[Manacus]

It has taken me a year to get around to writing this, but I figured now would be a good time to post for folks looking to try this route this summer: From July 27th to August 3rd 2013, my friend Erik and I climbed Mount Hugin in the Valhallas and the west peak of Mount Olympus, approaching from the South Fork of the Hoh. It was a brutally hot week, but we both agreed it was one of the best, most unique, and least traveled routes we've ever hiked in the northwest; and much easier terrain than I expected. There is pretty straightforward walking on the north side of the river all the way to Valkyrie Creek (gravel bars and game trails, with a couple sections requiring easy work arounds of constricted sections of the river). A logjam at the mouth of the Valkyrie Creek afforded us an easy crossing to the south side. From there, wide elk trails conveyed us easily to the Geri-Freki Creek (misnamed in other trip reports, and unnamed on maps) and all the way into the Geri-Freki basin below the toe of the (surprise) Geri-Freki Glacier; one of the most stunning places I've ever been. Easy access to the glaciers afforded an easy climb of Hugin (the easiest summit in the Valhallas), before we headed onwards to Mt. Olympus. Goat trails led to the ridge connecting the Valhallas to Olympus, and mostly straightforward walking in brutally hot sun (with a few very short sections requiring care), took us to another stunning camp at the toe of the Hubert Glacier. We followed to a T the line representing the path of least steepness on the topo maps. The next day, we did the same thing, taking easy snow ramps up to Snow Dome where we connected with the usual climber's route on Snow Dome, climbing the west peak by the south ledges route. Pictures and a long(-winded) story about the trip are on my blog: On Snow Dome we spent an amusing night with Dave Skinner who is donating his time over a multi-year period to restore the Snow Dome hut (removal of the hut is more expensive than restoration) and pack out years and years of garbage that accumulated as the result of the glacier research program. Dave welcomes help either in person or via donation. He has set up a program called "Friends of SnowDome", c/o David Skinner, 7097 Deer Park Road, Port Angeles, WA 98362 where you can mail a check, or leave a message at (360) 452-0565. This time of year you are more likely to meet him on SnowDome, where he'll put you to work if you have time and energy (in return for Kool-Aid, pancakes, and endless tales of mountain adventure).

[silence]

Totally missed this ... yes ... EPIC climb! We may head up to visit with Dave again this season. We got lemonade.. not kool-aid.

[Ski]

awesome. interesting variation from the route described in the climbers guide.

[ranger rock]

That sounds like a fun trip. Thanks for sharing.

[Redwic]

Now THAT is what I call a full alpine experience. Awesome job and great trip!

[iron]

tremendous story and writing. it sounds like every camp was a great gift from the mountain gods. interesting comment re: ice worms. i am certain i've seen ice worms on non-glaciers. how they got there is beyond me, but i have definitely remarked to my wife and she confirmed i wasn't crazy re: seeing the worms. i assume the delay in this report was the birth of your child. hopefully that is going well and your mountain adventures are just taking a new course.

[Ski]

I have to add: sure looks a lot different from that side! I've only seen the south and east faces from way down below.

[Phil]

Great write-up! I'd like to get to Geri-Freki basin some day.

[Manacus]

To Iron: If there are worms it is almost certainly a glacier. Occasionally they migrate onto adjoining snowfields, but they won't persist there. There has to be permanent snow and ideally ice, and that snow must have been contiguous with a larger glacial system at one time. Many of our permanent snowfields are actually dying glaciers. If you dug down you would find stagnant glacial ice there. A few examples: The Bear Pass snow field in the southern Bailey Range has ice worms all over it. They come out in cloudy weather and at dusk. That is a stagnant glacier and probably, very soon, a dying population of ice worms. If you are up on Mt. Rainier and you stray from snowfields west of the Paradise Glacier onto the Paradise Glacier proper, you can tell where the Paradise Glacier starts by where the ice worms start. The snow field below Hubert Glacier which was once contiguous with the glacier itself (which has retreated above a cliff band), has no ice worms. Either this snow field melts out at the end of summer or there is no longer sufficient underlying ice. To answer the second question, I had hoped to post an actual trip report, but got stuck linking to my blog, which was also delayed. Yes, time constraints due to fatherhood.

[Ancient Ambler]

Awesome trip, plus superb narrative and photos on your blog. Thanks for thinking like an elk and finding the sensible route from the South Fork Hoh up Geri-Friki Creek to G-F Basin, as opposed to the moss-cliff hell of the standard route east of Valkyrie Creek. I'm sure your route will be the new standard route to the Valhallas.

[Rainie Too!]

Great TR! What a trip! Thanks for the route pics.