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Showing all trip reports for the hike "Hoh River-Five Mile Island"

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No image submitted	Hoh River — Aug 01, 2009 — zschrempp Why go now: Wildflowers blooming, Ripe berries Beware of: Bugs Expand report text Hide report text Trail is in passable condition all the way to Glacier Meadows @ 17.4 miles. Highly suggest camping near the river... Trail is in passable condition all the way to Glacier Meadows @ 17.4 miles. Highly suggest camping near the river to cut down on the bugs, as there can be a lot of them. Also, much of the water is glacial runoff with a lot of silt in it, so plan accordingly so as not to plug your water filter.

See a picture of this report's	Hoh River — Jul 29, 2009 — MtnLuvr Why go now: Wildflowers blooming, Ripe berries Beware of: Mudholes, Washouts, Bugs Expand report text Hide report text 97 degrees made it a very hot & long hike to Olympus Guard Shelter camp area. The Hoh River is... 97 degrees made it a very hot & long hike to Olympus Guard Shelter camp area. The Hoh River is full of silt and very cold but yet refreshing. No water after Five Mile Island Camp until you reach the Olympus Guard Station. The creek is behind the guard station for those that haven’t been there before. A BIG Thank you to all of the generous people that had lent me their water filters between July 29th & 30th as mine was clogged before the trip. You all were a life saver!!!!

