The Buckhorn Wilderness is located on the northeast corner of the Olympic Mountains. This area is protected inside the Olympic National Forest, so be sure to check with local regulations before heading out on your hike.
My hiking partner and I wanted to take advantage of a record low snowpack this season. So we decided on exploring the northeast side of the Peninsula and do some mountain camping; since there was a high pressure weather window for a few days.
The weather worked out on our trip. There was a bit of cold winds in the afternoon, but other than that, it was textbook high country conditions. We have still been getting snow in these elevations this spring, so all the bugs were still dead. What more can a hiker ask for?
There was a bit of elevation on this hike, to remind you just how important maintaining winter fitness level really is. My backpack was pretty heavy for spring hiking, carrying winter gear, two cameras and a tripod up the mountain. I was real pleased with the photography that came from this trip, so the heavy pack was well worth the effort.
Overall it was a great trip. I was happy to have practiced putting my backpack together at home, in order to fit all the equipment and water inside my pack for this high camping trip. Plan to keep this area on my radar and plan to return someday.
Updated in July 2017 by Barefoot Jake
My hiking partner and I wanted to take advantage of a record low snowpack this season. So we decided on exploring the northeast side of the Peninsula and do some mountain camping; since there was a high pressure weather window for a few days.
The weather worked out on our trip. There was a bit of cold winds in the afternoon, but other than that, it was textbook high country conditions. We have still been getting snow in these elevations this spring, so all the bugs were still dead. What more can a hiker ask for?
There was a bit of elevation on this hike, to remind you just how important maintaining winter fitness level really is. My backpack was pretty heavy for spring hiking, carrying winter gear, two cameras and a tripod up the mountain. I was real pleased with the photography that came from this trip, so the heavy pack was well worth the effort.
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Ascending with my fully loaded Gorilla pack into the mountains, with four extra liters of water for the dry campsite. |
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Up into the mountains |
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Spent the afternoon relaxing in any shade we could find |
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Overlooking our campsite |
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Evening in the mountains. We had a cold wind, as the sun set. |
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Sunrise over the Hood Canal and North Cascades |
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Waking up in the Olympic Mountains |
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Waking the spirits |
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Later that day we hiked over to a high point inside the Olympic National Park. This gave us a view of Mount Olympus and the surrounding mountains. |
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Hiking back down, from which we came that afternoon. |
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See you later mountains, until next time! |
Overall it was a great trip. I was happy to have practiced putting my backpack together at home, in order to fit all the equipment and water inside my pack for this high camping trip. Plan to keep this area on my radar and plan to return someday.
Updated in July 2017 by Barefoot Jake