pass, continuing my descent past Pitamakan Lake and into the Cut Bank Creek valley. I traveled north about 5 miles further to the confluence of Atlantic Creek where I made camp for the night.

The next day, my 5th on trail, I followed Atlantic Creek back up into the mountains, towards Triple Divide Peak. As you may know, water falling on the Continental Divide will drain into either the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. However, at the Triple Divide precipitation has the additional option of draining into the Hudson Bay, so a rain drop that fell exactly on Triple Divide Peak would find its droplets headed to 3 different watersheds.

From Triple Divide Pass I made an incredible side trip to the summit of Mt James (9375') the pinnacle (literally and figuratively) of my Glacier trip. Like Mt Morgan, this ascent required exposed scrambling over talus.

looking to the northwest from Mt James summit

a panoramic view from the summit,

After descending, I continued north in the Hudson Bay Creek valley to my camp at Red Eagle Lake, where i spent the night in the company of 6 park naturalist on their last night of a research expedition.

the view looking south from Red Eagle, Mt James on the left

Over the first 5 days I had covered over 50 miles and had climbed a lot. As a result, I was eating a bit more than I had planned and realized that I probably didn't have enough food for the next 4 days. So on the morning of the 6th day (July 30th) I made the decision to hike out to the town of St Mary and restock. This added a few miles to the trip, which I was able to recover by taking the hiker's shuttle to the Jackson Glacier Overlook trailhead, further west along Going to the Sun Road. That night I shared the Reynold's Creek campsite with a young couple from Boston.

The next day I headed west up the valley of the St Mary River, with time for a side trip to Florence Falls.

Florence Falls

From the falls I passed through a profusion of wildflowers on my way up to Gunsight Pass.

Gunsight Pass is bracketed by two simply gorgeous lakes; on the east by Gunsight Lake Lake Ellen Wilson on the west. I spent the night at the foot of Gunsight Lake, where I had an unsettling experience. To backtrack a bit; while sleeping in grizzly country I ensured that my pepper spray, glasses and headlamp were all within easy reach, should I have an unwelcome nocturnal visitor. That night I was in my tent, drifting off to sleep when something came crashing within a few feet of my tent. Sure that I was about to be mauled, I put on my glasses and headlamp in a hurry, and removed the safety from the spray. Leading with the "bear mace" I stuck my head out of the tent, ready to spray the enormous brown mass of animal less than a yard from me. It was only at the very last moment that I realized the intruder was a young female deer. So basically, I almost pepper sprayed Bambi...

Gunsight Lake, with the pass in the background, from camp

On the morning of my 8th day (a cold and windy one) I climbed to Gunsight Pass, where I ran into a marmot enjoying the blustery view of Lake Ellen Wilson.

I descended from the pass and continued along the shores of Lake Ellen Wilson towards the Sperry Glacier.

Lake Ellen Wilson

Lake Ellen Wilson

Once again I was running low on food (my metabolism was really humming after 3 months of hiking,) and I was contemplating cutting my trip short by a day and heading out. However, I was really looking forward to hiking up to nearby Sperry Glacier and Comeau Pass the following day and had heard rumors of food for sale at the Sperry Chalet.

Sperry Chalet is one of the 2 remaining backcountry chalets that were built in the early days of the park to offer modest backcountry accommodations for those who weren't into sleeping on the ground and carrying their own food. These chalets have bunk beds and cold running water, but more importantly, kitchens that provide meals to those staying in the chalets. And more importantly still, a small concession business that sells candy, pie and other fantastic things that are devoured by famished hikers such as yours truly.

While I ate 3 candy bars and a slice of pie (w/coffee!) I was told that there was an open spot at the dinner table that night and I was welcome to join them. Of course I was glad to accept. So I took advantage of the cold running water to clean up as best as I could for dinner---backcountry grooming note--in a pinch, Dermatone or Blistex can apparently double as hair pommade. That evening I enjoyed a great meal with about twenty guests of the chaltet, from all over the country and globe.

