Marmot Pass, Buckhorn Mountain — Friday, May. 5, 2000

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

The trail up the Upper Quilcene is in excellent shape. Snow is not encountered until just before Shelter Rock Camp, where you will find about a foot or so. You then climb out of the trees and out of the snow, continuing about another mile before encountering it again in patches along the southern slopes of Buckhorn, just before Camp Mystery. The patches turn to solid snow cover quickly. The route was easy to follow on snow all the way to Marmot Pass, where we bivyed for the night. It snowed on us for several hours, but no accumulation at our location. Other valleys did not fare so well. We summited Buckhorn on Sunday, May 7. The mountain is bare above Marmot Pass. Recommend an ice axe for traversing the slopes along the upper trail, which are hard and icy in places. Be safe!