Trip Date: July 17-26, 2020

Mt. Olympus Climbing Trip & Olympus–Bailey Traverse: Hoh River to Sol Duc River

Hoh Rainforest
Olympus Guard Station
High Hoh Bridge
Glacier Meadows
Blue Glacier Moraine
Mount Olympus aka Sunh-a-do (7969′)
Glacier Pass
Camp Pan
Bear Pass
Lone Tree Pass
Mount Pulitzer (6283′) attempt
Mount Ferry (6195′)
Ferry Basin
Stephen Peak (6418′)
Stephen Lake
Mount Carrie (6995′)
The Catwalk
High Divide
Swimming Bear Lake
Sol Duc Park aka Soleduck Park

Trip Report Summary

Region: Olympic Mountains (Washington)

Sub-Region: Mt. Olympus – Bailey Range Group

Area: Olympic National Park

Starting Point: Hoh River Trailhead at Hoh Visitor Center on Upper Hoh River Road (Elev. 600 feet)

Way Points: Hoh River & Olympus Guard Station & Lewis Meadow & High Hoh Bridge & Martin Creek & Elk Lake & Glacier Meadows & Blue Glacier Lateral Moraine & Lower Blue Glacier & Cal Tech Camp & Glacier Pass & Hoh Glacier & Camp Pan & Hoh–Humes Divide & Point 6207 & Aphrodite Canyon & Middle Hoh Basin & Hoh–Queets Divide & Bear Pass & Point 6073 & Lone Tree Pass & Mt. Pulitzer shoulder & Upper Ferry Lake & Middle Ferry Lake & Ferry Basin & Point 5826 & Stephen Peak shoulder & Stephen Lake & Sickle Canyon & Sickle–Carrie Notch & Carrie Glacier & Carrie Hogback & Mt. Carrie summit & Boston Charlie’s Pond & The Catwalk & High Divide & Swimming Bear Lake & Sol Duc Park & Heart Lake & Bridge Creek & Sol Duc River High Bridge & Canyon Creek Shelter (trail hike & off-trail hike & snow climb & rock scramble)

High Point: Mt. Carrie summit (Elev. 6995 feet)

Ending Point: Sol Duc River Trailhead at end of Sol Duc Hot Springs Road (Elev. 2000 feet)

Campsites: Olympus Guard Station & Glacier Meadows & Cal Tech Rock & Camp Pan & Middle Hoh Basin & Lone Tree Pass & Stephen Lake & Swimming Bear Lake

Summit: Mt. Olympus (snow climb & rock climb via Snow Dome—Crystal Pass—Upper Blue Glacier—High Saddle—North Face [Route 1] )

Summit Attempt: Mt. Pulitzer (rock scramble to false summit via East Ridge)

Summit: Mt. Ferry (rock scramble via Southeast Ridge; descent via South Slope)

Summit: Stephen Peak (snow climb & rock scramble via North Face)

Summit: Mt. Carrie (snow climb & rock scramble via Southeast Ridge; descent via Southwest Basin—Southwest Ridge)

Approximate Stats: 64 miles traveled; 22,400 feet gained; 21,000 feet lost.

Related Posts

Mt. Olympus via Hoh River–Blue Glacier–North Face – July 2003

Mt. Carrie via Sol Duc River–High Divide–Southwest Ridge – September 2008

Trip Overview

There are countless alpine treks available in Washington State, covering a broad range of types and durations.  In the category of week-long alpine mountaineering treks (those with a typical duration of, say, five to nine days), only four have achieved an undisputed classic status:  Ptarmigan Traverse, Picket Traverse, Inspiration–Isolation (McAllister) Traverse, and Olympus–Bailey Traverse.  When our friend Tony D invited Eileen and me on a special ten-day version of the Olympus–Bailey Traverse (OBT), we jumped at the chance.  Also joining our trip were Kevin K, Eric V, and Greg K.

It is no exaggeration to say that few living people know more about the subject area than Tony.  Before this trip, he had summited Mt. Olympus sixteen times and had completed over twenty traverses through the Bailey Range by numerous different routes.  Although all of the traditional OBT routes are adequately challenging, Tony was proposing a more difficult—and more scenic—route that maximizes alpine travel and minimizes travel below treeline or brushline.  His chosen route even included some segments that he had not previously completed and that were only marginally documented.  No doubt it would be a grand adventure!