I returned to my tent, less than half a mile away, and slept very well on a very full belly that final evening on trail on this grand trip.

The next morning had some overcast skies and melancholy tones to match my final morning in camp. However a visitor (below) lightened my mood.

I set off for the long climb up to Comeau Pass and Gunsight Mtn summit, with a quick detour back to the chalet to fuel up on coffee and Almond Joys. Not my 1st choice in candy, but I had supplemented desert the previous night with a few more candy bars and had pretty much depleted their stocks until the next pack train came through to resupply them.

View of Comeau Pass from the chalet

Comeau Pass overlooks the Sperry Galcier and the climb up passes an incredible number of waterfalls and crosses a number of alpine meadows filled with snow lilly and marmots duking it out over territory.

some of the falls on the approach to the pass

Once I crossed the pass, I continued on to Gunsight summit for an incredible view of the Sperry Glacier and tarn.

I was in for one final surprise and treat when I found and opened the summit cannister; the chalet employees had hiked up the weekend before and left a Snickers bar for the next person to summit. I still had a ten mile hike out, down a few thousand feet, with no food left, so you can imagine how I happy was to find that little treat. Come to think of it, Mars & Co supplied at least half of my calories over the last 36 hrs on trail.

The hike back down to the trailhead was uneventful and relatively easy, so I had plenty of time to savor my last few miles on trail. After reaching the Lake McDonald trailhead (my mother's maiden name, surely a good omen,) I took the hiker's shuttle to my car and was off to chase rumors of a pizza joint 30 miles away in Whitefish that was allegedly run by NY expatriates.

I found the place, which had the NYC pizza place decor exactly; Italian tricolore color scheme, photos of the NYC skyline and landmarks, right down to the Godfather and Goodfellas stills.

The pie was good enough; they'd survive next to a subway stop in NYC, but wouldn't make the Time Out list. Maybe it was because the guys were actually from New Jersey...

"The Old Forest" Yellowstone NP

Nine days in America's 1st National Park, in peak season, with a great hiking partner. Does it get any better than this?

the lowdown: The incredible diversity of wildlife that earned the nickname "America's Serengeti," the iconic geysers and hot springs (over half the world's geothermal features are located here,) the stunning natural beauty of mountains, lush valleys, deep canyons and raging rivers; Yellowstone has attained an almost mythical status for good reason

dates: 7/15-23

mileage, elevation +/-, pinnacle: 75mi, +/-22000', 10,990 (Electric Peak)

conditions: patchy snow at altitude, much less than we were told to expect. Trails exceptionally well maintained, scramble to Electric Peak on talus & scree, some minor river fords.

weather: Let's just say "unpredictable." At times you could observe 3 different weather systems. We had sun every day. We also had either rain or hail every day. Temps varied wildly also; 70's-50's daytime, 30's-50's at night. Words really won't do this justice, so here's video

highlights: wildlife, great company, rainbows, Electric Peak and wildflowers!

challenges: the weather took a bit of getting used to, Brita's feet looked like raw meat by the end of the trip, traffic jams on the way into the park to pick up our permit. and huge mosquitoes. but all in all it was a pretty smooth trip.

the hike: At 2,200,000 square acres Yellowstone is larger than Rhode Island, so clearly it is impossible to see it all, even on an extended trip like ours. We chose the northwest quadrant of the park which offers a good cross section of all Yellowstone has to offer.

After the aforementioned traffic jams in the center of the park (caused by buffalo/bear sightings in the valley) we retreated into the blissfully uncrowded backcountry via the Black Butte Trailhead on the northwestern edge of the park. Our first night was spent at the Black Butte Creek CS, a couple of miles on trail.

The next day was a truly spectacular hike east along the Gallatin Sky Rim, including Bighorn Peak.

The hiking was a little treacherous at points during the day, with little room to spare and a long way down.

But if you want to see bighorn sheep and mountain goats, you've got to get into rarefied air, and we were well rewarded for the risks.

