Bailey Range Traverse,  Olympic National Park,  Jul 26, 2007 - Aug 1, 2007     page 97 / 97

The next day was cool and pleasant. We began with a comfortable pace in the cool forest air. Perfect. It felt real good to me. “I could walk for quite a while under these conditions,” I thought to myself. We passed numerous side creeks and several other campsites along the way, many which were prettier than Camp Wilder.

By mid-afternoon, the temperature had risen a bit, and my desire to hike for many, many miles had dwindled. I still wanted to hike out, but my feet were telling me to stop. I had not had the chance prior to our trip to properly break in the new pair of boots I was wearing. The boots (and my feet) had done relatively well considering the terrain we’d covered, but twenty miles of pounding along the trail will tear up anyone’s feet, in nearly any boot. So my feet ached.

We finally reached Whiskey Bend around 6:30PM. The car was a welcome sight. I removed my shoes, nearly smoking now, and allowed my swollen feet to cool. Tom did the same. We used the restroom and threw the gear in the trunk, especially those smelly socks! We dropped off the borrowed bear can and headed to the burger joint for some hot food which did not require any rehydration! Very tasty. We were home by 10:00PM, the end of a fabulous adventure.

We had finally completed the Bailey Range traverse, the trip we had dreamed about for years. Was it all it was cracked up to be? Even more. It was much more physically and mentally demanding than I had imagined. We covered roughly 65 miles and gained approximately 12000 feet. We saw country that many people will never even dream about.

Would I do it again? While I was out hiking the area, I enjoyed the time immensely, but I also found it physically demanding. At the time, I thought I would never return. Now that I have been home a few days, I am not so sure. There is still a draw to return, maybe in a year or two, to see Ferry Basin, spending more time in the wild, high country. But I would plan for a longer trip. Perhaps nine days instead of seven would work. An extra day to play in Ferry Basin, or climb a peak or two, and one extra day to hike out the Elwha would be preferable to hiking twenty miles in a day!

The trip was one I will never forget. It was filled with awesome views of wild country. It's a time Tom and I will always remember, even if we never return there. But it probably never would have happened without the inspiration from my Dad.