Climbing Olympus from the Bailey Range, etc.

[timmy_t]

I need beta on climbing Olympus as part of the Bailey Range traverse, the idea being to backtrack to camp so I can still head down into the Elwha. Has anybody done this lately?

 

Any favorite side peaks along the traverse that I shouldn't miss?

 

Here's another one: how feasible is it to get from Low Divide (or thereabouts, once coming down from the Baileys) to Chimney Peak, West Peak, or Enchanted Valley without going all the way around to Hayden Pass (to Anderson Pass). Good clean fun for the whole family?

 

thanks

[Denizen]

Timmy -

The new climbing guide to the Olympics is a great resource for climbing Mt. Olympus from the Bailey Range. To do this you will have to climb from Queets Basin.

 

Also, the traverse from Low Divide to Anderson Pass area is feasible, just have good maps and routefinding skills. And if you decide to go on it when there is snow, be prepared for very steep slopes along the way. It is rugged and SO SO worth it!

[jhamaker]

Yep. Kinda a bitch hauling technical gear accross the Baily Range, but worth it. Bring the shortest, lightest rope you can get away with (use a pull cord after the rappels) and use all the other tricks to dump weight.

 

Bears galore in the Queets Basin durring berry season.

[mountainmandoug]

Last summer I traversed from Camp Pan on Olympus to bear pass, this is fairly simple and it took us all of three hours. It's got some tricks to it on the North end of the traverse but nothing to difficult, a bit of 2-3rd class choss (you basically go over one of the peaks) and there's one place you need to pick the right notch across the ridge. I soppose if I dig out the map I could give you a detailed description.

 

Climbing Olympus would probably be around 3-4 hrs from camp pan I soppose depending on the glaciers condition. You might give this friend an e-mail sabegg.googlepages.com, as she's been to that area a few times. I'll try to find the map and post a better description tomarrow.

[timmy_t]

Thanks for the responses. Looking through the guidebook/map for the past two days it looks like the best way to get from Low Divide to Anderson Pass is to go up Leitha Creek from Camp Wilder, climbing Norton and Crystal on the way to the Eel Glacier. Has anybody been this way?