We were treated to the spectacular sight of this herd of bighorn sheep charging off the side of the ridge and down an impossibly steep slope without missing a step.

We descended into a basin crossed with streams and dotted with lakes, spending the night at Shelf Lake:

Where we were greeted with hail, and some of the largest swarms of mosquitoes i have ever seen.

For the next 2 days we traveled leisurely through this area, covering an easy 8 miles each day through wildflower filled valleys. We spent our third night out at High Lake (more hail) then after a late start due to my failed attempts to catch a trout breakfast and a mid day hail storm (a first) we descended to Sportsman's Lake. At both of these lakeside campsites we were swarmed by mosquitoes. Sitting securely in the tent, you could hear them buzzing just outside. They wouldn't bite if you were covered in 30% strength DEET, but they would hover, just about 6 inches off your body. Maybe the 'skeeters extraordinary strength was due to a diet of buffalo & grizzly blood...?

At Sportsman's Lake, we passed the night in the company of a very cool Swiss couple, Chris and Sabine and were treated to a gorgeous double rainbow after another hailstorm.

Well rested after 2 easy days, we set out to summit Electric Peak. From Sportsmans Lake (7500') we climbed to Sportsmans Pass at about 10000' which was about treeline, where the nature of the hiking changed dramatically. Departing from well established trails, we were now scrambling over talus on the exposed face of the mountain. The video below shows our route from the pass up to the peak.

Once at the peak we were rewarded with sweeping, panoramic view of Yellowstone and the neighboring Bob Marshall Wilderness.

Dave and Brita at the summit of Electric Peak

We descended Electric down her southeast arm, making our way into the upper Gardner River Valley, to the campsite of the same name. In camp we were greeted by 2 equally exhausted hikers who had also summited Electric that day. Eric and Nadia worked in the concession stands at Mammoth Hot Springs, a front country tourist destination a few miles east of our location. They were on their 2nd day of a 2 day trip and had planned on making it the remaining 4 miles to their car that night. But they had gotten a little lost on their way down from Electric and were hoping to share the campsite with us before heading back the next morning. They "sweetened" the offer by mentioning that they had some extra Oreos, and clinched the deal when Nadia suggested that we could accompany them to their car and from there to the concessions at the Hot Springs where we could stock up on bug repellent and gorge ourselves on burgers and ice cream.

The next morning the four of us hiked out through a profusion of wildflowers in the Glen Creek valley, with spectacular views of Electric Peak receding in the distance.

We reached Nadia's car around midday and accompanied them into the front country of the park at Mammoth Hot Springs. We did gorge ourselves on concession food and with satiated bellies headed over to the General Store for bug repellent. Where we were told that there was none in stock, anywhere in the park. Apparently, a shipment was late; i'm convinced that a swarm of mosquitoes dive-bombed the supply truck and ran it off the road. I have no evidence to support this claim; it just feels right.

That afternoon, sans bug spray resupply, we headed back towards the trailhead, 7-8 road miles distant. Fortunately, we were able to thumb a ride for most of the way, saving us blacktop hiking. A few easy trail miles later we were at the beautiful Gardner's Hole campsite.

The next morning we set off heading west up the Fawn Creek Valley towards Fawn Pass. Or so we thought... In fact, we were heading north up the Gardner Creek Valley, along a blazed trail that was not on our map. We realized our mistake within a couple of miles, and rather than backtrack, we bushwhacked southwest to pick up Fawn Creek and later that day crossed Fawn Pass and descended through a flower filled burn area to our campsite at Gallatin River.

Towards the end of the day i noticed that Brita was dropping behind and limping a little. She assured me that it was just general soreness and nothing too serious.

The next morning i was up and making breakfast when Brita came out of the tent. Never one to miss a subtle hint, i knew something was wrong when i noticed she was using her hiking poles as makeshift crutches to get around camp. Brita had blisters on her blisters. The worst I've ever seen.

