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[TR] Mt. Carrie Attempt- The Catwalk 11/27/2004


olyclimber

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Climb: Mt. Carrie Attempt-The Catwalk

 

Date of Climb: 11/27/2004

 

Trip Report:

My little brother and I clipped bolts at the Elwah on Friday, and on Saturday we hiked up to climb Mt. Carrie. We got a later start then we wanted to, and didn't get to the trailhead til 7:30. We followed the Soleduck up to Heart Lake, hitting snow at around 2600 feet. Oscar fell into a creek on the way up, his first of many aquatic explorations on this trip. Skys were blue, but when we hit the High Divide, Olympus was socked in. After about ten minutes, it opened up.

 

IMG_3498.jpg

 

IMG_3499.jpg

 

We continued on the ridge, around the base of Cat Peak and onto The Catwalk.

 

Cat Peak:

IMG_3484.jpg

 

By the time we reached the end of The Catwalk, it was already getting late (2:30). Damn lollygaggers! rolleyes.giftongue.gif

 

Mt. Carrie from the end of The Catwalk:

IMG_3523.jpg

 

The Bailey Range:

IMG_3527.jpg

 

It was hard to turn around at this point, but there are only so many hours of day light. We hiked up the ridge over The Catwalk, eventually dropping back down and rejoining the trail. We reached the end of The Catwalk and brewed up some tea and watched the sunset:

IMG_3556.jpg

 

And the moon rise:

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We still had over 10 miles to hike out, but by the light of the moon and our headlamps down in the forest we made it back to the car by 9:20. I did suffer a mild case of dehydration, and ate my fill of snow till we reached Heart Lake. It was an awesome day out in the snow, even with being shut down as far as a summit.

 

More pics at:

 

http://www.hammertec.net/index.php?set_a....php&page=1

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Don't need snowshoes yet, Oscar should have brought an iceaxe. Crampons would have been a nice to have to give us more options for ascent/descent.

 

Approach Notes:

Snow level was at 2600 ft. Nice crisp, powdery snow the whole trip.

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Mt. Carrie is a part of the Bailey Range (in the north western part of the Olympic mountains). The trail I took is up the Soleduc road. Drive past the Hotsprings Resort a mile or two, and there is the trailhead. If you're looking to do some hiking, the Seven Lakes Basin area is awesome...but crowded during the summer. You can get to Mt. Carrie many different ways, but via a trail it is up either of the trails that branch from the Soleduc trailhead (either through the Seven Lakes Basin or following the Soleduc as we did on this hike). "Hikers" might find the Catwalk a little sketchy, but if you're a "climber" it is a nice way trail. This is the last section of trail on the approach to Carrie. The Bailey Range is a popular backcountry traverse. You might want to check out a copy of the Olympic Mountain Climbers Guide.

 

BTW, Mt.Carrie isn't that tough of a climb (Class I or II, I can't remember). That is probably why it isn't listed on a place like Summitpost or is a popular destination. It is the highest peak in the Bailey Range though, and gives you an awesome view of the Olympus peaks. I chose it because of the challenge of doing it on one day (but I was only able to do 26 of the 28 round trip miles required, which just took me to the base on the mountain)...also just to get out there in the snow. It is also just down the road from my parents place smile.gif

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