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Multi-night backpack
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Bugs
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September 7-10, 2011 - Starting from the Sol Duc trailhead late Wednesday, I made it a few miles to Sol...
September 7-10, 2011 - Starting from the Sol Duc trailhead late Wednesday, I made it a few miles to Sol Duc River camp #3 just in time to don my headlamp to set up camp. The next day I continued up and after a short distance took a left turn to Appleton Pass. From the pass I took the Cat Creek Way Trail above Oyster lake, through meadows and some timber up through Spread Eagle Pass. Views were great from there. The tread traversed around several basins on the left side of Cat Creek ridge. Always expansive views. I arrived at Swimming Bear Lake late very afternoon. The lake was already occupied so I had reserved a spot a mile or so further (Bruce's Roost) for the night. I dropped my gear and then continued over and down to Heart Lake on a water run. Back to High Divide and my roost for sunset views of Mt Olympus's full monty. Friday night I'd reserved SBLk and had the place to myself, and the occasional bear. Very cool... Saturday I broke camp and headed west along the High Divide trail (joined by many other weekenders). Enjoyed a brief lunch on top of Bogachiel Peak before reluctantly descending to the trailhead by 5pm.
The dry hot temperatures held through the week and beyond (almost too hot for me - was like it typically is in August). And along with other unusual aspects of our hiking season this year, found the flies and mosquitoes terribly annoying (also like August). This is one of the very few years they've been out in force so late. Other unusual observations this year included a lack of ripe/ripening berries (other than down low, like the Deer Lake area, where I noticed blue berries), and the lack of any fall foliage beginning to show. I expect some bears will be especially hungry this fall. All trails are in great shape. The flower show is not over. The Cat Creek Way Trail was steep and sketchy in places, but if off the tread, the terrain was usually forgiving. Highly recommend the route. There still are some largish snow patches on the highest parts of the High Divide trail, but they posed no problems. The biggest hassle was the bugs... folks didn't seem to have anticipated them being such a force this late in the season. Helicopters in and out slinging privy loads over several days. Got buzzed by one flying low over my camp at SBLk at 6:30am on Saturday morning - what was that all about? It wasn't slinging a load... it was barely light yet. I didn't need that kind of wake-up call. Saw 4 bears here and there, a dozen or so mountain goats in the Heart Lake basin, and a group of 20-30 elk high on the Cat Creek ridge side of that basin in the waning evening sun. I happened to chat with the party that had stayed at SBLk the day before me and learned that they had actually seen a bear swimming in Swimming Bear Lake (they showed me the video). What are the odds of that! Great trip... would be neat to see in fall colors! Overnight
Issues:
Snow on trail | Bugs
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As beautiful as ever. We did a one night hike. Hiked to Lunch Lake via Deer Lake first...
As beautiful as ever. We did a one night hike. Hiked to Lunch Lake via Deer Lake first day. Deer Lake always has horse flies the size of small birds. Lunch Lake had tons of mosquitos. Snow started about 1-2 miles past Deer Lake- slow but passable but cleared up not long after. Entry to 7 Lakes was sketchy. Saw a bear in the valley to the west before entering 7 lakes. Encountered 5 goats on trail and was soft charged by one of them, twice. We gave plenty of space but ended up having to use sticks, rocks, yelling, whistle, etc. to get them to let us pass on the trail. The one goat was pretty nasty and harassed other hikers but did not charge. I have been around mountain goats plenty of times, and very close, and never been spooked like this.
On 2 day two we took the recommended short cut through the basin to the high divide trail. Most of it was fine except one part where you hike on an ice slope that was right above a lake. SCARY. The trail disappeared for awhile right before you hit the high divide trail. From the there to Heart Lake was mostly clear except leading into Heart Lake, which was very soft and easy to get through. Fantastic hike with plenty of people making it through the snow, seemingly without issues. This is my 7th time doing this hike, and I have never seen snow like this!
High Divide
— Aug 02, 2011
— BirdDog
Multi-night backpack
Issues:
Snow on trail
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Beautiful, lot's of snow. Patchy snow below Solduc Park, contiunous snow from Hart Lake, throught 7 Lakes Basin and back...
Beautiful, lot's of snow. Patchy snow below Solduc Park, contiunous snow from Hart Lake, throught 7 Lakes Basin and back up to summer trail @ Bogacheil Pk. Patchy snow from Bogie to about 4K' above Deer Lake. Steep snow on south side of Bogie Pk.; ice axe highly reccomended. No running water above Hart Lake or in basin, bring extra fuel.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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Spectacular hike. Entered via Deer Lake. Avoided upper approach to Bogachiel Peak due to steep snow. Dropped into Lunch...
Spectacular hike. Entered via Deer Lake. Avoided upper approach to Bogachiel Peak due to steep snow. Dropped into Lunch Lake / 7 Lakes Basin- a winter wonderland. 10+ feet of snow through out the 7 Lakes Basin. Needed an ice axe from the Potholes to the stream crossing below Sol Duc Park. Quite amazing to see this much snow in July. Hike took 14 hours instead of the usual 8-10 due to the snow and longer route. Stream ford at Sol Duc Park was ok but glad to have poles. Lower ford has a new log - but the log is completely round and a bit slippery.
Sol Duc River, High Divide, Cat Basin Primitive, Mink Lake and Little Divide, Mink Lake
— Oct 05, 2010
— PNA
Multi-night backpack
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Washouts
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A quick little 2 night trip around 7 lakes basin.
Got a late start Tuesday, and got...
A quick little 2 night trip around 7 lakes basin.
Got a late start Tuesday, and got to Appleton Junction just in time to cook some dinner and set up camp before dark. I like the small campsites the park service has set up scattered along the trail in that area. Not many people around beyond Sol Duc falls. Wednesday I hiked up past Heart Lake and went down the Cat Basin/Cat Peak trail until it ends. It's in good shape beyond Cat Basin, although there are some stretches that are hard packed, sloping gravel/soil along very steep slopes beyond the basin. No problem in good weather, but might be crumbly in the spring. Quite a few large rocks and trees across the trail before its abrupt end (where the way trail heads up the slope for the Bailey Range). The High Divide Trail up to Bogachiel Peak is in decent shape, with some problem erosion. There's a patch of snow hidden in the rocks where the trail crosses the E. ridge of Bogachiel Peak, in case you need water - there's none to speak of up there (although that may change tonight). I enjoyed the sunset reflecting off the ocean from Bogachiel. The trail ( "little divide"?) from Deer Lake to the Mink Lake turnoff seems fairly little used, but in good shape. The trail down to Mink Lake has some serious erosion problems, and could really use some heavy-duty water bars. Much of it appears to be streambed when it rains. Mink Lake trail down to the Sol Duc has lots of (excessive?) recent cleaning of drainages. Saw 1 adult bear in Cat Basin, 1 adult and 1 cub on the SW slope of Bogachiel Peak. Saw 2 elk, one a magnificent bull on a rock above the trail west of Deer Lake. Lots of robins and varied thrushes about, and a number of flickers, jays, juncos, chickadess and hard-to-view brown birds in the underbrush. The blueberries are at their peak for color, with great reds and purples, but very few berries, and no tasty ones from any species. Not a good year for berries, I think, at least in the Olympics. Lots of other nice foliage colors, as well - mountain ash, spirea etc. Campanula is the only flower blooming at all consistently, but there were a couple patches of lupines still blooming, and paintbrush, and the last asters not looking very happy. No bugs to speak of. All in all, a great trip with spectacular fall weather, great fall color, and nice bear sightings. |
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