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IBEXtrax.com - Olympic Mountains of Washington StateOlympic Park |
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The first extended overnight backpacking trip I can remember was a week long traverse across the northeast corner of Olympic National Park. I had spent a few summers at Camp Parsons Boy Scout camp on Hoods Canal learning now obsolete skills like cutting cedar boughs to sleep on, and digging ditches around floorless canvas US Army shelter haves.
Finally, in the summer of sixty-three, I was old enough to go on the Olympic hike. The stay at Camp Parsons that year was extra special as it started with a boat cruse from Seattle on the Sea Scouts Steamship Virginia V. At the camp the high point was when I earned both canoeing and swimming merit badges to close out the week.
Ten fidgeting and excited Boy Scouts in the back of an open duce-an-a-half rumbled up the dusty Dosewallips River road out of Brinnon, WA.
Heading out from the trail head, the wood frame of my brand new, state of the art Trapper-Nelson creaked under the load. It took the most of two days for our troop to reach Dose Meadow Camp at the valley's head.
From the Meadows camp I joined a small group that climbed Sentinel Peak. The climb was not that arduous but it was a rewarding first summit that I blame for the still unquenchable addiction that draws me into the mountains now over sixty years later.
From Dose Meadows Camp we hiked north over Lost and Cameron Passes and stayed in the beautiful alpine flats of Cameron Basin; unquestionably, one of the most precious jewels of Olympic National Park.
We continued north with a long hard trudge over Grand Pass. The substantial reward was a memorable stroll down through picturesque Grand Valley and then a restful sleep on the shore of Moose Lake.
The fifth day out again we hiked switchback upon switchback, this time out of Grand Valley, and then ran the ridge line for a brief encounter with the tourists on Hurricane Ridge. The high pressure ridge over Western Washington that provided the excellent weather thus far on the trip finally broke down.
We spent the last part of the trip hiking in the misty fog and following Hurricane Ridge east to where the truck picked us up at Dear Park.
That first trip had everything; a huge variety of terrain, views, experiences and weather. We had two unbelievably patient leaders that kept us in line. I would confidently challenge anyone to take a trip like that and not become hooked for life on the mountains of Washington State.
01 001 Olympic traverse Grand Valley (200k)
This photograph taken in July of 1963 is looking south into the heart of Olympic National Park and taken near Obstruction Peak on the east end of Hurricane Ridge. This view can see Grand Lake at the foot of the Grand Valley were the troop had been earlier that morning. At the head of the Valley is Cameron Pass and beyond is Sentinel Peak. Beneath the peak flows the Dosewallips River there the traverse started.
01 002 Olympic traverse rest stop (227k)
One thing this troop had perfected near the end of the Olympic Mountain traverse was how to do a rest stop. Most of these scouts are well on their way to earning the wilderness napping merit badge. It is interesting to note the 1960s foot wear and the backpacks. How many pair of Wolverine high-top work boots and how many wood frame Trapper Nelson pack boards can you count in this fuzzy Kodak Instamatic photo?
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