See a picture of this report's	Hoh River, Mount Olympus — Jul 16, 2009 — Don Geyer Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Expand report text Hide report text Mount Olympus has held a special attraction to me since my very first visit. It’s an amazing area. ... Mount Olympus has held a special attraction to me since my very first visit. It’s an amazing area. I’ve always contended that I could spend a week on its slopes without summiting and still come back feeling joyous and fulfilled. I still feel that way today. I always feel like I have unfinished business with this mountain from a photography standpoint. There just seems to be so much available, and the mountain seems to have so many moods depending on the lighting. Add in the views of Mt. Tom and the Pacific Ocean from base camp and it’s…well, amazing. I had hoped to enjoy Olympus as a desert last year upon finishing the Bailey Range traverse – the main dish if you will. No slight on the Bailey Range. I find it incredible too. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Earlier this year I began sharing my desire for another visit to Olympus with Roberth & Kathy Chrestensen, the Crest Pictures film team. They were hungry for it too. We set a date and I recruited my good friend Dale to join us. Trips are always special with him on board. Robert and Kathy elected to drive out to the Hoh the day before and get a jump on the trail. It’s a long approach. Add video and camera gear and the packs tend to make the trail feel a lot longer. Dale and I arrived around 10:30 Wednesday night and pulled into the parking lot next to someone sleeping beside their vehicle. We planned to socialize a bit before sleep, so we found a new spot further away so as not to disturb. As it turns out, Dale watched this person rise at 3:00 am, pack up, and head out in the dark. He proceeded to run to the summit in just over 11 hours; a truly incredible feat. As Dale and I relaxed in sleeping bags in the back of my truck while admiring the incredible star display, he announced at 12:01 that it was officially his birthday. He left wife and kids at home to celebrate his birthday doing what he loves. Happy birthday bud! We awoke around 6:00 and were on the trail around 7:30. We reached the Olympic Guard Station in 4 hours, answered the required questions by the attending ranger, and then continued on. It was a hot day and we were already feeling it. We pushed to High Bridge and took a break for lunch. I could never really get going again. Two more miles to Elk Lake – our destination for the evening, and I had to slow my pace drastically. We arrived at Elk Lake to find Robert and Kathy with their tent set up and a spot saved for us. They had arrived only a ½ hour prior. It was fun to finally catch up with them and exchange pleasantries. The team of Silence and I go way back to an ‘almost’ meeting in Lost Basin in which we camped within several hundred yards of one another, but never had the chance to say ’hi’. I’ve considered them friends ever since. Dale and I enjoyed swimming in the lake to cool (pronounced clean) off before dinner. It was nice. We shared the campground with an organized group of young climbers, whose party was split between Elk Lake and Glacier Meadows due to size restrictions. Yes, they were a big party. The next morning we were out of camp by 7:30 and soon arrived at Glacier Meadows, where we were greeted by a resident goat. While preparing our food cache, I ran into the climbing ranger. He reported that he had 37 people signed in as on the mountain this day, and he was genuinely concerned about having enough campsites and space on the bear wires that night. He appreciated that I was leaving a bear canister for our cache, and I appreciated leaving the bear canister! We continued on up to the moraine and were astonished to see the lower Blue Glacier. It was bare ice and rock. My previous climbs of Olympus have always been mid-July and there has always been ample snow on the glacier. I couldn’t believe my eyes. We descended down to the glacier and walked along the rocks, eventually leaving rock for ice – and streams. Water was rushing down the glacier and numerous deep pools had formed. They were quite pretty actually. Once across the glacier we began our ascent up Snow Dome and arrived at camp on Panic Peak around 3:30. Dale and I scouted out our bivy site while Kathy and Robert made their way up to join us. I could here them in the distance as I stood poised near our new camp. When they arrived I asked, “Of all the four letter words you uttered when you saw me up here, which one was the most prevalent?” I won’t repeat the answer. We set up camp and then watched a lone climber make his way down from Crystal Pass and traverse along Snow Dome. He paused at a pile of wood and began loading it onto a sled, which he dragged back to the research hut. He waived to us upon his arrival at the hut. As we prepared dinner, he approached us with clipboard in hand. I assumed he was a ranger wishing to check us for permits. Rather, he was a volunteer worker at the research hut for the UW. He introduced himself as Dave Skinner. His clipboard was actually a list of supplies he needed, and he was scrambling up Panic Peak to place a phone call. Dave was a really neat guy with lots of stories. We chatted for quite some time before he continued on with his task atop the hill. Later he joined us on the summit for sunset as we enjoyed the day’s final light. His final request was that we join him for Kool-Aid after our summit bid the next day. I could tell he was serious. He loved company and was excited to have us around. He also encouraged us to take from his water supply near the hut. He had more melted water than he could ever use. The next morning we awoke at a modest hour and began our ascent. We only had 1,100’ to go and the pace was casual. Spirits were good. We traversed Snow Dome and crossed through Crystal Pass to the back side of the mountain. This is where all familiar territory ended. We followed the tracks along the back side up to Fiver Fingers and the draw one needs to cross to descend to the wind cirque at the base of the summit block. Only, it didn’t look like the draw. It was bare rock, not snow covered. I was sure that in following the tracks, we had missed the route. I set off to explore above, only to find that we were indeed on route! We descended down the gully into the wind cirque, only to feel like we were lost. So much melting had occurred that it didn’t look the same. Much more rock was exposed. Dale began feeling his way around on the summit block along the scramble route we had previously done, but it didn’t seem right to him. So he bailed back onto the snow and we climbed up to an obvious ramp that appeared to go. We followed it to within ~30’ of the summit, only to find ourselves faced with a choice; follow a descending traverse over loose terrain to our previous route, or follow a solid low class 5 route straight up to the summit. We chose the latter. Dale free-climbed the exposed flake and set anchor on the summit. He then belayed Kathy up, followed by Robert, then me. Kathy impressed the heck out of me in how she approached the pitch. It was her first alpine rock pitch – ever. And she was nervous to say the least. But she shot right up it in no time at all. Robert followed in similar style, followed by me. I was able to add a little French pastry at the end with a direct vertical finish – much fun! We enjoyed the summit views as the clouds rolled in and out, adding an extremely interesting element to our experience. Then it was time for the rappel. Dale set up the rope and rapped first. Kathy and Robert followed. Their first alpine rappel! We collected our gear at the bottom and made our way back to camp, passing the only other people we saw on the mountain all day – a Mountaineer group of six climbers. They had approached East Peak via a direct route up the Blue Glacier, and were now preparing to tackle West Peak. They collected as much beta as they could from us and then headed up. As we headed back to camp, we could see the research hut and noticed the 5 lounge chairs set up on the porch. Dale asked what we were all thinking, “Are those for us?” I knew they were. Sure enough, Dave popped his head out and congratulated us on our summit bid. He had lemonade prepared and waiting for us – the best lemonade I think I have ever tasted! Dave continued to entertain us with stories; everything from “Jellybar” (a World War II era supply drop that missed its mark and fell to the glacier below) to stories of Rich Marriot’s years manning the hut to stories of cleaning the glacier and rock of garbage left by others. He shared pictures, including one of Mr. Fairchild’s plane taking off from Snow Dome. We were enthralled. Soon it was time to force our departure. We didn’t want to. Far from it. We could listen to Dave’s stories with wide eyes and open mouths for several more hours. But we knew we had to get going. What a shame. Dave left us with open invites, contact info, etc. – even offering suggestions as to when he would be back. He would be departing himself soon, exiting via the Bailey Range. We packed up and descended from Snow Dome to the depths below. It was difficult to leave the friendly place we had called home on Panic Peak. We all wished we could delay our departure an extra day or two. Our crossing of the lower Blue Glacier was straightforward, though icy. Our legs were tired. Upon Robert & Kathy’s insistence, I sped ahead to secure campsites at Glacier Meadows. Dale followed and soon joined me. By the time Robert & Kathy arrived, we had desert made and hot water ready for meals. Robert & Kathy were out of steam. It had been a long day that had taken its toll on them. Yet surprisingly, they arrived in warm spirits. All throughout our climb I was impressed with how they faced adversity. They met it straight on with smiles. I was very proud to be a part of their successful climb.