Full Trip Report

Day 1: Hoh River Trailhead to Olympus Guard Station

Our trip chauffeur, Tyler, dropped us off at the Hoh River Trailhead on a warm Friday afternoon.   We organized group gear, shouldered oversize backpacks, and headed up the pleasantly flat rainforest trail.  Olympus Guard Station, our first campsite of the trip, was reached shortly before dark (4.7 hours + 500 feet from TH).  Surprisingly, the ranger station was boarded up, even though we were in the peak of camping season.

Day 2: Olympus Guard Station to Glacier Meadows

Our gently inclined trail continued up through Lewis Meadow to the High Hoh Bridge, at which point it tilted more steeply uphill.  We stopped for an afternoon swim break in Elk Lake before tackling the final ascent to Glacier Meadows.

In late afternoon, we encountered the notorious landslide that obliterated the Hoh River Trail several decades ago.  A decrepit cable ladder aids hikers across the landslide, but this did not keep Tony from loudly expressing his frustration with the National Park Service.  “We’re in a World Heritage Park here, and they STILL haven’t repaired this trail?  Seriously?  Sheesh!!”

After getting past the landslide, we hiked good trail for a short distance and rolled into Glacier Meadows at 6:00pm (8.4 hours + 3600 feet from Camp 1).  Camp 2 was established closely behind the newer of two timber shelters here.  This popular campground was unusually quiet, and there was no ranger on duty here either—presumably all due to COVID restrictions and cutbacks.

Day 3: Glacier Meadows to Cal Tech Rock + Mt. Olympus Climb

Knowing that this would be a long day, Tony rousted everyone up at 3:30am, and we were on the move at 5:20am.  A mile of very steep trail took us up to the Blue Glacier lateral moraine, from where the breathtaking massif of Mt. Olympus could be seen basking in morning sun.

We hiked along the moraine crest until able to descend on a crude path to the Blue Glacier.  What used to be a 50-foot drop here is now a 250-foot drop due to glacial recession.

After roping up, we made a diagonal crossing of the crackled ice shield to reach the base of Cal Tech Rock (3.0 hours + 1400 feet from Camp 2).  Excess gear was stashed here and summit packs were prepared for our Mt. Olympus climb, which began with a straightforward ascent of moderately steep snowfields below the Snow Dome.

From atop the Snow Dome, Olympus’s summit was clearly visible at the head of the Blue Glacier.  A large bergschrund prevented a direct ascent using the early-season route, so we traversed over to Crystal Pass.

Continuing upward beneath the Five Fingers pinnacles, we came to a steep, eroded rock face.  This face is initially quite daunting but actually offers reasonable passage on a series of Class 2-3 ledges leading to a high snow saddle.

Most of us had previously climbed this route on Mt. Olympus, and both Tony and Eric had been here as recently as 2018, so nothing thus far had been too surprising.  However, that changed at the high saddle; we were shocked to see a large bergschrund angling down from the summit block.  In his many visits over a period of 30 years, Tony had never seen such a feature here, nor was there any indication of an incipient crack even 2 years ago!  This undoubtedly represents yet another side-effect of the changing glacial environment.

We couldn’t see the full extent of the new schrund from below, but Kevin offered to investigate a possible bypass route.  This proved to be successful.  He used all of our available snow protection gear (three pickets and two flukes) to safely establish a zigzag path up to the schrund, down around its tail end, and then back up to the summit block.

Tony gave me the honor of leading the final Class 5 rock pitch and setting a fixed prusik line for the others.  We were all gathered on the summit before 4:00pm (10.4 hours + 4300 feet from Camp 2;  6.5 hours + 2900 feet from Cal Tech stash).  This was Tony’s 17th Olympus climb and Eileen’s first, but it was equally satisfying for both.

After making a double-rope rappel off a summit horn, we generally retraced our up-route back through Crystal Pass and down the Snow Dome.