Our plan was to hike north to Fan Creek, spend the night there and continue on to the Eat Fork of the Specimen River before heading west to the car. Reevaluating our itinerary in light of this, we realized that we could take the Bighorn Pass trail west out to the highway and hitch back to the car from there. This would also provide us an extra day to explore the front country of the park, something we wanted to do after briefly experiencing the Hot Springs a few days earlier.

So we hiked out at a gentle pace, leaving plenty of time for the "wildflower papparzo" to harass the wildflowers of Yellowstone.

We were able to hitch a ride back to the car in no time at all, and headed on to West Yellowstone, where we found a campground to spend the night.

After showers, a restaurant meal (or two) and a patch job on Brita's feet we were ready to explore the Hot Springs.

"The Great River" River of No Return/Frank Church Wilderness, ID

A week in the largest wilderness area in the Lower 48? Canyons so deep they turned back Lewis & Clark? Glacially carved high altitude lakes nestled amid the Bighorn Crags? Yeah!

the lowdown: The River of No Return Wilderness, 2,400,000 square acres, is located in central Idaho. So remote, the trailhead is a 2hr drive from the nearest town, the bustling metropolis of Challis, population 900. This is as remote a place as one can find south of Alaska.

The wilderness is dominated by the Salmon River mountains, topping out around 10,000'. The Salmon River bisects from east to west, carving canyons over 6000' deep. The Middle Fork of the Salmon runs south to north; both of these rivers are designated wild and scenic and are considered among the finest whitewater rafting rivers in North America.

High among the jagged peaks of the Bighorn Crags are trout filled, crystal blue lakes in glacial cirques surrounded by spruce-fir forests. Descending into the canyons, the forests give way to open, grassy meadows dotted with ponderosa pine.

dates: 7/8-13

mileage, elevation +/-, pinnacle: 55mi, +/-8900', 9500' (and 10 miles rafting!)

conditions: still plenty of snow at altitude, even in mid-July. trails were well established, and there was no storm or fire damage of note

weather: sun, lots of it. i might have seen a cloud one day. high 60's/high 40's in the mountains, 90's/50's in the canyons.

highlights: really cool new friends, rafting the Middle Fork, diverse ecosystems, unreal fishing (video clip)

challenges: lots of rattlesnakes, getting schooled in "nut-toss," the game my rafting friends taught me, hiking the 5000' 11mi ascent into the Crags

the hike: I reached the Crags Trailhead in the early evening of July 8th, a 2 hr drive from Route 93 over well maintained dirt roads. After a trailhead camp that evening, I set out the next day through the heart of the Bighorn Crags, past Cathedral Rock and along Fishfin Ridge. This high altitude section of the wilderness is dominated by the namesake Crags, which loom over beautiful, crystal clear, trout filled lakes(below, top.) Halfway through the day i caught up with three guys from Idaho, out on a week-long fishing trip. They were on their way to Airplane Lake (below, bottom) to set up a base camp.

From this location, they planned on day hiking to the numerous lakes in the area. I was invited to spend the night in camp with them, an offer i was glad to accept. Within half an hour of arriving in camp we had caught enough (delicious) trout for dinner.

The next morning the 4 of us headed for nearby Shoban and Sheepeater Lakes, both gorgeous alpine lakes, nestled in glacial cirques. I spent the first half of the day in fine company, with fine fishing to match. My mid-day, i realized that a morning spent fishing (and not hiking) had jeopardized by goal of reaching the Middle Fork of the Salmon by nightfall. So, time to re-evaluate and improvise:

I had planned on backtracking to Airplane Lake, then following trails that would take me around Fishfin Ridge, past Wilson, Harbor and Heart Lakes before arriving at the Terrace lakes basin which marked the starting point for the 5000' descent to the Middle Fork. This meant a good 5-6 miles of hiking, with the 11 mi descent still follow; an impossible amount of distance and elevation for an afternoon.

However, a good alternative had presented itself in the form of a steep couloir at the southern end of Sheepeater Lake. The word couloir means "passage" in French and if i could successfully ascend this ridge and descend to the other side i would find my passage to the Terrace Lakes basin, saving at least 5 miles of hiking and keeping my goal of reaching the Middle Fork in reach.