See a picture of this report's	Hoh River — May 23, 2009 — Bob and Barb Why go now: Wildflowers blooming Beware of: Mudholes Expand report text Hide report text We hiked 5.3 miles to beautiful Five Mile Island. Although we were not alone on the trail ( We must... We hiked 5.3 miles to beautiful Five Mile Island. Although we were not alone on the trail ( We must have seen at least 50 backpacking groups!) it never felt like we were crowded as most passed us as we were stopped to take pictures! What a beautiful day and trail with many wildflowers blooming and beautiful leaves on the maple trees! We saw no elk although there were signs warning of aggressive elk in the area.

No image submitted	Hoh River — Jan 02, 2009 — CD Beware of: Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text The Olympic Peninsula currently has more snow than the Puget Sound area. There was about a foot of snow... The Olympic Peninsula currently has more snow than the Puget Sound area. There was about a foot of snow on the ground, although 101, the access road to the Hoh Ranger Station and the parking lot were well-plowed and posed no problems. Elk were everywhere. I encountered one group of elk between Lake Crescent and Forks, and four separate groups of elk along the Hoh access road approaching the Ranger Station. I started my hike at dawn. There were no other cars in the parking lot. The creek adjacent to the parking lot was filled with purple spawning salmon. The trail started out easy, as a well-packed snow trail. At 1/2 mile, I encountered a large group of elk, including several young. They had no interest in moving for me, so I had to take a tiring and time-consuming detour around them through deep snow. Rejoined the trail somewhat later. At about 2/3 mile, no more human footprints appeared and the trail was instead a reasonably well-worn elk track. I followed the elk tracks where possible, although some parts of the trail had not been worn down by elk and was virgin snow, 1 to 1 1/2 feet deep. I was only able to maintain a pace of 1 mile per hour. Shortly after Mineral Falls, I encountered yet another group of elk, in a spot that I could not pass without climbing a steep slope. They were rooted to the trail, so I hunkered down opposite them and just enjoyed their company for a while. Then I went to the river bed, where there were more elk, and walked along the sand bars before heading back. Although it was difficult to hike very far with the elk and snow, this was a great time to see wildlife. After seeing another group of elk on the way out, I had seen a total of 8 groups of elk, as well as spawning salmon, douglas squirrels, woodpeckers, a blue jay and other birds. I did not see any humans all day until returning to within 1/2 mile of the Ranger Station, where there were several day trippers. There were no water problems. The water level was low and many of the usual wet spots were frozen or covered with snow. The temperatures ranged from 31 to the low 40s, and the weather vacillated between sun and cloud.

