Mt Olympus, Washington

Mount Olympus

June 16-20, 2023

Sitting in the hot tub after climbing Mt. Hood in Oregon, Laura and I met Scott and, without reservation, invited him to come along to attempt Mt. Olympus with us in Washington a month later. He had mentioned that he had climbed the 7 summits and that Olympus was on his short list. It was clear he was plenty experienced in the mountains and we weren't concerned with his climbing ability. We did however wonder if he knew what he was getting into as we would have Hazel and Grandpa with us and I'd assume he thought we would be average "hikers". Yep, probably true. 

Grandpa Stan was looking forward to the hike.

Loaded down with 60 pounds of backpacking gear and food for myself, Laura, Hazel and Grandpa Stan and all stuffed into in my 70L Denali pack, I wondered what the heck I had gotten myself into. 50 miles of this - holy shit. Laura carried Hazel along with whatever additional gear she could fit, earning a pack weight around 55 pounds. 

Fully packed and ready to start the trek.  Even Owl went with us.

On a beautiful summer morning, Laura, Hazel, Stan and I set off on the Hoh River trail, planning to hike into Happy Four camp for our first night in the backcountry. After packing our backpacks in the parking lot, we set off on the popular national park trail at 1:15 pm and leisurely made our way through the old growth forest and amazing moss-covered trees. 

Hazel walked quite a bit on the way to the first camp

Huge trees we passed along the way

About 3 miles into our hike, Scott caught us on the trail and hiked along with us making our way to Happy Four, 5 miles down the trail by 4:30 pm. We all set up camp, cooked dinner around a small campfire and relaxed for the evening. Hazel explored the camp site before crashing in bed as the days sunlight faded into dark.

Camping at Happy Four

Hazel eating dinner at Happy Four

Without an exact plan for our second day, we packed up camp at Happy Four around 9 am with hopes of beating afternoon rain storms to our next camp. We decided to stop at the Olympus Guard Station as the rain was coming down quite heavy by the time we arrived. Laura went out exploring and located an excellent campsite that was guarded by a huge tree. Although the rain fell heavily, the site stayed dry.  Laura and I set up Hazel and Grandpa Stan in the excellent campsite as the rain poured from the sky.

Getting bundled up in full rain gear before leaving camp; Hazel seems a bit uncertain about all of it.

Interesting stream crossing on the way to the Olympus Guard Station

Grandpa and Hazel all set up.

After setting up Grandpa and Hazel at camp, Laura, Scott and I set off out of camp at 1 pm with the intention on making it 8 miles further to Glacier Meadows at the foot of the Blue Glacier and our intended route for Mt. Olympus. Already tired from hiking with heavy packs in the morning, Laura and I traded off weight as we ascended the steep climbs hiking to Blue Glacier. Scott was not so fortunate to split weight and had to put in the extra effort to keep up with Laura and I. Not only did Scott never get too far behind, but he never complained about the speed, weight or plan that we had set to climb the mountain. We now knew that having him as a partner for our trip was a great benefit. His experience was beneficial, his attitude great and our conversations always intriguing. We were happy to have him along and were hopeful that by joining us, he would accomplish a common goal. 

Scott and Justin on the High Hoh bridge

Scott and Justin navigating one of the washouts along the trail on the way to Glacier Meadows

After multiple stream crossings, bridges, down climbs and interesting side hilling, we arrived at Glacier Meadows in falling snow at 5:30 pm. We each set up our tents and did what we could to dry clothes for the mornings climb. After cooking dinner and filtering water, we all retired to bed hoping to get a bit of sleep before our 1 am wake up call. 

Scott working through the landslide area where the NPS has placed a ladder to assist hikers

Camp at Glacier Meadows

Alarms sounding, I get out of the tent and boil water for coffee. Scott is out and about as well. We do what we can to stay warm before getting moving and after getting breakfast in our bellies, we shoulder our packs and begin walking at 2:25 am. The night sky shined bright with a nearly full moon and the stars in the sky were amazing to see without the light pollution of nearby cities. We slowly made our way up the ridge, eventually reaching what would be the most difficult and dangerous part of our day. The lateral moraine is full of loose rock and dirt left behind from the receding glacier. There is no path through the maze of loose rubble and as we descended down to the glacier, there was much rockfall and sketchy traversing. As we carefully made our way down off the dirt and onto snow, I was relieved to step foot onto something solid. 

