A True Gold Medal Performance - The Olympics! LaCrosse Basin, 8.5.21 - 8.10.21, Part 1 of 3
For me, one of the things that draws me to backpacking is quite simply the challenge of it. Trying to stay alive, preferably somewhat comfortably outdoors for even one night can be a challenge so when you extend that time frame to six nights and seven days in a remote alpine environment, the challenge factor goes way up. However, with a lot of planning, preparation and more than a dash of divine intervention, the feeling of accomplishment can be a spiritual experience.
So often I send out these trip reports about what we see and do but I never really took the time to get into some of what goes into trying to survive for a week out there. Basically, I try to determine what I can not do without and this determines how much weight I choose to carry on my back. If my math and deduction skills aren’t failing me, the more weight I have to carry the harder the hike will be.
When Greg Dilley approached me about a trip to LaCrosse Basin in Olympic National Park, I was vaguely familiar with the area just from pages in a hiking book, but I had never seriously looked into the logistics of such a trip. Before you could say mountain goat we had all our maps and guidebooks spread out all over the living room coffee table. The planning stage had begun! Greg and I each did research and combined our shared knowledge to come up with an itinerary that seemed doable for us. Once we had a picture in our heads and on paper of the total distance and elevation gain each day would bring, Greg then reserved back country camp sites for six nights in four different locations for our preferred dates. This all happened several months ago.
With a plan in place and secured, nothing much happened other than more detailed study of the area and training hikes until the week before our departure date. With only a few days until we were to venture out, the time had come to start staging gear and food. I always feel like the trips become more real in my head when it is one week from the departure date and the weather forecast appears for that first day. Each morning I recheck for changes and for additional days to appear right up to the day we depart when I can see the entire weeks’ forecast.
The living room floor became my staging area about a week before we left. On it I spread out all the things I thought I might need for this particular trip. I usually carry around forty-five pounds of gear on a week long trip. When I talk about “what I need”, it is a phrase that is in a constant state of flux. I buy better and lighter weight gear or gear that reduces the amount of space needed to store it. The weather forecast also plays a big part. I learned many years ago to never rely on the forecast to decide if a rain jacket is needed, but for example, if the lows are consistently in the fifties or higher I may not “need” a wool hat or gloves. So stuff goes in, stuff comes out until we pull out of the driveway and then it’s a crap shoot as to whether or not I will be rueing what I chose to leave behind or pleased as punch as to how much stronger I felt with such a light pack.
Based on the total distance and elevation gain required on this trip, I knew the itinerary would have some extremely tough days. Day Two stood out as a day we would hike over eight miles and gain over three thousand feet of elevation in the first five miles. It certainly sounded prudent to me that I should consider having another look at “what I need” in my pack.
I could never be what is known as an ultralighter. I gotta have a sleeping bag. And a tent to put it in. Though considered a luxury item, I also can’t live without my backpack chair. There is a huge difference for me between sitting on a log or a rock and sitting in a chair WITH A BACK. I know that several dozen Ibuprofin weigh a lot less than a chair but I’m bringing the chair (and the Ibuprofin). End of topic.
Binoculars are amazing when watching wildlife or scoping out ridges and peaks, but they are heavy so I left them. I also made a huge decision to leave my camera tripod at home. I knew I could regret it big time but it just seemed like I wouldn’t get enough use out of it to make it worth its weight. I ended ditching about six things that I almost always bring along.
I even cut weight inside my bear canister. Most dehydrated meals are for two people so I took them out of their original and bulky packaging and split them into two Ziplock baggies. All my breakfasts and dinners were now identical shape and size. Whatever the weight of the little packs inside those meals you have to discard and all the excess packaging was that much less I had to lug into the woods.
I also usually carry at least two liters of water which weighs in at 4.4 lbs. I confirmed with a back country ranger that many streams cross the trail all along our route so finding water sources for filtering was not going to be a problem. Therefore I opted to not carry any water and simply stop at a few streams to filter a cool drink before moving on. This was a big weight saver. In the end, my entire pack and gear weight came in at 37.2 pounds and I was thrilled with that number. Now the only question left was “Do I have everything I need for this trip”?
