High Divide - Seven Lakes Basin Loop — Thursday, Aug. 7, 2014

Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast

By far my favorite backpacking trip, yet! If you are considering this trail, put in a request for a permit immediately!!!! We came across two bears, marmots jumping fish and deer, but no goats. It was a fantastic adventure in a counter clockwise direction. Day one to Heart lake took a little over 6 hours to complete, with stops for photographs and water. The last mile or so to the lake was a little steep with many steps to climb. It was a little rough, but worth the reward. The best part about going counterclockwise is that there are few others traveling in the same direction and the remaining days on the hike were rather short and easy. Especially the last day. The glory 2 mile high divide portion of the trail is fantastic. It took us hours to hike, but only because the views were spectacular and worth staring at for hours and hours. We did not want to leave. I really like that they require permits because it helps preserve the environment and let's you have more peaceful moments alone in the wild. Again, you have to do this hike once in your lifetime!