[FungiFan]

We have been up to the Tyler-Gray Wolf ridge once before and had white out fog conditions as a reward. Inspired by several TR's in the area https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8005134&highlight=baldy, https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8001499&highlight=baldy, https://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8000237&highlight=baldy and wanting to work further on our off trail and scrambling skills we decided to return to this ridge. This was also a chance to get some beta for returning in the winter for some snowshoeing given Hurricane Ridge is no longer open weekdays. The forecast for the 14th looked good with temps predicted in the low 60's @ ~6000ft which seemed reasonable given the sunny exposure and lack of water up there. It was more like the low to mid 70's with a hot dry wind blowing up from the valleys... We parked at the end of 2870-270 which remains in good condition. Took the R hand trail from the end of the road which wastes no time getting down to the business of ascending the ridge. It eventually drops you out in meadows below the ridge line, from here it disappears and reappears as you make for the saddle and the views open up.

Looking over towards Tyler

The Mueller Creek drainage

Our route forward

Frog Farm climbing the ridge, marine layer over the Straits of Juan de Fuca

Buckhorn, Constance and Warrior from the ridge

False and true summit of Baldy

There was a breeze but it was warm and hardly refreshing. The Ravens liked it though, playing some version of raven tag using the up-drafts coming off the top of the ridge. We reached Baldy after ~ 4hrs, stopped to take in the views and ate some lunch.

Pano from Baldy, Grey Wolf in foreground

Mt Olympus

We scrambled down off Baldy looking for the tarn, the bowel below was completely dry and we left disappointed (now realize we needed to get to the next bowel over ) We retraced our route and dropped down through the meadow to pick up the Baldy/Maynard Burn trail and steeply descended off the ridge. I knew we would close the loop travelling along an old decommissioned FS road, didn't realize there were 2 such roads on the way down so we took a brief foray up the wrong one. It did drop us into a steep gulley with a faint way trailed marked with flagging. Any of you experienced Olympic hikers know where this goes? We returned back to where the trail had dropped us onto the road and quickly found the correct trail and returned to the car.

Meuller Creek at the trail crossing

Stats: 8.1 miles, ~4400ft of elevation, I went through 3L of electrolyte solution, could have used one more - there is no water once you leave the alpine area on the Tyler trail. http://www.mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?q=https://sites.google.com/site/fungifan99/hikes/BaldyTraverse.gpx?attredirects=0&d=1

[Abert]

Great picture!

[RodF]

[FungiFan]

@Abert. Random luck! Some day I need to spend some time to learn more about photography. We really admire the awesome photos you take in the Olympics. @RodF. Thanks for the info. We almost carried on but decided to retrace our steps, at worst we would have had to go down the Maynard Burn trail to the RC trail and then road walked back to the car. We have done the ridge from the Maynard Burn trail and would have to agree using the way trail from the end of 270 is preferable. We ran into 2 hikers ~ 14:00 who had come up that route heading to Baldy. They looked hot and tired!