Bailey Traverse & Mt Olympus... looking for info

[banos]

My hiking/climbing partner & I are looking for info from anyone who has hiked/combined these two.. Our plan: Sol Duc, trav Bailey to Bear Pass, over to Olympus, back to Sol Duc.. Am looking for specific beta for: #1-Bailey trav regarding staying on the ridge (north east side?) approx from Carrie to Stephen Pk in order to avoid Cream Lake swap/bugs/approach.. and #2-beta pertaining to route crossing from Bear Pass to Hoh/Humes Glacier (Hoh most likely)...

 

Am hoping to be able to communicate with anyone who has experience with either of these two specific routes.

 

PM me or email me at: banosser at yahoo dot com

 

If anyone knows someone who may have pertinent info, I ask you to please point them to this post...

 

many thanks

Edited January 17, 2009 by banos

[mountainmandoug]

My friend Steph and I did the traverse from Olympus to Bear Pass in 2007. Check out the story at her website

 

http://sabegg.googlepages.com/valhallas

 

and/or read the story at nwmj.com

 

as I recall that stretch from Camp Pan to bear Pass took us three hours under excellent conditions. We ascended snow slopes above camp pan and than crossed a ridgeline to the west. We traversed just to the west of the summit of the little peaklet south of camp pan on a long-feelig section of very loose class 2-3 rock, until we regained the north-south ridgeline and the snow. We than continued south dropping down into a basin from which we had to escape somehow. We guessed at the right gully and ascended to a small notch which allowed us axcess to the snow slopes on the east facing side of the ridge. After that it was straitforeward ridge walking to Bear Pass.

 

I must apologize if the above doesn't make sense in light of a map, mine is not nearby.

 

I'll try to take a look at a map and retrace our rout backwards and see if I can tell you anything useful about it. In the meantime you might drop Steph a line. I believe she has a photo of the map with our rout drawn on it, and she's very good at giving beta.

 

That will be a great trip this summer.

[banos]

Doug... Thanks very much for the reply and info.. In actuality your and Steph's trip via the Valhallas was already in my research stash and I thank you for the TR... I will definitely contact Steph as I need to collect the required beta well before our planned trip.. probably end of August. Everything being relative the Olympus glaciers should be in ok shape then shouldn't they?

 

I would also appreciate being able to further contact you in the weeks/months ahead to glean whatever additional beta possible..

 

again.. many thanks

Mark

 

Anyone else lol?! I have read here that tshimko & graywolf may have experience on the ridge crest from Mt Carrie to Stephen Pk and/or the route b/t Bear Pass & Hoh glacier.. I have attempted to contact each with no luck... perhaps they just have not visited CC.com recently.. anyone that knows them or how to communicate with them.. please point them to this thread.. thanks!

 

 

 

 

[Hoosierdaddy]

Although I can’t give you info on Bear Pass over to Olympus, I did do the Bailey Range in ’05, avoiding Cream Lake like the plague. Here is the WTA trip report (Including photo links) which describes the method to avoid Cream Lake on day #4:

 

http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/tripreport-2005071620

 

 

The specific route had previously been described to me by another CC member:

 

“The trick is to cross over the ridge before it makes a big left turn:

 

From the catwalk you walk below the main SE trending ridgeline. Go past 11-Bull Basin, and the trail eventually takes a sharp left at the corner, to the east. This is the major ridge at peak #5988. There is a minor ridge (WSW trending) just before that corner. You are on a well worn path in a large talus field when you see that minor ridge. The minor ridge line has trees along its spine, except for a gap near the top. On the topo, the top of this ridge gets to a large flat area. Your destination will be there, at peak #5796 on the older USGS map.

 

Now here's the part where many people have a hard time. Leave the well worn path that seems to continue forever and instead aim for that gap up in the tree line at the top of the minor ridge. Work your way up the steep but grassy cirque bowl to the obvious treeless gap. From there a game trail gets you the last 100-150' to the top (flat area, good camping, there's generally snow and water in a depression up there), then cross the major ridge to the east and look below to Stephen lake (big lake NW of Stephen Pk), or preferably tarns above the lake, warmer for swimming. Scramble down the loose talus from here and cross N, just above of Stephen Lake. Then climb up a gully system to NE of Stephen Pk.. (easy scramble to summit if so inclined), continue around the E shoulder of Stephen Pk, staying at about the same altitude if you can. Cross a couple of snow and rock fields as you head south, until you reach the ridge on the south side of Stephen Pk. From there simply walk along the ridge line game trail until you can find “easy” descent into Ferry basin in about a mile when the game trail ends at a cliff face.

