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11-01-2019, 02:17 PM #1Registered User
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The Olympic Traverse, West (Sol Duc to the Quinault), May 29-June 5th
I put together a story of my traverse across the Olympic Mountains. It's been a few years since I've shared a story on here. Nevertheless, I thought folks would enjoy this adventure. Story is here as well: https://www.jasonhummelphotography.c...-traverse-west
MAY 29 – JUNE 5, 2019 – SOL DUC HOT SPRINGS TO QUINAULT RIVER
Charles A. Barnes, a member of the Press Expedition of 1889-90, understood the complexity of the Olympic Mountains I was entering. Near the end of his six month trans-Olympic traverse and my proposed adventure, he felt immeasurable satisfaction when, as he later wrote, “Down the gap of the Quinault a second range appeared, and beyond it another range, crossing our proposed pathway like lions in the path. Beyond them, sky–thank heaven, there was an end to them (Wood, Page 152, Across the Olympic Mountains).”
The Olympic Mountains aren’t so much a range, as they are an intersecting web of mountains. Often overlooked, even by those that live near them, they are rugged and scrappy, much like the North Cascades. Where they differ is in temperament; they are the much older and smaller sibling who’s both meaner and more ornery.
I called my first grand ski traverse of the Olympic Mountains The Olympic Traverse East. It crossed the eastern half of Olympic National Park, north to south, from Hurricane Ridge to Lake Cushman. Soon after I completed that traverse in 2016, I began to plan another, a twin to the first. The Olympic Traverse West would cross the western half of Olympic National Park from Sol Duc Hotsprings to the Quinault River.
In the ensuing two years, from maps and Google Earth, I teased out a feasible path beyond every obstacle. I debated those endless route decisions, trying to imagine unforeseen difficulties and their possible bypasses. At one point I even drew a happy face on my maps, indicating I had reached a happy place beyond challenges deemed “questionable.”
If this Olympic adventure went according to plan, it would sink its roots into the soil of the Sol Duc Rainforest and 8 days later into the soil of the Quinault Rainforest. “Why, you may ask?” Because, in my bullheaded opinion, the best ski adventures should begin and end in jungles.
Full Story and pics here since it's really, really long: https://www.jasonhummelphotography.c...traverse-west/Last edited by Unemployed; 12-06-2019 at 11:17 PM.
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11-01-2019, 05:14 PM #2
Spectacular as usual. Thank you!
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11-01-2019, 09:10 PM #3
This is seriously impressive, thanks for posting it!
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11-02-2019, 07:16 AM #4
Strong work and great photography.
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11-02-2019, 09:11 AM #5
I sat on a sunny platform at Muir yesterday with Carl, talking about this very thing.
Man, I've been mapping and planning this same traverse since seeing your 2016 TR of the eastern line... hoping one day to find the time.
Congrats! And thanks for sharing.
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11-02-2019, 04:33 PM #6
Well done. The Olympics sure are a special place.
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11-03-2019, 07:15 PM #7Registered User
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Thanks Norseman. If you ever give it a go, let me know. I'm always happy to help out with beta. It was a wild area!
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12-03-2019, 04:50 PM #8Registered User
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12-05-2019, 09:19 AM #9
very very cool, thanks for the detailed write up and for sharing! congrats on the adventure.
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12-05-2019, 09:30 AM #10
Outstanding! Strong team. Some of that terrain is as wild and remote as it gets for the Lower 48.
My aging buds are talking about returning to the area to redo the traverse from Dodwell-Rixon to the Blue via the Humes, Camp Pan and Glacier Pass. I am in full reality check mode.
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12-06-2019, 09:32 AM #11Registered User
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Damn, just like the 2016 trip, great job. Amazing photos and excellent story telling.
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12-09-2019, 09:05 AM #12Registered User
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I want to return at some point to hike the 1st part without skis, and to spend more time out there exploring. We were rushed on this trip. Camp Pan is a very cool spot! We spent a bunch of time around Glacier Pass last year. That was an amazing trip. Here's the TR if you want another nudge to get back out there https://www.jasonhummelphotography.c...r-of-the-gods/
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12-18-2019, 07:12 AM #13
FKNA you da man
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