It felt good to relax on the Lateral Moraine, watching the sun go down around Mount Olympus. All the previous days of this adventure had been about walking on the mountain. For once, I could sit back and enjoy the rewards of my efforts. Ended up seeing a marmot, mountain goat and black bears - including mom and cub.
Once I left the rainforest valley, I got really cooked by the sun from reflection off an abundance of spring snow on the divide.
Part of the 'Walking through the Seasons' Trail Series
Updated by Barefoot Jake in 2025
Once I left the rainforest valley, I got really cooked by the sun from reflection off an abundance of spring snow on the divide.
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| Greeted by a Olympic wildflower fairy tale on the way to the Blue Glacier's lateral moraine. Such a peaceful place. |
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| Saying goodbye to the mountain at sunset, thanking it for allowing safe passage. |
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| Came off the mountain the next day, back into the Hoh River valley. A view of Mount Carrie from the Lewis Meadows gravel bar camps. Decided to stage myself here, preparing for the climb back out of the valley the next day. |
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| The Hoh Rainforest has a unique assortment of bugs, some I haven't seen anywhere else in the Park. Only sleeping under a tarp, these little guys are free to sleep with me through the night. That is called, “being one with nature.” |
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| I can honestly say I dragged my butt up those twenty-two switchbacks of the Hoh Lake Trail. The fun was far from over, I still had to climb above the lake to Bogachiel Peak. Before doing so, I sat and took a break to enjoy the moment and a nice shady spot on a hot day. |
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| Hoh Lake still frozen over. Here I would drink lots of water, observing a black bear mom and cub feeding on berries (not pictured). |
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| Coming across all the steep snow wasn't much fun, especially on the west facing slopes above the lake where the sun hadn't softened up the ice yet. Took a lot of patience to navigate. |
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| After climbing around, then across a number of steep and icy spring snows, I was happy to see this view. Great perspective of the trip. Looking west, down the Bogachiel drainage, to the Pacific Ocean. My current struggle for the day was dealing with the heat. The rest of the day would be spent on the snow. This creates the feeling of being in a microwave. No matter how much water you drink, there is an uncontrollable craving for salt. I was looking forward to dinner. |
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| Popular summer backpacking areas, still covered in spring snow. It was nice to be in this area and not see a single person. This would be a different story when I returned to the area weeks later. |
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| High Divide in spring. This is where the Sol Duc divides with the Hoh Valley. Cat Peak and Mount Carrie, Bailey Range pictured (right). |
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| It was nice to take a snack break at this high point on the ridge. I found a melted out piece of meadow with lilies just starting to bloom. The break gave me a chance to put it all in perspective and pay respect to the mountain from which I just came. She was kind enough to spare my life, to live another day. Being there in the moment, it is hard to believe a man could walk on something so majestic. |
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| The Bailey Range and High Elk Camp. Still lots of snow in the high country. I would be back to do this traverse later in the season. |
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| Dinner view. One more of Olympus. |
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| All tucked in for a night under the Milky Way. Sleeping in wilderness is where I have the purest sleep. The next morning I would walk out of the backcountry for resupply. |
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| Before exiting the backcountry, my favorite bath spot in this area. |