 

Another way is to ascend Carrie and then traverse the ridgeline all the way to the flat area mentioned above. I've never done it all, but did come back from the flat area to Ruth Pk (along the ridgeline) once. Viewed from Carrie summit, the traverse from Carrie to Ruth looked easy.”

 

You can contact me at "hoosierdaddy810 at hotmail dot com" if I can help with any more info.

[achykneesplease]

Early August of 2007, I did the "cream lake bypass" section detailed by Hoosierdaddy. To gain the saddle between Ruth and and Stephen I think I departed from the standard Bailey route close to where hoosierdaddy describes. I recall a good size stream erupting from the rocks about 100' below the standard trail. It was hidden in some avalanche alder so you couldn't see if from the trail, but it was very audible. I was happy to find it because this streach of the trail had no water when I made my trip. It is a good place to fill your bottles before headed straight up the steep cirque. The ground cover wasn't any taller than my shins so it was actually an easy climb/walk. The saddle between Ruth and Stephen is fairly obvious on a good topo (greentrails). The place where you depart from the main trail is pretty much due west of the saddle.

 

I very glad I didn't take the cream lake route. I camped at the saddle described above and enjoyed the best site of my trip.

 

Route finding is straight forward if you have good weather. I did well until reaching the peak of Stephen. At that point the clouds came pooring up out of the Ho valley and obscured my visibility. Traversing the ridge SE of Stephen you need to deside whether to go left or right around a series of crags that block the way. I'm sure it would have been easier if I could have seen the route ahead. I ended up in some very exposed sections wondering how long I would wait until a customer visited my impending yardsale.

 

If I was doing the full loop you proposed, I would consider going the other direction. If you wait to do Olympus until the end of your trip the weather might be a problem. It's tough to find a weather window where your entire trip will be perfect. If you do Oympus at the start, you can adjust your departure to make sure you complete that section before things get messy. When I did the trip in August, I ran into two young guys doing the same loop you proposed. The weather got so bad they had to abandon the Olympus section of the trip and exit the Bailey via the Elwa snowfinger. I still wonder how they got back to their car.

 

Below is a shot of the "saddle camp". Looking SW toward Olympus.

 

[banos]

Hoosierdaddy... Exactly what I am looking for.. I will most definitely be contacting you in the future..

 

Many thanks for the reply

[banos]

achyknees... Wow.. I can see why that was the camp site of your trip. Thanks for the reply and the additional beta.. every bit will help.. I will certainly discuss the route direction with my partner, what you state makes sense..

 

thanks very much

Edited January 17, 2009 by banos

[banos]

Achyknees... Doing the loop in the 'other' direction.. How would ascending the wall up to the Stephen Pk shoulder be from Ferry basin?

[achykneesplease]

Achyknees... Doing the loop in the 'other' direction.. How would ascending the wall up to the Stephen Pk shoulder be from Ferry basin?

 

As you pass through Ferry Basin I would try not to lose much altitude staying high on the slope as you contour the basin. There really isn't what I would call a "wall" that you need to climb to get to the shoulder of Stephen Peak. There is a ridge that runs between Stephen and Mt Ferry. This is the actual crest of the Bailey range. Once you round the west side of Mt Ferry and enter Ferry Basin you will want to climb onto this ridge at the earliest reasonable point. It is possible to contour up through sparse trees and steep grassy slopes (many elk trails). The last little bit is a steep slope of screen and dirt. It isn't any more than 100ft and puts you on the ridge. I believe it was a little north of peak 5616 or 5826. The Olympic climbers guide has an excellent description as well as GPS coordinates if you care to cheat.

 

Once you’re on the ridge you go north for about 1 mile. The picture below is looking South down the ridge. I lost count of the little peaks I needed to go left or right to avoid summiting.

 

 

The next picture shows of Stephen lake basin from the north slope of Stephen Pk. The lowest point of blue sky you see on the left is the notch you need to pass through. That is the location of the campsite I showed in an earlier post.