No image submitted	Hoh River #15 — Sep 01, 2008 — Slugman Expand report text Hide report text I read so many TRs from LDW where the weather was bad, I just wanted to share my LDW weather:... I read so many TRs from LDW where the weather was bad, I just wanted to share my LDW weather: perfect. Where, you say? The coastal strip of Olympic NP and nearby rainforest valleys. Tanja, Daisy and I drove out on Friday night when I got off work around 7 pm, so we got in to Kalaloch campground pretty durn late. But with a motorhome, who cares? Just go in back and go to sleep, after a short beach walk in the starlight, of course. We had reservations for Friday and Sunday, with zip for Saturday, but I knew it wouldn't be a problem, since there are always no-shows. We lucked out in that a bluff campsite was available for Sat and Sun, so the ranger let us switch for Sun. The rest of the weekend we ""camped"" with the motorhome backed right up to the beach, except for a 25 ft bluff trail and some driftwood. Saturday was ""do nothing"" day. Just de-stressing, resting, feasting, a little beach walking and a bit of playing with the dog, then break time again. Sunday was rainforest day, so we drove up to the Hoh river TH and campground, with a stop to see bigfoot at the Rainforest Cafe. Knowing the rules, we knew we could take the dog for a walk in the extensive picnic area and around the three campground loops, all told well over a mile, including a nice river section. It is a pretty good walk, especially when the majority of the campsites are empty, which was strange for the Sunday of LDW. Then we put the dog in the motorhome with a bowl of water and the ceiling fan on, and we headed up the Hoh river trail. Our destination: the nice waterfall about 2 1/2 miles in, across from Tom's creek. The Hoh trail is a natural wonder, a true delight to walk, rain or shine. We had shine. Giant trees draped in moss and carpeted in ferns, lush vegetation covering every square inch of every surface, the absolute quiet of every sound muffled before it can move an inch, sweet! The waterfall is small but very intimate. There is a trail that goes up to it, take the short detour if you are up there. Sitting by that waterfall, I could well imagine I was in some fantasy land or fairy tale. Magical. It was also very nice to hike with Tanja, a rare treat. The flatness of the trail allowed her to do the almost 6 miles R/T without trouble. It felt weird to hike with her but without the dog. I kept looking around for her. In any case it was cool to be off the tourist loops near the TH, which were uber-crowded. Monday was another restful day of beach lounging, until it was time to drive home in the late afternoon. We disdained the ferry system and drove through Olympia and Aberdeen both ways, since our motorhome is more than 7'6"" tall so we would have to pay double. At 17 mpg, I'm better off by far driving around. It was 210 miles each way, instead of 160 by ferry, so I saved $30 in ferry fares each way but spent $11 e/w in extra gas. That's $38 saved R/T! Pictures are posted at www.flickr.com/photos/slugman

No image submitted	Hoh River #15 — Aug 17, 2008 — NWBackpackerCouple Beware of: Washouts Expand report text Hide report text Started out for a five night backpacking trip to Glacier Meadows on a beautiful Sunday with the threat of storms.... Started out for a five night backpacking trip to Glacier Meadows on a beautiful Sunday with the threat of storms. Night one at Happy Four (5.7 miles in) we saw some lightning which was followed by a spectacular pink, lavender and gold sunset. It was a dry night. Day Two was an uneventful hike to campsite 13.3 just past the High Hoh Bridge. There were a few sprinkles during the night, but we stayed dry. Day three was the final uphill push to Glacier Meadows. Stunning view of Mt Olympus and White Glacier atop it. Incredible sounds across the valley of the thundering waterfalls created by glacier and snow runoff. About 3/10 of a mile from Glacier Meadows, an avalanche chute has wiped out 200 yds of the trail, and you must cross the chute to get to Glacier Meadows. It is treacherous, but doable. Look for the orange-flagged route and follow that. At Glacier Meadows, a fall-like storm blew in with heavy rain, wind, and dropping temperatures. So on the morning of Day Four, we were motivated to get out. Hiked the full 17.5 miles out in 11 hours, under rain on and off the whole way. Beautiful trail though!

No image submitted	Hoh River #15 — Mar 17, 2008 — David Gordon Beware of: Blowdowns, Washouts, Snow on trail Expand report text Hide report text Hiking the Hoh is one of our favorites as a day hike or a backpack. This time it would be... Hiking the Hoh is one of our favorites as a day hike or a backpack. This time it would be a day hike to 5 Mile Island. The Park Service reported 2 washouts, at 1 mile and 3 mile. The first one has been flagged and cleared ready for the WTA trail crew for finishing work. We thought this would mean an easy hike. Wrong! The 2nd washout was at 2 miles and unmarked. We wandered off for a short way on an elk trail. Backtracking we tried again staying close to the river and found the trail again along the river. After another mile there was a 3rd washout. This time we stayed close to the river and easily picked up the trail. Further along is a bridge with a large sinkhole on your first step off the bridge. There is increasing snow on the trail and numerous blowdowns. Once the snow is melted the blowdowns should not be a major problem. Just before reaching our lunch spot at 5 Mile Island we passed our favorite tree. It's a large western red cedar about 10' in diameter. It had a large side branch that had a 90 degree bend in it growing straight up as big as most trees. Alas, the branch has broken off. It fell without blocking the trail. You can easily walk between the fallen branch and the trail. Hopefully the Park Service and the WTA trail crew will leave it. It might become a nurse log. Let future hikers marvel at once was and what will be.

