Royal Basin via Royal Lake — Saturday, Jul. 26, 2014

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

Another stunning trip to the Olympics. If you can't make it to the High Divide this summer (because of permit limitations), this is a great back-up backpacking trip. Make sure you keep climbing to the top, to the upper Royal Basin, then up to the upper thawed glacier lake (below Mt. Deception). We jumped into the lake, but didn't last longer. It was sooooooo cold, but worth jumping into after a long day of hiking and the sun beating on us all day. The marmots were whistling to each other and the sound echoed off the valley walls. Priceless! We had clear weather and non-stop views that were stellar. Make sure you bring a day pack with you to do some great exploring. We did not see any goats, but a group that we passed and crossed paths again the next day said there were 3 goats stalking them at the upper glacier lake above upper royal basin. No bear sightings either.