This was a great hike. We went in with four folks with probably 45lb packs, including wine, beer, fishing gear and an inflatable raft for the lakes. Ate like kings. Didn't know how much snow to expect given the conservative statements of the rangers, but there is definitely no need for crampons or ice axes on the High Divide loop. We went counterclockwise on the 18 mile loop, starting and ending at the Sol Duc trailhead/parking lot. First night, Deer Lake. No one there on a Wednesday, but we had reservations anyway. About 4 miles and 2000 ft elevation gain; arrived at 7:30p after a very late 5:30p start, but still plenty of light for fishing, cooking and exploring. Mosquitos are out. Some used DEET, others not, and long pants/shirts of some inpentrability or rain gear are necessary. Mesh headgear would be nice. But don't be too worried -- these are not the worst mosquitos I have seen in the NW spring/early summer. Second day, hiked to Lunch lake, ate lunch, continued up the drainage into the lake, left side, and aimed for Morganroth Lake. Trail eventually gets snowy, but no big deal, and you can drop down a very steep and primitive trail to the lake. We also dropped the packs and did a quick jaunt up to the High Divide ridge since we had missed a view of Olympus and the Hoh valley by dropping down to the lakes before Bogachiel (sp?) peak. Morganroth was beautiful, albeit quite an effort to reach with full packs. We fished, spinners and a fly rod, with no luck. We are terrible fishers, however, and there were definitely some large ones lurking, visible rising for flies and even in schools through the clear water. Full or near full moon rose low and eventually hit the ridge to the left of Bogachiel some number of bourbons past midnight. Bear wire present at campsite on feeder lake to Morganroth, and a great view of the waterfall on the stream feeding it. Third day, regained ridge easiest way possible, trail up out of lakes basin and then snowfields, soft and easy kicking, straight up to low point. Heading east you get more and more incredible views of Mount Olympus peaks and Hoh Valley to the south, from about 5000ft, and you see No. 8 lake at the top of the Seven Lakes basin on the north side. Did I mention the weather was fantastic? Truly a beautiful perspective. The trail eventually drops down into the next valley and heads north. We lunched late at Heart Lake and decided to push on for a trailside campsite (tied vote decided by a game of bear, ninja, cowboy). The lake was quite open and tree free compared to the others, and perhaps a little higher up. There were a good number of sites filling up with clockwise loop hikers as this was now Friday. Continued trail following Bridge Creek, steep down, to confluence with the Sol Duc river. Horse/group campground. Couple miles of gentler descent along Sol Duc, trees getting bigger, more firs, and forest opening up under a high canopy. Two wayside campsites near Rocky Creek were a welcome site. Beautiful, and no mosquitoes unlike while camping near the lakes. A short hike (half mile?) down creek leads to a nice place to sit and watch sun set through trees and the confluence with the Sol Duc. Great tasting water, another good meal, this time on to cheesy noodle with remaining veggies, all of our meat having been consumed in the previous steak and sausage evenings. Ate the last of our special cookies;) Fourth day, just a few miles of gentle downhill trail to the car, with rain breaking out for the first time in just the last mile. Back to P.A. for a Mexican meal at Hacienda del Mar. Not great, not bad; wished I'd asked for whole beans; skip the mole as it is not very good -- too sweet, little refined smokey/chochlaty taste. Back in Seattle by dinner time, where the feast continued with sushi at Saito's for our guest from Maine. Highly recommended. Expect lakes are more crowded from here on out, which is why there is a reservation system. I will defnitely be returning here early or late season, probably early. This year, I bet late June would have been better still, with fewer people and mosquitoes at the price of only a little more snow and slightly colder temps. Listed as moderately strenuous in guide book. I'd say this is correct for most but mountaineers and fit or light backpackers, who might do it in a day or two to get their moderately strenuous exercise. For us with sixpacks it was 72 hours, with fast hiking each day for no more than 2-3 hours. Perhaps 22 miles including recommended detours. We camp like lords. Organic decision making. Bring more wine next time. p.s. Pack it out, and clean up for other slobs. Trail is in remarkably good and clean shape, so it'd be nice to see it that way at the end of the summer.

