High Divide, Crossover & High Divide - Seven Lakes Basin Loop — Thursday, Jul. 19, 2001

Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast

The goal of this trip was to do the Bailey Traverse from High Divide to Low Divide at the headwaters of the Elwha. I ended up turning around just past Mt Carrie due to poor visibility which made it difficult to find the route. Eleven Bull Basin was my turnaround point. Some notes for people heading up into this area: - there is still snow up there, but the trail and traverse route along Mt Carrie are basically snow free. - There is no running water between Heart Lake and Mt Carrie. There are snow fields and some stagnant pools (such as Boston Charlie's camp) - There are places where the boot path is washed out by creeks and slides. The footing is precarious and exposed. - There were some mosquitoes in Sol Duc Park, but I found very few on the high route. This is a fantastic area. The weather cleared somewhat and the contrast of the rocky and snowy Bailey Range and Mount Olympus with the Hoh River valley is truly spectatular. The wildflowers were out in force and hummingbirds and dark eyed junkos were everywhere. Saw two bears grazing on the hillside opposite Heart Lake. Lots of Goat hair along The Catwalk. You really get the meaning of a ""cathedral forest"" while hiking up the Sol Duc. The trees there are big and tall. If you're planning anything along the Bailey Range, be sure to read several guidebooks and trip reports on the web. I found route descriptions varied somewhat. Some aditional navigations tools such as a GPS and altimeter should complement your map/compass. -Pat