See a picture of this report's	Hoh River #15 — Mar 10, 2008 — Dadn Expand report text Hide report text I hiked about 4+ miles up the Hoh River trail. At about 1 mile the trail is gone and there's... I hiked about 4+ miles up the Hoh River trail. At about 1 mile the trail is gone and there's a cleared/flagged way around the wash out. Just after 2 miles, there's another wash out and no flagged/cleared way...you just kind of find your own way through the bushes, keep as close to the river as possible, and watch out for the phone/internet/tv cable laying in wait for you..I tripped on it...sure hope the bears enjoy their new HDTV .. wherever it goes! The next 2 miles are up/down and nothing major to crawl over/under. Only a few patches of snow on the trail, largest about 100' long and stomped down. I turned around when I encountered some rather large black/hairy scat on the trail. Weather held up and didn't rain in the rainforest and I actually had some sun! Only saw 2 other people near the start of the trail and the walk was a really enjoyable winter hike.

See a picture of this report's	Appleton Pass #56,Bogachiel-Hoh,Hoh Lake #18,Hoh River #15,Hoh-Bogachiel #16,High Divide #41 #38,Sol Duc River #40,Boulder Lake #57,Olympic Hot Springs — Aug 06, 2007 — Arboreality Beware of: Blowdowns, Water on trail, Overgrown Expand report text Hide report text Just back from a 5 day, 36 mile trip from Hoh River Visitor Center Trailhead along Hoh River Trail, up... Just back from a 5 day, 36 mile trip from Hoh River Visitor Center Trailhead along Hoh River Trail, up to the High Divide, down to Sol Duc, back up to Appleton Pass, then out through Olympic Hot Springs Trailhead. We saw a band of elk and a deer at the Hoh River Visitor Center camp. The walk on Monday from the Visitor Center along the Hoh River to the Olympic Ranger Station was beautiful and an easy 9 miles, even with the heavy packs. My mother walked the first 4 miles with us, carrying lunch, and then headed back after we passed the second campsites. We spent the night on the sand bar (ranger's suggestion: more wind; fewer bugs!). I'm an idiot and lost a pair of women's Chacos on the sandbar (forgot to make sure they were attached to my pack before heading off)! Before heading off, everyone warned us that the climb from Hoh River to Hoh Lake would be killer, but boy, were they right. Tuesday evening my brother was ill with impending bronchitis, so we wimped out at C.B. Flats and camped for the night, finishing the climb to Heart Lake the next day. Luckily this was provisioned for in the trip plan, since we had hoped to walk the Cat Basin Primitive Trail on Wednesday. It was so foggy that day, though, that it's really just as well we did not attempt it. We chased a few grouse up the trail for a switchback or two. C.B. Flats was just going into bloom and was beautiful, and very, very wet. We found a site under some trees across the trail from the group site, and were thankful for our bear cans! The climb to the High Divide was still tough in the morning. Hoh Lake was damp but not raining, very cold. We saw several marmots along the top of the trail near the High Divide. No snow left on the trail along the High Divide (ok, one tiny 5ft wide patch). No berries ripe yet, everything was just blooming, we wished we were coming back in two weeks!! Heart Lake was freezing cold (literally: there was frost when I woke up on Thursday morning). We saw a herd of elk, two bears, and a family of mountain goats from our camp at Heart Lake. The elk and bears were across the valley on the other hillside. A family of grouse walked straight through camp as we were setting up. On Thursday, the descent from Heart Lake to Appleton Pass junction was fast, but watch your step, those rocks don't stay put! Had to get creative to cross the creek at Deer Park Campground, and oh my lord the mosquitos there are enough to drive an elephant away. Our Thursday afternoon climb up to Appleton Pass was easy, but the trail was starting to disappear under the plant life... this doesn't seem to be nearly as popular a trail as the 7 Lakes Basin trails. We arrived at the Pass viewpoint and picked a campsite, gathered water and chatted with the group who scored the awesome (unsigned) campsite next to Oyster Lake. I found it amusing that the Appleton Pass signpost indicates bearwires, but makes no mention of the only source of water for miles... we stumbled on it on a hunch! Lots of deer in camp this night. Friday morning was our first really sunny day, and we woke at 6:30 and hiked back to the pass viewpoint to get a good look at Mt. Olympus before heading down. Just about 500 ft down the switchbacks we spotted two more bears on the slide near Oyster Lake. From the switchbacks down to the bridge at Boulder Creek, the trail got really bad. We nearly lost it a few times in the high meadow, had a fun time climbing across a few full streams, and clambered over at least 10 large downed trees completely across the trail in several places. Looks like the trail crew hasn't made it up there at all yet this year, and the damage was pretty bad. We never had to take packs off, but beware you may need extra time to negotiate a few of these obstacles. Made it to Olympic Hot Springs at about 2pm, where we sat and soaked in a great pool before packing it all up and walking out to the trailhead to meet our ride. All in all a great trip!!

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