Hohrrendous
Over the years I have climbed my way through the Cascades and have pretty much been able to avoid the penninsula until last weekend, when I turned to the Olympic's infamous hoh rainforest in a hasty effort to stretch my legs over a long weekend of early season "rucking".
I have never laid eyes on Mount Olympus because it seems to be perpetually shrouded in a thick fog so other than pictures, I wasnt even sure it existed but I was going to make an honest effort to the top.
laden with an ice axe and a rope amd enough rain gear to clothe a small army, I headed out of the Hoh river trailhead on Thuraday afternoon. That day I wish I had appreciated the sunshine more because it would be the last Id see until I left the Hoh entirely.
As I trecked up to glacier camp the next morning through an endless tunnel of moss and rain, the veiw when I finally popped above 4k feet was a glorious wall of white. It felt like a stairmaster in that you really get a different veiw the more you climb. Finally, i was ready to collapse when I got to a giant ladder that I latter dubbed hells staircase: it descended down a cliff into a foggy rocky river bed that eventually led to Glacier meadow camp.
The camp turned out to be neither a glacier or a meadow, and reminded me of the soviet russia exhibit at the world war 2 museum in new orleans- bleak and cold and covered in snow and ominous shrouds of fog.
I crawled into my soaking bag around 4 pm and only woke up to slurp down a pack of ramen. That night I thought of the hords of ambitious oncloud clad hikers hoping for a night in the beautiful meadows.
The next morning, I poked my head out of my dripping tent into a twilight like scene of fog shrouded trees. It was calm and silent, peaceful in its own way. I decided that Mount Olympus wasnt going to be plausible with the weather and gave myself a quick pep talk and some hot oatmeal to get me through the long long walk out.
Overall, a few weeks after recovering, 70 hot meals and long after my ginormous blister had drained, I decided I was glad I went despite not making it to the top. It was a long walk that transported me to another planet, one dripping with giant old growth and an ancient feeling of calm that seeped into my bones with the cold and wouldnt leave for a long time.
If you are looking for a meditation, an extreme physical challenge, or better yet, a combination of the two, strap on 60 pounds of climbing gear you probably wont use and hike to the base of Grand Ol Mount Olympus.
Comments
Elwedritsche on Hoh River Trail to Blue Glacier
I like the poetic description of the impact the scenery made on you
Posted by:
Elwedritsche on Jun 15, 2024 10:21 PM