curtveld

+1 So much more aesthetic than during the summer season

That is always a possibility in the Cascades, it's a very dynamic landscape. But part of the reason the rebuild took so long was that several sections were rebuilt farther away from the river. And the Downey Creek bridge, which got partially washed out, is now much longer.

Based on the persistently high snow levels, I doubt there is much accumulation as of yet. But that's a guess and may be changing. What I do recall is that when the trail gets above the timber, it follows a minor ridge left around Crater Lake all the way up to the steep part, so topography is favorable.

Yes an excellent 3-day loop with lots of variety. Probably 2/3 of the length is on trails. Cruiser definitely looks cool!

An excellent late-season quad burner with fantastic colors! Wish I could go...

Trip: Olympics - Skokokomish Traverse Date: 7/17/2014 Trip Report: Another one for the ‘better-late-than-never’ bin - a few Iphone shots of a sweet loop Andy and I did on the heels of the wettest day of the summer. After decades obsessing on the North Cascades, just starting to explore the Olympic high country. As others say, the Olympics are equally intriguing, thick with varied vegetation and wildlife. Being smaller in scale, the alpine scenery is constantly changing - talus slopes that take an hour in the Cascades are over in 15 minutes. Day 1 – Drove and ferried through the rain, stopping for a great burger at the Eagle Creek Saloon. Finished the day with four easy miles up the Skokomish through dripping old growth. Day 2 – Trail Day – a long haul up the Skokomish valley, including broad valley bottoms resembling the Hoh, then steady climbing to First Divide. From there, followed the ‘Hopper Mtn route’ (it’s marked) through various burns to a sweet heather basin. Day 3 – Traverse Day - woke in the fog, followed the friendly ridge eastward to Rock Arrow Pass, then south through talus to the divide above Lake of the Angels. Climbed snow southward, crossing two eastern spurs of Mt Skokomish. During a break, a family of goats passed 30' from us! Dropped 1200 brushy feet into Hamma Hamma headwater meadows, then thrashed back up to Gladys Pass, camping beneath the looming Mt Cruiser. Day 4 – Breakfast panoramas on Mt Gladys, then down the trail to Flapjack Lakes and out. After all that solitude, encountered 60+ visitors in the last two miles before Staircase! Lush Skokomish valley bottom Putting on rain gear at First Divide Traversing a recent burn on Mt Hopper Mt Stone from camp Meadow stream in the fog – natural color, not B/W! Money shot of Mt Skokomish Rock Arrow Pass – pointing back toward Hopper Talus, wildflowers and end of Iphone charge Gear Notes: Ice axe, topo map Approach Notes: Staircase Ranger Station

November is one of the stormiest months in the PNW, so most likely conditions up there will be very white. As mentioned above the coast is an excellent alternative - Heceta beach or Honeymon Dunes are great spots. A good nearby hiking option is Spencer's Butte or, if you rock climb, the Columns or drive on over to Smith Rock. Smith is in the entirely different high desert environment and much more likely to be dry than Eugene. Have fun y'all!

Too bad most of these places close at 8. Annie's Pizza in Concrete is a little better, staying open until 9.

Yikes, looks like they cut up a 10 lb sack for that order!! And their cones are generously sized as well.

Great trip idea and nice photos. Bird Creek meadows looks just the same as I remember it from around 30 years ago. Some interesting stream crossings too, from the looks of it.

and fleece? Looks a tad shady this time of year. Also looks like a fine climb - glad it's catching on.

Assuming you're looking for rock, I'd vote for Tucson. More variety and nicer weather than JTree or Vegas, though both could be fine options. If you're driving, hit em all!

What an amazing contribution...more great climbing than most states have, I'd wager. Well done Chris

Right. There are lots of folks working behind the behind gates that have no interest in enforcing access restrictions, so I wouldn't read too much into that. I think you're right that Weyco is hoping the hunters will pay up to get in there, as they do in the SE US. Hopefully they will decide to waive the fee for human-powered visitors.

My response too. Should be titled "Mountain biker panicking in Jasper"

Congrats Peter and Keith! Way to keep trying until all the variables had lined up.

Any updates on this? How much road walking required from end of 2WD? Thx

You probably did a couple funky tree raps into Westward Ho? That way is a little old school but works. Or you can rap the upper part of DR (bolt stations) and switch over onto the Buttress, as shown here: http://www.mattsea.com/Darr/pdf/blueberry.pdf

Excellent - nothing like that in Oregon! No damaged hardware on route?

Awesome! Next time I go up there, I want to do that Winnie's Slide bivy that you did.

There seem to be quite a few climbers looking for local partners in the in the Skagit/Bham area. Over the last month or so there are queries in this forum from 'heelhook', 'kaplac' and 'DaveLeo'. Skagit Alpine Club is also a great organization and place to connect with partners. Good luck!

Right...the 'over-40 list'...for after you've finished off all the big scary alpine projects

Pretty much my thinking as well. One more factor is how many pavement miles you pile up. If it's not very many because, maybe you have a short commute or take public transit, then maybe a the reduced MPG of a small AWD rig isn't that big of a deal.

Burger Barn = ...so long as you're into good ole fashiond burgers/n/fries and such You can sit at the picnic table with your grub and sip a brew from the gas station!

Not really. I did notice a bolt without a hanger I missed on the way up. With the topo in hand and a bolt visible above most belays, route finding was pretty darn easy. Big thanks for all the work you guys put into that area!