Of course, this meant hiking a 50 degree slope up a few hundred feet of elevation on late season, possibly unstable, snowpack. After carefully scouting the route and testing the snowpack, i headed up.

(the couloir is located on the right side of the ridge below)

(a view of the couloir on my way up)

The ascent was easier than i had hoped, and i soon found myself at the top of the ridge, looking back on Sheepeater and Shoban Lakes.

Soon i was in the Terrace Lakes Basin, and before starting the long descent down to the Middle Fork i couldn't resist the temptation to do a little fishing in these beautiful lakes. The fishing was excellent (of course) and after landing a particularly nice trout, i went for my camera to capture it for posterity. I had placed the camera close by on a rock near the shore for easy access; too close apparently, as it had fallen and tumbled into the lake. Just to refresh, this is the camera that had already been dropped about 200' down a rocky slope in Colorado and into the sand in the Utah desert, yet still worked. Surely it couldn't withstand total submersion in water, and when i attempted to power it on, i was greeted with a blank LCD display and a hideous sound.

Hoping against hope, i disassembled the camera as best as i could and laid it out in the afternoon sun to dry. An hour passed and a significant amount of moisture was still visible. Another hour (i passed the time fishing, naturally) and still it wouldn't power on. Finally, as 5pm approached and my plan of reaching the Middle Fork by dark was again in jeopardy i decided to reassemble the camera and hope for the best. Lo and behold, the camera powered up and took pictures! There was still residual moisture in the display, but it worked! (and still does to this day)

So, a few hours behind schedule, i headed down towards the Middle Fork, 11 miles below, at a quick clip, following Watefall Creek.

Soon the spruce-fir forest gave way to open grasslands and i was moving at a good clip over easy trail, feeling that nothing could slow me down. Until i heard the 1st rattle, behind me, which meant that i had rambled past a snake without seeing it. Not being bitten was clearly a good thing, but i was concerned that i was unaware of the snake's presence until after i was already past it. Clearly, i was moving too fast and spending too much time admiring the unfolding valleys below me and not paying enough attention to the trail ahead of me. Over the next few days at lower elevation i was rattled a few more times and on one occasion i needed to freeze in my tracks to allow a rattler to clear off the trail; I must admit that i really respect an animal that will warn before striking.

(a view of the Middle Fork on the descent from the Bighorn Crags)

Just after dark I reached the Middle Fork of the Salmon and made camp at the confluence of Big Creek. It was an exhausting day; 14 miles hiked, 4000' gained and 9000' lost. I took solace in the fact that i wouldn't have to hike up that route, as i planned to hike up the river and make a much more gentle ascent back towards the Crags.

The next day's hike was to take me 18 miles up the river to Camus Creek. After making camp there, i would head up towards Middle Fork peak the following day. The hiking along the river was hot and tiring despite the relatively gentle elevation changes along the river.

Mid-afternoon i was looking for a shaded area to enjoy a late lunch when i happened upon a beautiful, leggy blonde. I was sure that i was the victim of sunstroke, but was more than happy to enjoy the hallucination. In fact, i had come across a party of rafters on a week long trip down the Middle Fork.

They were well equipped (having the benefit of the river carrying their supplies) and insisted on having me for dinner. At first i declined, needing to make another 8 miles that day, but as soon as they began to set up their buffet spread, i couldn't resist. Fresh salad, roast pork tenderloin, cowboy potatoes; who was i to say "no thanks, i'd rather rehydrate some beef jerky and vegetables..."

(Summer tending bar and setting up the buffet)

The group was headed by 2 former river guides who were able to use their connections to snag a coveted permit. And did they travel in style; in addition to the aforementioned edibles they traveled with a full bar and portable drinking game, "nut toss." After dinner and a few rounds of nut toss, i was in no condition to continue on, so i accepted the offer to share camp for the evening.