We reached our gear stash below Cal Tech Rock around 8:00pm.  Backpacks were hauled a short distance uphill to a primitive campsite at 5500 feet atop the lowest outcrop (4.0 hours + 200 feet from summit) to end a long day.

Day 4: Cal Tech Rock to Camp Pan

Looking forward to a relatively short day, we slept until 7:30am and departed several hours later.  Today’s agenda began with an easy southward ascent of the Blue Glacier to 6150-foot Glacier Pass.

We crossed over the pass, descended to the Hoh Glacier, worked through a crevasse field, and then scrambled up a series of small rock bands and snow patches on the opposite side of the glacial valley.

Our group reached 5600-foot Camp Pan in mid-afternoon (4.4 hours + 1150 feet from Camp 3) and spent the remainder of the day setting up camp, relaxing, and chatting.  Tony had previously told us on several occasions that Camp Pan is his favorite campsite in the Olympic Mountains, bar none.  Given its improbable location atop a rock knob high above the Hoh Glacier, this truly is a stellar campsite.

Day 5: Camp Pan to Middle Hoh Basin

Once again, we awoke to a clear blue sky, leaving us to wonder:  “Is this really the Olympics?”  Morning sun lit up Mt. Mathias, Athena Peak, and other surrounding summits.

From Camp Pan, the traditional OBT route climbs southward over Blizzard Pass, descends the Humes Glacier to reach Queets Basin, and then ascends to Bear Pass.  However, Tony wanted to try an alternative route that had been completed by Steph Abegg in early-season of 2008.  Based on Steph’s cursory information, she and her partner had climbed to a ridge notch northeast of Blizzard Pass and then traversed directly eastward to Bear Pass without dropping into Queets Basin.  Everyone was game to give it a whirl.

We left camp at 8:00am and cramponed up to a ridge notch on the Hoh–Humes divide.  Sketchy Class 2-4 scrambling up the ridge crest or on the southern face led us to the top of Point 6270 shortly before noon (3.7 hours + 1150 feet from Camp 4).

From Point 6270, inviting snowfields dropped eastward into a deep canyon below the southern flank of Aphrodite Peak.  We quickly descended “Aphrodite Canyon” to an elevation of 4900 feet, then angled up to a cliff face on the right.

Our group convened in a small moat at the cliff base and pondered our options.  Further progress would require that we traverse leftward across and up a steep, rubbly, dirt slope in order to reach a snowfinger that would take us up to the ridge crest.  Tony tied in and led a 60-meter pitch over Class 4-5 dirt, using a variety of slings, chocks, and knifeblade pitons.  This crux pitch consumed a considerable amount of time and was disliked by all except Tony, who relishes any opportunity to hammer in a piton.

After making the dirt traverse, we cramponed up the steep snowfinger, passing some dicey breaches along the way.  The ridge crest was gained at a 5700-foot saddle in late afternoon (9.1 hours + 2100 feet from Camp 4).  There was little cause for celebration, however, as we found ourselves engulfed in dense fog.  It was the dreaded “marine push” drifting in from the west!

With visibility reduced to less than 50 yards, we descended snow slopes for 900 feet until stumbling upon a 4800-foot rock basin at 7:30pm (11.5 hours + 2200 feet from Camp 4).  This basin sits at the headwaters of the Hoh River’s middle branch.  A moderate amount of excavation in the gravel benches here produced the necessary number of tent pads for Camp 5.  It was functional but not inspiring.

Day 6: Middle Hoh Basin to Lone Tree Pass

We were relieved to see the marine fog replaced by a blue sky in the morning, and our group was on the move by 9:45am.   Today’s first goal was to reach Bear Pass, located approximately 2 miles to the east.

From a snow saddle above our campsite, we made an undulating traverse across large snowfields interspersed with rock ribs.  Travel was quite pleasant if not direct.

Eventually, our sidehill route came up to a grassy ridge crest overlooking Queets Basin.  This point marked our convergence with the traditional OBT route coming up from the basin.

