Hoh River Trail to Blue Glacier — Tuesday, Sep. 7, 2021

did a 3 night, 4 day hike in and out to see the Blue Glacier this week. Overall, beautiful trekk, with lots of sites to be had. Trip went as follows:
Day 1: 5 miles: Hiked into 5 mile island. stayed close to the water where i can refill my pack before i left. the trail from the TH to 5 Mile was pretty clear. There are a cpuple.of ups and downs in terms of elevation, but nothing serious. Great spot for camping, I thought. Though you are required to have a bear can if you stay here.
Day 2: 5 miles:Hiked to Lewis Meadows to camp. Ran i to two river crossing where tou can option to cross a log jam or later, one big fallen tree. Didnt have to get wet. Lewis Meadows was a popular spot, abd the first stop for many before advancing up the mountain closer to the glaciers. I preferred 5 Mile more, but there were many deer poking about eating the green off the bushes. I also didnt find another water source besides the Hoh. The the silt didnt seem to bother my Sawyer filter, so it might be alright for other filters.
Day 3: 15 miles: Day hiked from Lewis Meadows to see the Blue Glacier, and I will say. the glacier was BEAUTIFUL! the entire trekk took me 10.5 hours, so I would recommend starting early if you plan on day hiking from Lewis or OGS. You.may have to do some rock hopping at Martin Creek to pass the creek. This is also a great source of water before moving on. The latter is a bit more frightening and challenging than I realized, but still maneagable. its quite popular, even during the week, so I really felt comfortable knowing other fellow hikers could spot me should something happen. Be sure to bring gloves or use the communal gloves at the bottom or top of the latter. The climb to the lateral moraine from Glacier Meadows was stated at .9 miles. Just know that that thats a direct elevation gain., scrambling up plenty of rock. Climbing up the rocks, it may not look like a path, but its thrre. The view was all worth it. Leaving a gorgeous glacier up top Mt. Olympus. Scurrying back down and to the latter, the rungs are certainly far between, and Im 5'5". Reaching eachnone took a 90° angle on my knee each time to push off.
Day4: Packed out of Lewis Meadows, back down to the trailhead.