We shared a great night around the fire, and i must have made some decent impression, as the next morning they offered me the opportunity to raft the Middle Fork with them. Of course, this was in the opposite direction that i was heading, but one doesn't turn down the chance to raft the Middle Fork. Once again, i needed to re-evaluate my plan. The only way that i could make it work was to bite the bullet and accept the fact that i would have to retrace my route down from the Crags, this time going uphill all 5000'!!

So we headed off down river, which was beautiful beyond all measure.

They deposited me on the banks of the Middle Fork at the confluence of Big Creek, where i had camped 2 nights previous. After a light lunch, i began the long, arduous climb back up towards the Crags. The 11 miles and 5000' were a lot more difficult going up, and i was acutely aware of rattlers this time. I made it back to the Terrace Lakes basin just before dark, caught a beautiful trout for dinner, and settled in for the night.

The following day I made my way back to the trailhead, this time following the route around Heart, Harbor and Wilson Lakes that i had eschewed earlier in the week when i cut across the couloir. The fishing was fantastic at all the lakes and i had time to scramble to the top of an unnamed peak for incredible panoramic views of the Crags.

I made it back to the trailhead by nightfall and headed down to Challis for a night in the local saloon with some cowboys.

"Treebeard" Olympic NP part II

Eight days in 3 ecosystems on the Olympic Peninsula; This is the 2nd leg of the trip, with Ritvik in the Hoh River Valley area.

The lowdown: After a nice interlude on th

e beach, I met Rit in Port Angeles. Early the next

morning we headed into the Hoh River Valley. We had 4 days and 3 nights to explore this lush rainforest with a side trip up to Elk Lake. We also got to see some of the most incredible storm damage i encountered all summer on the way to Hoh Lake.

dates: June 29th-July 2nd

mileage, elevation

+/-, pinnacle: 40 mi, 9,400, 4100'

Conditions: The Olympic peninsula experienced an incredibly snowy winter, with 220% of normal snowfall. Though we camped in the valley, Rit got to break in his new crampons on a hike up towards Hoh Lake (though the downfall on that hike was way more of an issue than the snow, more on that below...)

Weather: Nice all 4 days and nights, sunny 60's and nightime 40's. Not bad for a rainforest.

Highlights: Great company, great fishing at Elk Lake, a chance to see the awesome power of nature unleashed in storm damage, an extra backpack means room for the hammock.

Challenges: Navigating the storm damage, Hoh River too swollen to ford or fish.

The Hike: From the Hoh River Trailhead, we hiked in about 4 miles on the 1st day to the Mt Tom campsite, which was beautifully close to the river. We'd hoped to fish the Hoh, but it was way too high. So we got to kick back in camp and plan the next few days. The next morning we set out for the Olympus CS, which was to be out base camp for the next 2 nights. We set camp around midday, then checked in at the backcountry Ranger Station near the junction for the trail up to Hoh Lake, our planned hike for the afternoon. We were warned that the slope we'd need to climb to get into the Hoh Lake basin was littered with deadfall resulting from a vicious spring storm. I felt pretty sure that we could navigate it, and when he told us that there was snow on our route that clinched it. After all, Rit had new crampons we needed to break in.

So we struck out and within a couple of miles we started to make switchbacks up the ridge, a

few hundred yards each way. After the 1st few, we encountered the worst deadfall i've ever seen. I'll let video dave and the camera speak:

So travel up this is just as difficult as the video suggests. And it went on for the better part of 3 hrs. After reaching the ridge, we started to encounter snow, and Rit got to break in his crampons!

Since it took much longer to get to the ridgeline, we were forced to turn back short of Hoh Lake. The following day we continued up the Hoh River valley, towards Elk Lake. This was a truly beautiful section of trail. This forest, with the looming giant pines, moss draped understory and soft green cast of sunlight on abundant random cascades was mythical.

The following morning we continued up the Hoh River valley in the rainforest for about 6 miles to Elk Lake, at 2600', which is gorgeous and full of trout.

We returned that night to our Olympus CS and hiked the 9 miles out the following day, and were Seattle bound for 3 nights in a hotel!