The weather report was too good to be true. No systems rolling through, clear skies and sunshine. I had preplanned a different backpacking trip, but I decided it was one that needed a buddy to accomplish, and I was going solo this time. I could leave at noon on Friday, and so out came the USGS topographical maps, and I figured out that I could get to Constance Pass in Olympic National Park, and use Boulder Camp as a base camp. Trail 833 would be my entry point…
From my home town, Poulsbo, WA, it took about 2 hours to get to the trailhead, from my door to passing this sign with my backpack on. Though I have hiked a lot and gone on many trips, I still have a bit of a nervous bug in me when I am alone. The good thing is that it was Labor Day weekend, and I knew that fellow hikers would be out! Once I started hiking, the forest and river just ate up my attention. It was just a beautiful afternoon, and the first few miles of this trail to Camp Handy was just a treat. It’s groomed like a park, and no big elevation gains. So enjoyable!
The forest is classic Western Washington with hemlock, fir, some cedar, and lush ground cover sprinkled with rhodies. It is so peaceful, and all my stress with work and life just fell off as I concentrated on the trail and the beauty around me. The first mile is a popular path sharing the entry point to Royal Basin, one of the great hikes in ONP. To reach my destination, though, you veer left crossing a bridge over a creek, and then make your way the next few miles to Camp Handy. This is an awesome first backpacking trip destination! This was my son’s first overnight hike… Fun memories. I hiked on, and then the sweating began.
The trail basically heads parallel to the river straight south, sloping at a decent angle up the ridge towards Boulder Camp. After a few miles, vistas open up through the trees on the right looking across the valley. Ahead, you begin to see the mountains that surround this lush environment.
Camp Boulder has a classic shelter and sweet location with lots of options for day hikes. I love checking out the shelters, knowing the love put into them by the volunteer groups who help maintain these trails. That is the only reason they still stand in this rough environment.
I set up camp, filtered some water from a great cold source, and made some dinner.
I prepared water, and my packable lunch along with some essentials for my day pack, and headed out early to experience the morning light rising over the east ridge.
I did not see anyone as I made my way up 4 miles or so towards the pass, looking forward to seeing a small alpine lake near the top: Home Lake.
Home Lake is just beautiful, and just a joy to rest, hydrate and ponder the wonder of nature while soaking it in.
The climb up to the pass is a quick gain in elevation, with spectacular views in all directions. I love the moments before cresting a pass, as the anticipation builds and then you see beyond the rim…
The trail goes west up the ridge, and I followed it for another mile or so… and had lunch at about 6600 feet at the top of a nearby peak. So satisfying…
It’s hard to capture with a camera the wonder of what you see with your eyes… I feel like I am just letting you all down with these poor glimpses of the awesomeness I experienced.
On top of one of the nearby peaks, I found an old shelter built out of rock for hikers to shield themselves from the strong winds.
On the way down, I noticed my favorite volcano in the background rising up. How amazing to see that giant so far away?
The lake was so pretty on the way down from the pass in the afternoon sun…
I made it back to camp so much faster on the way down. The light hits the mountains differently and it’s a new experience for the eyes and I never was bored with the views.
I find hanging a hammock and chilling, hydrating, and reading a book a great way to wind down after returning to camp. Dinner always tastes so good after exerting: I put in about 11-12 miles, and it was actually pretty warm, so used up about 3.5 L of water. That evening, the camp was filled to the rim with late arrivals. Folks were basically doing the same thing as me: getting out for the long weekend and enjoying the mountains. I was lucky to have started early so things were pretty quiet up on the trails for me.
The next morning, I awake early and made my way to the trailhead. This hike was certainly one of my favorites, and a very successful solo trip. I just love the Olympics, and am finding Buckhorn Wilderness to be a place to return to over and over again.
Overall I put in about 25 miles over three days, half of them on the middle day for the day hike without the full backpack weight. The climb in qualifies this as a difficult hike, but otherwise the trails were well groomed, and there were adequate water supplies. The views are amazing and there are few places where you can see salt water 6500 feet below in multiple directions, volcanoes, and the Olympics. Awesome hike…
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