Walks with Moss: Buckhorn, Marmot Pass, Upper Big Quilcene

Ying and Yang on the Mountain Top

First a little background on me and this Mountain. When I was in my early 20’s I lived in 16 story building in downtown Seattle. From the other side of the building I could look across the Puget Sound and Green and Gold Mountain to the Olympics. Even though I was born and raised in Western Washington and my family was outdoors oriented I had never been to the Olympic’s. I did not know they were called the Olympics and I did not know the names of Green and Gold Mountains.

I used to sit in the hallway and gaze out the window admiring those amazing pointy black peaks. I wondered if it was possible to sit on top of one of them. I wondered if one could climb up them or if one had to be transported to the top of them like on Star Trek. Then I would dream about sitting on top of those pointy peaks and ruling the world. I would be a benevolent ruler. No one would have gone hungry in my kingdom. I myself was hungry and poor at the time.

Ridge and tarn

420mm zoom on same tarn

Fast forward 15 years and I am living on the Kitsap Peninsula married with one kid. I decided to join a hiking club. I did not know that hiking meant going into the mountains, I just liked the idea of being in the woods. I trained for my first hike with the club by walking around my neighborhood in a big 6 mile loop. Then I went for a hike with the club, it was the Peninsula Wilderness Club. I forget where we hiked but it was in the woods.

On my second hike with the club we went to Marmot Pass and I was amazed at the high country scenery. I had never walked up into the high country before and I had no idea that it could be hot in the mountains. After we had lunch on the pass the hike leader took a group to the top of Mount Buckhorn. I decided to join the half of the group that went up Buckhorn. I did not know that I was going to climb a mountain until I was almost at the top.

When I got to the summit I was amazed at what I could see and was also surpised to look down and see Seattle and my old apartment building. It was then that all my memories of gazing out the hall way window of my apartment building came back to me. I had never thought about being able to see Seattle from the Mountains. I had only thought about what the mountains looked like from Seattle.

That day I learned that it was possible to sit on the top of one of those pointy Olympic peaks. That day I also wondered what it would be like to have the summit all to myself. That was 7 years ago and yesterday I found out.

I’m glad that I finally achieved my goal of making a solo ascent of Buckhorn. I’ve felt driven to do it for the last 7 years. I almost did it a few years ago but my Step-Grandma died and I went to her memorial that day instead. I tried it again in 2006 but I only made it to a spot half way between Marmot Pass and the Summit and then turned around because I was very tired and it was getting foggy and creepy up there.

Yesterday was different, the sky was clear and it was a gorgeous hike! But you can’t ever go back. The scenery was nice but it did not blow me away this time. I’ve sat on the top of Mount Adams since the first time I went up Buckhorn so I’m a bit jaded now I guess. (I ran into a couple from Vermont who were on the way down from Buckhorn and they were blown away by our Olympic Moutains.)

Mount Buckhorn will always occupy a special place in my heart as the first mountain I ever climbed.

13 miles with 4,500 feet elevation gain.
27 on the hike difficulty calculator but it felt more difficult than last weeks hike.

Tracklog

Elevation Profile

I’m in good condition but this was still a tough hike. Once I got to 6,000 I could feel the elevation and I had to take frequent breaks just to breath. I think it took me 3.5 hours to summit. I started my hike at about 10 and finished at about 5. I had to get up early and move fast with the days getting shorter. I’m pretty sore today.

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My TR from Wednesday, August 30, 2006 when I did not make it all the way up:
The area was totally socked in by clouds with no view at all.

I felt really dizzy and weak on the way up and it took me 5 hours to go up but it only 2.5 hours to go down. I felt good at the end of the hike in spite of my troubles going up. My total time on the trail today was 8 hours!!! Wow was I slow. My elevation gain was 4,202 feet.
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Wooly Chanterelles

Mystery Mushrooms

Coral Mushrooms

Bears Head that someone had already picked

Huge Honey Mushrooms

Duff Pumpers

Windswept Ridge

12X zoom (420mm)in on Seattle

Patches with patchy snow

My dog eating snow to stay hydrated

Meadow below Marmot Pass

My dog could not make up the summit block so she sat below the summit rock and whined at me. I kept throwing beef jerky down to her to shut her up. If it had not been so icy I might have tried to pull her up there with me.

I was scared enough getting myself up there and wondering how I was going to get down. But I boiled water for a cup of tea once I got up there and I sat and drank my tea on the summit. It was cold and windy and the hot tea helped me to be able to stay up there with out getting too cold.

In this picture you can see my shadow, I am on the summit and the dog is looking up at me.