The broad sag of 5600-foot Bear Pass was reached in early afternoon (5.4 hours + 1650 feet from Camp 5).  Over a span of two days, we had taken 17 hours to travel from Camp Pan to Bear Pass, whereas Steph Abegg and her partner had reportedly taken only 3 hours to travel the same distance.  This gave rise to the humorous expression, “getting Steph’ed”!  In all seriousness, though, it clearly illustrates the great time disparity between an elite two-person party with favorable snow and weather conditions versus a fairly average six-person party with less-than-ideal conditions.

Bear Pass represents the southeastern terminus of the Bailey Range proper.  From here, we turned sharply to the north and followed intermittent bootpaths to Lone Tree Pass.  Our route for the next 3 miles weaved back and forth along the ridge crest, ducking through rocky notches and crossing snowy slopes.  It was pure alpine joy!

To further enhance this traverse, the glaciated massif of Mt. Olympus constantly dominated our western view.  The word “magnificent” hardly does justice to this centerpiece of the Olympic Mountains.  Perhaps Mt. Olympus could be better described as a mountain range within a mountain range.

In late-afternoon sunlight, our group topped out on Point 6073 and then began the final descent of the day.  We reached the heathery oasis of 5650-foot Lone Tree Pass shortly before 7:00pm (9.0 hours + 2600 feet from Camp 5).  This would be our campsite for the next two nights.

Lone Tree Pass appears to be a misnomer, since there are actually numerous trees here.  However, the eponymous “lone tree” is an ancient, gnarled, windswept fir standing alone in an open meadow.

In late evening, a cold marine fog drifted across the pass and chased us into our tents for the night.  We could only hope that it would dissipate by morning.

Day 7: Mt. Pulitzer Attempt + Mt. Ferry Climb

The morning was perfectly clear, and this was declared to be a layover day, so we had a leisurely breakfast.  Around 10:00am, two young women (Liz and Christine) passed through our camp, heading north on their OBT.  They had found a glove that Eileen had dropped yesterday, and we spent some time exchanging route information with them.  Less than an hour later, two men passed through camp on their southbound trek to Queets Basin.  This was quite a coincidence, especially considering that these four climbers would turn out to be the only other people we encountered between Day 2 and Day 9.

While Eric guarded camp, the rest of us hiked up toward Mt. Pulitzer, which stands closely to the north.  Our relaxed pace allowed plenty of time to enjoy the wildflowers, rocks, and quartz crystals along the way.

From the false summit of Mt. Pulitzer, the true summit appears as an enticing rock cone.  However, getting there would involve exposed scrambling along a horribly shattered sedimentary ridge.  This was a show-stopper for us.

As a more feasible alternative, we all headed over to Mt. Ferry, a double-summit peak with several easy routes.

The afternoon was still hot and sunny when we arrived back at camp around 3:00pm (4.5 hours + 1350 feet total tour).  Once again, however, a cold marine fog drifted in and dampened our evening.

Day 8: Lone Tree Pass to Stephen Lake + Stephen Peak Climb

Unlike the past two mornings, the nighttime fog did not clear out before dawn.  As such, we delayed our departure until 9:30am in hopes of getting better weather.  Even then, the first hour of our traverse around Mt. Pulitzer was spent in moderately dense fog.  We hiked past Upper and Middle Ferry Lakes before dropping into Ferry Basin, a picturesque meadow of lush grasses, water pools, gravel bars, babbling brooks, and rock outcrops.

From Ferry Basin, the traditional OBT route continues down-valley to Cream Lake, but Tony again had planned for a more interesting high route.  We instead climbed steeply up to the ridge crest on our east, then traversed northwestward along the crest.  A series of game paths and boot paths took us over Point 5826, around the western side of Point 5775, and around the eastern side of Point 6218.

A short snow traverse led us to a 6200-foot step on the northeastern ridge of Stephen Peak.  While the others descended to Stephen Lake, Eileen and I took this opportunity to tuck in the nearby summit.  We angled up the peak’s north face, then finished with a short scramble.  The summit register was a soggy notebook in a water-filled tube (good thing Fay wasn’t with us!), so we just signed the tube itself.

