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Greetings!

We've just returned from our longest backpacking trip to date,
a seven day, forty-five mile trek through the backcountry of Olympic National Park. This uniquely diverse park is set on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state. It contains rare temperate rain forests in the lower elevations on the western side of the park. As you gain elevation you move through lowland, montane and subalpine terrain. Glaciers are present on Mount Olympus, the highest point in the park. It also contains a stretch of wild coastline. Sit back and relax as we tell you about our trip through this wild park.

Day 1

Our journey begins at the North Fork Ranger Station. We get our permit, close up the truck and hike to the Big Creek Trailhead. The Big Creek Trail takes us up through the classic Olympic rain forest for seven miles until we reach our first camp at Three Lakes. The camp is just a couple of clearings near some small lakes set in a beautiful meadow. The lakes are full of tadpoles and aquatic insects. There are no pit toilets, bear wires or picnic tables to be found. The moonrise is spectacular and the night is cool and quiet as we prepare for sleep.

Day 2

We rise to a beautiful sunny day and start out for our next destination, Three Prune Camp. We are now on the Skyline Trail. The trail works its way through wooded areas and open meadows, crossing many creeks. There are also occasional views of jagged snow capped peaks in the distance. Bear sightings are numerous. Combined we see six bears including a sow and her cub. Elk are present, but hard to see as they scatter through the thick woods. Three Prune Camp, a small clearing on the right side of the trail, is reached without incident. The camp's only amenity is a bear wire, which makes hanging our food much easier. While the pleasant view from Three Prune Camp is not spectacular, the presence of wildlife more than makes up for it.

The evening air is full of a variety of sounds. There is an owl hooting in a tree behind camp. The elk are bugling in the basin below and there are many screeching sounds and calls echoing in the night. Another beautiful day comes to a close as the moon and stars shine brightly above.

Day 3

Our sleep is interrupted by the sound of rain on our tent. Like a fire drill, we are up securing camp for a rainstorm. What a rainstorm it is. Torrential rains inundate camp. With much of the trail ahead being primitive and strenuous, and not to be attempted in this type of weather, we decided to hold out at Three Prune Camp until it subsides. The rain continues throughout the day with occasional breaks that allow us out of the tent to stretch and eat. We stay the night.

Day 4

At 7 a.m. beams of sunlight hit the tent. Within seconds we're out of our bags and out of the tent and into the sunshine. Time to assess the storm damage. Everything in the tent is dry and, for the most part, everything stored in our packs is dry with the exception of a few articles of clothing. After a drying session, we pack up and continue on the skyline trail towards our next camp, which we project to be somewhere near Kimta Peak. The trail is thick with vegetation. The temperature is warmer, but still very cool in the shade. The route leaves the Three Prune Basin and gains the ridge. It crisscrosses back and forth across the ridge occasionally following the ridgeline. There are many delicious, ripe huckleberries along the trail. We stop often to feast on tasty fruit. We are not the only ones enjoy this treat as we see many bears doing the same. Aside from some large, blown down trees the trail remained forgiving until we encountered a large burn area on a steep slope. This section of trail was muddy, narrow, steep and non-existent in places. There are also many tough "blow downs" to negotiate. After making it through this rough section, we hit an extremely steep series of switchbacks that brought us up to Promise Creek Pass. The views from the pass make it all worthwhile. A giant mountain-ringed basin came into view with high jagged peaks visible in every direction. The faint trail traversed rocky alpine terrain and was marked by rock cairns. The recent rains provided many pools of water in this potentially dry region. This allowed us to camp high upon the ridge, our best camp so far. Views from the camp were spectacular. We observed the low clouds and fog rolling into the valleys below as the night began to fall. Exhausted from the day, we turned in soon after a brilliant sunset and delicious meal.

Day 5

Warm sunshine greets us once again as we rise. The morning is spent relaxing and drying out damp gear. In the early afternoon we embark on the route to Lake Beauty. The trail is non-existent and is marked only by cairns, which at times are tough to follow. At the multiple stream crossings the trail became very steep, both on the way down and then back up again. We eventually descend to our camp at the aptly named Lake Beauty. We spend the remainder of the day exploring the area. A beautiful sunset is
enhanced by a blanket of fog that is rolling in. We are soon engulfed by the fog and call it a night.

Day 6

Once again we're greeted by sun in the morning hours. Our hike today takes us to our camp at Low Divide. We ascend the short, but extremely steep trail from Lake Beauty to Lake Beauty Pass. The trail then drops and gently contours the ridge, crossing subalpine meadows loaded with ripe huckleberries. This definitely slows our pace. Views are stunning in every direction. The trail drops steeply to cross Seattle Creek and then climbs steeply to gain the ridge once again. It contours the ridge and then descends into Low Divide where we make camp. The sites at Low Divide are designated and are within one quarter mile of the Ranger Station. They come equipped with fire ring, outhouse and bear wire. We set out to explore the surrounding area and hope for a close up view of the elk herd in the nearby meadow. Our hike is shortened as storm clouds fill the sky. We retire soon after.

Day 7

We wake to light rain. The ranger says the forecast is for three days of precipitation and we decide to hike the entire 16.2 miles back to the North Fork Ranger Station. We are fortunate to get off the Skyline Trail when we did because the forecast calls for snow and freezing temperatures above the 5000' level, which is the average altitude of the trail. We are now on the North Fork of the Quinault River Trail. The trail leaves the subalpine meadows and descends into the lush rainforest. We stop frequently to marvel along the way. We have a lunch break at Elip Creek, ten miles down the trail. After the break we hike the remaining six miles non-stop. The trail makes us earn every step. It is very rocky, with many ups and downs. We finally make it back to the truck about seven and a half hours later. Many emotions fill us as this fantastic journey comes to an end. We are exhausted and relieved to be at the end of the trail. We are excited and feel a great sense of accomplishment at completing our longest "pack-on" day hike and our longest backpacking trip of the tour. We also feel a sense of sadness leaving this beautiful park , one that has allowed us so much enjoyment, behind

We would like to thank our good friend Jeff Beard of Northwest Experiences Kayak Rental and Expert Guide Service, for allowing us to store our gear at his place for two weeks while we trekked through the North Cascades and Olympics.

The tour will continue as we head to Grand Teton National Park.

See You in the Outback!

Kevin and Steve