My final check of the forecast for where we were going looked a little iffy. In the Olympics, even a ten percent chance of rain is a guarantee it will rain. For the seven days we would be out there the predictions ranged anywhere from a slight chance of rain to a fifty percent chance of rain but the third day looked the worst followed by a clearing trend. Rain jacket? Check.
This is the food I brought to last for seven days. No, that’s not cocaine in the baggie!
DAY 1: 10 MILES, 1,200’ ELEVATION GAIN
On August 5th, Greg and I hopped in Mr. Green Jeens and took the ferry over to Kingston and down past Hamma Hamma to Lake Cushman. Just past the lake we parked at the Staircase Ranger Station and the beginning of the trail that heads up the North Fork of the Skokomish River. It was 9:45AM by the time we shouldered our packs and began what would be a major undertaking yet wrought with big rewards. Our plan for this day was to hike 6.9 miles and stay overnight at Camp Pleasant. It was sunny but not too hot and we only needed to gain 800’ to reach our camp. Not too far after we began we came across two women who asked us if we had seen a grey haired woman pas us. It turned out that a women’s hiking group had a missing party member. They had been a long way up the trail and while returning the woman taking up the rear never arrived in camp. That was the previous night. Search & Rescue (SAR) had been notified so we promised to holler and keep an eye out for her. The first few miles of trail meandered through majestic stands of old growth forest. Huge trees, Douglas Fir, Red Cedar, Hemlock, Big Leaf Maple. We made good time and reached Camp Pleasant at 1PM. We both felt strong and excited to be backpacking so we opted to continue up the trail another 3.1 miles and another 400’ gain to get to Camp Nine Stream which we reached at 3:15PM. In a check with the ranger prior to the trip I had been told that on the lower stretches of trail it wasn’t a big deal not to follow your permit but in the high country it was more important.
The adventure begins!
Hiking through big trees
Butterfly at Camp Pleasant
Still smiling after a ten mile day
During the evening the first SAR staff member arrived for the night. He expected to have three more come up early in the morning so they could continue up to the last place the woman was seen. We would be wondering about her for the remainder of our trip and right in the midst of the search area.
DAY 2: 5.6 MILES, 2,700' ELEVATION GAIN, 2,000’ LOSS
Our second day dawned clear and nice. The real elevation gain starts right after Camp Nine Stream so we broke camp and headed up the trail at 7:45AM. Gaining a whopping 2,700’ feet in 3.1 miles was tough going but we picked a very slow pace and steadily worked our way higher and higher until we finally topped out at First Divide. We were glad we had opted to stay at Nine Stream which knocked three miles off this grind. First Divide provided us with our first views of some high country. Mount LaCrosse, Elk Lick Mountain and even the tip of Mt. Anderson were visible. First Divide was also part of the immediate search area as would the remainder of our miles on this day.
Magical forest beyond Nine Stream
Tree tunnel in the forest
Luxurious understory full of ferns, mosses and fungus
Another butterfly drying its wings
Climbing out of the big trees
Success!
The next leg was a 2.5 mile descent to our next camp on the Duckabush River. This stretch was also a challenge for a number of reasons. Once back in the trees we would encounter several gigantic trees that had fallen over the trail. A few were a real challenge to get by. But what stymied our progress more than anything was that on the entire way to the camp the trail was lined with big, fat, juicy blueberries and huckleberries. It is hard to pass up a bush coated in these delectable treats so we were constantly stopping to pick a handful and without some restraint it would have taken days to get there. We finally arrived at Upper Camp Duckabush at around 2:15PM. Along the way we had seen several other hiking parties. They all seemed to know about the missing woman but no one had seen her. It was weird hiking through the inner Olympics and knowing that someone was out there lost.
Just below First Divide looking down on Home Sweet Home
Greg, I seemed to have misplaced my huckleberries. Have you seen them?
Blueberry goodness
Arriving at Upper Duckabush
We were thrilled to have modern restrooms. This one didn’t even have a back wall
Stay tuned for Part 2 of 3!