We spent 3 days on the Hoh River visiting Mount Olympus and it's Blue Glacier. First day to Elk Lake for the night. Next morning the glacier, then Lewis Meadows for night two. Hiked out the following morning.
Visitor Center parking was full on Saturday. Found a spot along the road, headed up at noon. Due to our late start we hiked the lush & mossy rainforest through the heat of the day. From Five Mile Island to Olympus Guard Station the bugs had their way with us. After camp 12.4 we climbed for 3 miles and left them behind. Made camp under forest canopy at Elk Lake. One of 3 bear wires was jammed. Water from the lake's outlet stream was warm & suspect, so we filtered from Martin Creek instead.
Awoke the following morning full of anticipation. We've wanted to see Mount Olympus and it's unique low elevation glaciers for quite some time. Grabbed a daypack and headed up. At the washout we mainly used the ropes both down and back up. Helmet and gloves helpful. We did it one at a time as rockfall potential was high. Lateral moraine trail was gorgeous. Alpine views, meadows full of wildflowers and blooming heather. On top, the Blue Glacier spread out like the train of a wedding dress. Only one other group and after they left, the mountain was ours. We soaked our tired feet in a snowmelt fed tarn, it was so wonderful.
Broke camp and headed to Lewis Meadows for the night. Camped on a gravel bar near the river under open sky with views up the valley. When we got water for dinner some skinny dippers put on a show for us. We pretended not to look...
Had a wonderful evening on the river and a starry night sky. Hiked out the next morning. Another great trip in the mountains!
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