Mount Ellinor

August 2, 2015

I've hiked to the top of Mount Ellinor before, although, admittedly, it's been a couple years. The trail is frequently hiked and very well maintained. A LOT of work went into the building of this trail, and efforts to maintain it are visible. That doesn't necessarily make it any easier to hike; you are, after all, summiting a mountain, but all that hard work by others is appreciated.

This trail is a perfect conditioning trail; it starts out going up and continues climbing all the way to the summit. I left from the upper trailhead, which cut my distance in half, but also cut out the less aggressive portion of the trail. From the upper trailhead, you are 1.6 miles from the summit and you gain 2,444 ft elevation; a grade that can best be described as 'character building'. Just when you thought you couldn't possibly have much more to go, you encounter another thigh-burning, knee-busting section to climb. Once the majority of the boulders are done, you get to traverse the face of the ridge on a lengthy section of stairs.

 

 

"Are you freaking kidding me????"

 

 

I hiked this trail solo, so took as many breaks as I needed to make my way to the top. The ascent took longer than I had anticipated but my slow and steady pace eventually carried me to the summit. As I got to the traverse section, a marmot watched from his perch in the rocks below me. That is the first marmot I've seen in probably five years; it brought back memories of hiking with my parents and made me smile. Upward I continued, heart and lungs working double time to get oxygen to my straining legs. 

The vistas from this trail are often amazing. On a clear day you can see across Lake Cushman and Hood Canal to Seattle and Mount Rainier. To the north you can usually see Mount Baker and the North Cascades. This day, however, there was too much haze for good photos. Nevertheless, the views were great and I paused a few moments to take in each one.

Eventually I found myself looking across at Mount Washington, Ellinor's immediate neighbor to the north. From here, I knew the summit was just a few minutes away.


Mt Washington, with Hood Canal in background

Onward and upward I continued, refreshed by the knowledge that I was almost there. I rounded a corner and ... came face-to-face with one of Ellinor's resident mountain goats. He was standing on the trail, directly in the path between me and the summit. I stopped dead in my tracks, raised my camera to snap a photo, for which he seemingly posed, then yielded the trail to him. As I backed down the trail, he popped up and over the ridgetop and headed down the mountain. What an incredible moment for me!

I picked out a rock and sat down for a well-deserved lunch break. The sun was at my back and the interior of the Olympics stretched out before me with Mount Olympus illuminated from above, his glaciers the only visible snow in the range. The insects buzzed around but didn't harass me. Two chipmunks scampered around in search for tidbits left behind by other hikers. Otherwise, I was alone there at the top for about 20 minutes which gave plenty of time for reflection. It had taken me over two hours to labor my way up to the summit, but I made it. Alone. I wasn't overly tired, and my legs were doing well. Eventually others joined me. I scrambled the last 7-8 feet to the summit, and had another hiker take a quick snapshot.

 

As I was preparing to leave, a small group of novice hikers made their way to the top. They had run out of water, so I filled one of their bottles from my hydration bladder, then gave them the last of the Nuun (electrolyte replacement) in my bottle. I made myself a fresh bottle, hefted my much-lighter pack on my back and started down. They started down right behind me. At some of the steeper portions, I would make my way down then hand a trekking pole up to the first in line behind me so they could steady themselves coming down, they'd pass it back to the next, and so on. As their muscles screamed, I supplied them with amino acid supplements. We chatted the entire way down about all the things strangers discuss to pass the time. By the time we arrived at the trailhead, they were calling me their 'Trail Angel'. I can live with that.

 

I was very pleased by body's performance on the descent. My legs held up under demands that will be similar to what will be expected of them on Mt. St. Helens. My speed on the return trip was 1-3/4 hours; less than the ascent. I am in love with my boots and wanted to hug the co-worker who bought them for me. They might not be cute, or stylish, or purple, but they performed as well as expected. Although stiff and sore a day later, I've been noticing that my recovery time is less with each hike.

 

Our climb up Mt. St. Helens is a mere six weeks away. I'm nervous and still worry that I will have trouble with the dreaded boulder field, but I think I may just make it.

 

Distance hiked: 3.2 miles
Elevation gained: 2,444 ft

Summit elevation: 5,944 ft