Eleven Bull Basin,  Olympic National Park,  Sep 10, 2012 - Sep 14, 2012     page 13 / 57

I reached the end of the trail, then climbed 250 feet to the west end of the Catwalk. I had a brief snack, then pressed on.

The Catwalk, for those readers unfamiliar, is the northen entry point to the Bailey Range. It is a narrow arete, dividing the Hoh drainage from the southern fork of the Cat Creek drainage. Hikers can scramble across the quarter-mile ridge in about an hour without too much difficulty, but the route is rather exposed in some areas. The valley floor to the north is a mere 1500 feet below the ridge; to the south, the Hoh is roughly 3500 feet below!