Eleven Bull Basin,  Olympic National Park,  Sep 10, 2012 - Sep 14, 2012     page 30 / 57

Soon afterward, I came to another gully. This one was a dry bed, perhaps 20 feet across. It was characterized by loose, dry soil and gravel. A few larger rocks were embedded in the hillside overhead, but none below the path.

I moved toward the center of the gully and noticed a pile of loose gravel. It looked suspiciously unstable. If I stepped on the gravel, and my foot didn't hold, I'd sail down the hillside, with no way to stop. I knew other hikers had gone before me, but the gravel still concerned me. I backed up along the narrow path, removed my pack, and I retrieved my ice axe. I cautiously replaced the pack in the narrow space, and grabbed the axe. I moved into the gully. I studied the rocks overhead. Perhaps a route up, across, then down would work. Not a great solution. I poked at the gravel with my ice axe. It didn't look any firmer than it had before.

As a solo hiker, one must accept responsibility for his own actions. One must evaluate risk and reward many times throughout a trip. With a partner, risks can be taken sometimes, because someone else is there for recovery or assistance. But travelling alone, one must be a bit more cautious. This was one of those times.

I had crossed five gullies successfully, but this little draw did not look safe to me. It probably would have been just fine had I simply walked right across, not stopping until I got to the other side, but I wasn't ready to take that risk, that day.

Reluctantly, I turned around. I worked my way back across the wet gully and back to Eleven Bull Basin.