We descended to 4998-foot Stephen Lake in late afternoon (7.9 hours + 2000 feet from Camp 6) and found our comrades setting up camp between the lake and an adjacent tarn.  Tony’s fears that this would be a mosquito haven proved to be unfounded; there was hardly a bug to be seen—probably due to the unseasonably cool weather.

During our evening and the following morning here, I came to realize that Stephen Lake is an unheralded gem.  The Olympic Mountains are not particularly well-known for beautiful lakes, but this one matches the finest specimens in the North Cascades and would even hold its own in the star-studded Alpine Lakes Wilderness!

Day 9: Stephen Lake to Swimming Bear Lake + Mt. Carrie Climb

We awoke to cloud-free skies at 6:30am and headed out at 8:45am.  Our exit took us over the outlet stream, across the broad inlet delta, and up the inlet channel.  All the while, we kept looking back to absorb the stunning view of snow-dabbed Stephen Peak and jade-colored Stephen Lake.

The bouldery inlet stream gradually funneled us into a snow-filled, sickle-shaped canyon.  We followed this canyon around to the left and then climbed straight uphill to a 6600-foot snow saddle overlooking the Carrie Glacier (2.7 hours + 1550 feet from Camp 7).  Tony explained that USGS maps and other older documents label this as the Fairchild Glacier but that newer documents correctly identify it as the Carrie Glacier.  Mt. Carrie was visible 1½ miles to the northwest, standing guard over its namesake glacier.

Before crossing the glacier, it was necessary to descend a steep icefall just below our snow saddle.  Five of us completed a double-rope rappel off a snow picket, and then Kevin made a belayed down-climb.

A mile-long traverse of the upper glacier slopes ended at a visually dramatic snow hogback that sweeps upward between two huge wind cirques.  This hogback served as a memorable finish to our seven consecutive days of traveling over snowfields and glaciers.

The snow hogback butted up against the rocky southeastern ridge of Mt Carrie, our final peak on the OBT.  A short scramble ended at the summit in mid-afternoon (6.6 hours + 2650 feet from Camp 7).  Tony celebrated this landmark occasion in traditional fashion: with a cigar and a mug of iced coffee.  Ahhh!!

Tempting as it was to hang out on the summit, we were hurried off by the knowledge that camp was still several miles away.  A climber’s path led us down Carrie’s southwestern ridge, which featured a most spectacular display of wildflowers.  It seemed that our abnormally cool and damp springtime had propagated the most prolific flower bloom any of us had witnessed in years.

The scenic ridge ended abruptly at Boston Charlies’s Pond, where the OBT presented us with one last obstacle:  the infamous Catwalk—a narrow spine of sedimentary rock that dips down for about 200 feet and then back up similar distance.  Most of us were familiar with this feature but had somehow managed to forget how difficult it is, especially with heavy backpacks.  For a full hour, we scrambled around exposed pinnacles and squirmed through tight trees.

Once beyond The Catwalk, we encountered formal trail that took us westward for 2½ miles along the High Divide.  An unmarked spur trail then took us steeply upward to tiny Swimming Bear Lake scant minutes before dark (12.6 hours + 3900 feet from Camp 7).

Day 10: Swimming Bear Lake to Sol Duc River Trailhead

Like horses headed to the barn, we were all packed and underway before 8:00am.  Eileen and I took a high game path out of the lake basin, whereas the others followed the trail around to the High Divide.  A swim stop was made at Heart Lake (1.3 hours + 300 feet from Camp 8) before we all descended to the Sol Duc River.

Sunday hikers were prevalent on the popular trail, especially in the final mile that accesses Sol Duc Falls.  At 2:30pm, we marched into the bustling Sol Duc parking lot (6.5 hours + 450 feet from Camp 8), where Tyler was waiting to transport us back to Port Angeles.  Tony’s primary goal for this trek had been to give us all a challenging and memorable Olympic experience, and he succeeded by a factor of pi squared!

Route Maps & Profiles

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Photo Gallery

Day 1 – 3: Hoh River TH to Cal Tech Rock + Mt Olympus

Day 4 – 7: Cal Tech Rock to Lone Tree Pass + Mt Ferry

Day 8 – 10: Lone Tree Pass to Sol Duc TH + Stephen Peak + Mt Carrie