July Trek; Day Three; Buckhorn Lake to Boulder Camp

July 3, 2016

The view from my tent

Knowing that this would be the most difficult day of our trek, we awoke a bit earlier. I unzipped my tent and the view that was revealed was incredible. The morning sun was hitting the upper reaches of Mount Buckhorn, but had not yet crested enough to bathe the forest or lake below in its light. We retrieved our bear bags, ate a satisfying breakfast and started busying ourselves with breaking camp. The plan for the day was to hike to Marmot Pass and camp there. No water is available at that location, so we all filtered extra water to carry us through an extra day on the trail. Once we had again donned our packs, we bid adieu to our campsite and headed out. It was such a tranquil spot, I hated saying goodbye.

On the trail again - Leaving Buckhorn Lake (photo by Holly Scheyer)

The arduous half mile back up to the main trail seemed tougher than it had on the way in. I labored under the weight of my pack as I maneuvered the terrain of the trail. By the time we had rejoined the main trail, however, I had regained my stride and was ready to face whatever lay before me.

Or so I thought.

From the junction our trail continued traversing the ridge face of the day before, steadily uphill. The lush wildflowers at the lower elevation thinned out, giving way to shorter foliage. We were steadily progressing into alpine meadows. Mount Buckhorn grew closer with each step. Onward and upward we trudged. The overall elevation gain wasn't that bad, it was just the unending climb upward under the weight of our packs that was draining us. After what seemed a small eternity, we finally crested the ridge and were rewarded for our labors by the many peaks and valleys that make up the Gray Wolf Ridge, all set against a blue sky interspersed with gorgeous clouds. It was breathtaking.

Grey Wolf Ridge - Photo by HIWalker Photo

We continued on a short ways to a small copse of trees that offered some protection from the wind that blew up there. It was here we sat amongst some very friendly ants and ate our lunches. The dogs were happy to stretch out and rest a bit. 

We had one more knoll to crest before cutting around the leg of Mount Buckhorn. We were over 5600 feet in elevation and travelling through a very delicate alpine meadow. The air was crisp, clean and invigorating. Enough other hikers had gone off-trail at this point that we somehow lost our route around the mountain - the 'rabbit trail' we followed carried us up to the top of Mount Buckhorn's outer leg where we eventually intersected the trail to the summit. The clouds had moved in by the time we reached the junction, making it difficult to take our bearings off the surrounding peaks and ridges. We ran into some hikers with an altimeter who informed us we were now at 6600 feet, which confirmed our estimation of where we were.  

Somewhere down there the trail escaped us. Photo by HIWalker Photo

Having familiarized ourselves with the map of our route many times during our year of planning, however, we knew that roughly 1/2 mile down the trail to the west was our destination - Marmot Pass. So, we hung a right to get ourselves back on track.

Goats in the Mist

We now faced one of the most heinous sections of trail in the Olympics. We quickly descended 750+ feet of elevation in 1/3 mile which, loosely translated, meant it was steep. It had loose rocks and gravel over top of rocks and boulders, therefore there was no sure footing. We all had packs that weighed over 40 pounds, thanks to the extra water we carried. Needless to say, there were a lot of expletives being uttered as we carefully picked our way down. Then, to add to the fun, we came face-to-face with a small family of mountain goats who were utilizing the same trail and coming right towards us. We employed our best goat deterrent techniques; waving arms and calling out "No, Goat!". Fortunately they were well-versed in hiker-ese and willing to concede the trail to us, moseying along their way a few yards off-trail. 

It was with great relief that we finally reached Marmot Pass. For me, it was a huge milestone. I have never hiked in so far, and this was, to date, my longest pack trip. It was not our final destination as planned, however. The weather had continued to worsen as we came down off Mt Buckhorn and hypothermia during the night was now a valid concern. The decision was made to push on an additional two miles to Boulder Camp. You won't hear me say this often ... but, fortunately these extra miles were downhill. I'd had enough of the song "Climb Every Mountain" for awhile.

Snowy Crossing - Photo by HIWalker Photo

Other than seeming far greater in distance than two miles, the final leg of our day was fairly uneventful. We hiked along at a steady pace, making our way back underneath the cloud cover and out of the wind. We speculated about where we lost the trail, and congratulated each other on testing our skillset. We crossed a steep snowfield, where young Jax amused himself with creating snowballs and small snow slides with his paws. He was romping, jumping, shoving show with his paws and grabbing mouthfuls of it. We couldn't stop laughing at how silly he was! Along the way we passed a couple sitting on the hillside with their dachshunds, the gentleman softly playing a harmonica. Birdsong returned as well as the abundant flora of the lower elevations. Hikers who had made Boulder their basecamp passed us on their return day trips, letting us know we were getting close. I love the camaraderie of backpackers - everyone watches out for everyone else, thereby ensuring everybody makes it out safely.

Holly & Jax enjoy a moment off their feet

About 3/4 mile out we caught our first glimpse of Boulder Camp. It was just a snippet of the roof of the shelter, but it a blessed sight. Finally, the end was in sight and you could almost feel our relief. As we wearily strode into camp, other hikers who had passed us along the way directed us to the only site still available which, as it happened, included the shelter. We dropped our packs, setup camp, ate dinner and relaxed amongst the shrubs and trees. There was laughter as we discussed the events of the day - we renamed Mt Buckhorn to something less polite and ruminated again about where we missed our turn. Birds sang their evening songs and rabbits hopped across the trail on their way to the brook that dissected camp. We looked up at Mt Buckhorn as the sun set, in awe that we had been up there just a few hours before. Eventually we hung our bear bags and turned in for a well-deserved night's rest.


It was a challenging day; both physically and emotionally demanding. It tested our strength, endurance, skills and mettle. It pushed us beyond our comfort zones. It was all these things and more. It was also stimulating, beautiful, peaceful, fulfilling, rewarding and full of adventure. As we snuggled into our sleeping bags, we did so with a sense of accomplishment. It was a good day.    

Day draws to a close at Boulder Camp - photo by Holly Scheyer

Hike 34 of 52
Distance Hiked: approximately 8
Elevation Gain: +1500, -1800 (give or take a mountain)
Max Elevation Achieved: 6600'