First hazy views of Mount Olympus with amazing stars overhead

As soon as we were on the snow, we roped up in case we encountered crevasses on the glacier. We walked across the flat glacier and soon came to the first section of moderately steep snow. Ascending quickly, we stopped at a rock outcropping as the sunrise brightened the night sky into day. I tightened my trail runners and strap on crampons as Laura and Scott had a bite to eat. After a short break, we were moving again. 

Ascending one of the first steep slopes as the sun starts to shine on the peaks above us

Justin and Scott climbing the glacier as the sun crests the horizon

There were several crevasses that needed to be skirted as we neared Crystal Pass but none of them were overly concerning and the glacier seemed to be in excellent condition. Up and around Crystal Pass, avoiding the bergschrund, we circled around until we were able to reach the base of the final section of climbing to the summit of Mt. Olympus. 

Scott and Justin at Crystal Pass (taken on descent)

Approaching the summit pinnacle

We chose to climb a moderate 5th class rock pitch to the summit. Using the glacier rope for protection, I went first and climbed 20 feet to a fixed cam in the rock. I clipped this cam and continued climbing, using all of our 40 meter rope before reaching an anchor just below the true summit. Laura and Scott followed as I kept the rope tight, guarding against any long falls. We stood on the summit as a group just before 8 am. With high fives and a ton of excitement, we soaked in the views of the Olympic mountain range. 

Justin leading up the final pitches to the summit

Justin celebrating on the summit

Team picture on the summit

The views from the summit were amazing

Descending, we utilized an intermediate rappel anchor where I had clipped the fixed cam and each made it back to snow in two rappels with the 40 meter rope - a 30 meter would have been plenty. Retracing our steps down and back over Crystal Pass, beside the open crevasses and down to the flat area of the glacier, we once again made it to the lateral moraine. This time and in the light of day, we chose a slightly better, but still not fun path back to the ridge and soon were back in camp relaxing. 

Justin preparing to rappel

Scott rappelling down to the glacier

More interesting views of the surrounding mountains and glacier on the descent

Taking a quick break on the flat part of the glacier before ascending back up the lateral moraine

The not fun ascent back up the lateral moraine

It was 11:30 am and we were all tired. Laura and I wanted to get back to the Olympus Guard Station where Hazel and Stan were camped so we packed up our tent and sleeping bags and headed down the Hoh river trail. Scott decided that he would rest his blistered feet and eat lunch before making the 8 mile hike back to low camp. 

Justin reascending the fixed ladder

Justin looking down from the High Hoh bridge

While Laura and I did not think we would see Scott at camp that evening, we all relaxed around a campfire, Scott did wander into camp. We were pleased to see he made it and offered him a freeze dried meal for dinner as he had eaten his while still up at Glacier Meadows. 

These deer were hanging out at our camp when we returned

Relaxing back at camp with Hazel

Justin and Hazel relaxing back at camp

Scott was tired but still in good spirits

I was happy to see Hazel

The next morning, we all packed up camp along the Hoh river trail for the final time and made the 10+ mile hike out to the cars. Scott and I hiked ahead while Stan moved a bit slower to take in the scenery and snap photographs. Laura and Hazel hiked their own speed and we all made it safely back to the cars. 

Packing up camp

We said goodbye to our deer friends

Everyone was excited to be headed for showers and food

We passed lots more interesting sights along the trail

Hazel walked at least a couple miles on her own enjoying the plants and telling stories along the way

Almost 50 miles of hiking over 4 days and we were all happy to relax. It was a good adventure with a great new friend. We hope to be able to plan more with Scott as he was a great mountain partner and was always fun to have around. 

Back at the trailhead. Does Grandpa even look tired?

A banana slug we passed on the hike out.