After early morning fog and mist on the ferry crossing and drive across the Olympic peninsula, skies began to break and show blue as I drove up the Soleduck River. Headed up the trailhead at 1:00 and arrived at Deer Lake by 2:30. Continued up toward High Divide Trail and ran across a mother bear and her cub in the middle of the trail eating blueberries in the meadow near the top of the ridge. Gave her time to look me over and move off into woods with her cub right behind before I continued up the ridge and along the traverse to the slot above Seven Lakes Basin. Clouds had rolled in thick since I saw the bears and I headed down to Round Lake in a thick pea soup. Set up camp at 5:00, but by 6:20 clouds began to lift and I took advantage of the remaining daylight to scamper off to explore Lunch and Clear lake. Skies were clear and stars were awesome that night. Awoke Sunday morning to more clear skies and explored more of the Basin and found several more bears stuffing themselves on blueberries. Packed up around 11:00 and headed up to Bogachiel Peak. Great views from there of the Basin to the north and Mt. Olympus to the south. Continued along High Divide enjoying the fall colors in the Basin as I headed toward Heart Lake. From there I continued to loop down to Soleduck Park and made it back to the trailhead by 5:00. Trail was in great condition, fall colors were incredible, and bear sightings made this a memorable fall trip.

Even though it was our first hike of the year, we shot for a day hike (17 miles RT)up to High Divide via Soleduck River Trail. Mushrooms are starting, lots of Rosy & Shrimp Russulas, a couple of large caulifower & some early coral 'shrooms. Well-maintained, easy trail glides from the rainforest up through subalpine meadows to the ridge. The view as we topped the ridge was stunning with clear shots down into the Hoh River valley and Mt. Olympus across the way. Moderate mosquitoes & black flies but no bites with 7%DEET applied just before our ridge lunch. Stayed at Miller Tree B&B in Forks. Bill Brager,proprieter, grew up in the area and has extensive info about all the west side trails. With the clear, sunny weather, this hike was one of our most memorable.

If feelings of despair, frustration and hopelessness spank your crank, the Cat Creek Way trail could well be the one that puts you over the edge (physically as well as psychically). The trip to Appleton Pass, by way of Boulder Creek for me and up the Sol Duc for my travelling partner, arduous as it may seem, is straightforward (or straightupward) enough, and the masses (i.e. ""suckers"") find the camps clustered about tiny Oyster Lake to be a real slice, but if you've got a second wind to be caught, press on a feww hundred vertical feet further toward the viewpoint and find the lordly high camp from which to watch your neighbors first take drinking water, then wash there hands and faces, then jump in, then rinse their gear, then take more drinking water from poor abused li'l OyL. This castle in the air is the starting point for the way trail. Head upward to meadows (you don't have to go to the top) till you see a fairway stretching down the saddle above Schoeffel Creek and look for the trail in the woods at the left corner of the meadow. Though steep, slidey, and ungraded, it's true enough to get you across the steep headwall of the Sole Duck River, down steeply, then up steeply to spread eagle pass. Once over, the first of three basin traverses begins, the trail mostly obvious through all three. The serious problems begin upon exiting the third basin, when you are left at the wooded rim of an extremely steep side of Cat Creek Basin. All trails are the desperate treadings of the damned, each leading to its own exquisite flavor of hiker psychosis. Should one traverse the barren walls for miles in the hopes that yonder lake (Cat Lake) has a civilized escape route? None being visible from our vantage point, and the sun scorching every millimeter of the sheer walls, we opted for the headlong plummet to the basin floor where some clapped out coot claimed trails might be found. Not even hearing my hiking partner's sobs and moans as he tumbled down the slippery greenery, we found ourselves on a rocky outcropping several hundred feet below the rim, but what seemed like a fairly basin shaped basin had mutated into a lumpy, irregular, enclefted, beknolled, envaginated labyrinth, any objective visible from on high disappearing like a mirage as soon as we sank into any ravine or woods (of which there are gazillions-- truly championship hide and go seek territory). After each secretly vowing to waste the other as soon as our strength returned, we attained the old CCC horse camp looking like a pair of Shackleton's after barely five hours out of camp. The trails out were as prim and proper as Bundy in a pickup bar.

Left the trailhead at 10:15 am to do this trail as a long day hike. Proceeded clockwise through the low forest first before hitting Heart Lake. Lunched a couple of times on the ridge, which had excellent views of Mount Olympus and the Hoh valley, as well as north to the Strait. Some snow on the trail, but not an issue. Wildflowers were rather muted until after Bogachiel Peak, when they finally started to offer full colors. The sound of buzzing flies was with us on the whole divide, but nothing was biting. Our weary legs arrived back to the Hot Springs at 6:30pm.