admin Posted October 9, 2000 Posted October 9, 2000 7300' Olympic NP 6/24/00 topo map sunrise from Marmot Pass Get There- Hop on the Kingston Ferry and drive US 101 till just South of Quilcene and head West to the Big Quilcene River Trailhead. This is the trail that services Marmot Pass. Due to the length of the approach hike, we decided to do the peak in two days. The first day we opted for a leisurly hike up to Marmot Pass which is 5 mile 2500' hike. Marmot Pass makes for and ideal bivy location with snow for water (or a stream down at Camp Mystery below) and wonderful views of Hood Canal, the Cascades, and night city lights. A fun side trip while at camp is to scramble up the gentle slopes of Buckhorn Peak which is on the North side of the saddle. Again, great views north to the straight of Juan de Fuca and the interior of the Olympics. Approach continued- We woke up the next morning and got an early start. You acutally hike down about 1000' and hike south on a trail to get to the base of Warrior Peak. The trail is very well maintained until after the Boulder Shelter. From this point there are countless avalanche paths, and honestly hundreds of trees to climb over on your way to the summit. This would not be an issue earlier in the season (but then the avalanches would be!). At about 5 miles in, 5500', you come to a small creek that drains from the Inner-Constance/Warrior basin. Due to the low snowpack, we had to scramble up a boulder field to get to the basin, but earlier in the season, this would be an easy snow slog. Once you get to the basin, the chute up to the twin warrior peaks is located on the North side. It is a long narrow chute where rockfall can be a definate problem. Ascend this chut to the saddle between the two peaks. The true Warrior summit is to the South when you reach the top of the chute. It is a quick slog up a final snow slope to the base of the summit block. There could possibly be a large moat here later in the season, but we had no problems getting to the rock itself. The rock is high 4th class, and some lower 5ht class moves, no pro needed, but a rope is nice to have for a rap down. The summit rock is composed of pillow lava, and like most Olympic summits, tends to crumble, so choose your holds wisely. There are various good rap anchors on the top, but take a second to enjoy the amazing views from the peak. Descend- the climbing route and back to Marmot Pass Time from Marmot Pass to summit- 6 hours Summit to Marmot Pass- 4 hours Back to car- 2 hours Car to seattle- long damn day, but worth it ?'s email me beefchub@hotmail.com [This message has been edited by skippy (edited 10-09-2000).] Quote
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