42 MILES 4 PASSES in 3 DAYS: Day 3

Continued from 42 MILES 4 PASSES in 3 DAYS: Day 2


Looking up from Gray Wolf Basin (7,060 ft)


Day 3 began at 7 am as daylight woke me up. The temperature was chilly but nothing long john's and a jacket couldn't take care off. I have never been able to jump right out of bed. Except when late for work!!! It's mandatory to lay for 10 minutes and enjoy the alpine scenery!! Overall my first night was warm and cozy as I slept most the night! Hiking 15 miles the day before helped!
Breakfast was hot and fast, Craisin Pancakes!!! Forget oatmeal, I needed something new! The day ahead of me held hiking over three passes, Gray Wolf Pass, Lost Pass and Cameron Pass. I aimed for 14 miles!

Wellesley Peak (6,758 ft) on the left

Breakfast and packing was finished by 8 am. Up to Gray Wolf Pass I headed which was less than a mile up. Gray Wolf Basin is amazingly beautiful. A cascading waterfall revealed itself on the right side of the trail. Reaching the top of the pass the view takes over. Mt Deception, Mount Mystery, Sentinel Peak , Hayden Pass, Wellesley Peak and Dosewallips Valley stared me down! The sun's beaming rays finally broke over the Needles (mountain ridge to my east) warming me from head to toe. I've always enjoyed camping at the bottom of a pass where good elevation is gained early in the morning when you have the most strength. Wildflowers were in full bloom on the trail down, where I hooked up with the Dosewallips trail. As I came to the "T" in the trail I came across a Park Ranger! We where both heading west up the trail towards Bear Camp. We hiked about two miles together. It's always great to meet people on the trail and hear their stories! Especially when you meet someone who has similar passions and has worked in the same industry!! The Park Ranger and I talked the whole two miles about backpacking and our similar careers.
I found an interesting fact about hikers on this three day trek. It seemed to me that the major difference between day hikers and backpackers (overnighters) was the fact that day hikers were less talkative and less friendly compared to backpackers. It think it goes to show how all people are social beings and after a certain time away from people we long for fellowship!! This is our commonwealth!!
Bear camp was being remodeled along with weed whacking along the Dosewallips trail! The Ranger explained that shelters can't be built anymore in National Parks but existing shelters can be preserved.


Sentinel Peak with Hayden Pass on the right

After parting ways with the Ranger at Bear Camp I continued east up to Dose Meadows Camp. Thanks to a tip by the Park Ranger I stopped about 1/2 mile up from Bear Camp to refresh in a deep river pool on the Dosewallips River! 1.7 miles later I spilled into Dose Meadows Camp.  This camp was amazing, but I couldn't stay the night! If your in this area I recommend staying here as the meadows are beautiful with a river in camp and Hayden Pass close by with its surrounding mountains staring at you!

I took a right onto Lost Pass trail or thought I did. I realized after a 1/2 hour that I was not on the trail and heading up to Hayden Pass instead. Therefore I decided to hike off trail and connect with Lost Pass trail. Yeah right! After 1 1/2 hours of not connecting with the trail, straining my shoulder by falling and becoming dirty by thick brush and trees I returned back to Dose Meadows where I found the trailhead! 
Lost Pass is extreme and goes straight up with little switchbacks! My body was starting to tire at this point! Once to the top, wildflowers surrounded me as far as the eye can see with dark purple lupine the most prominent flower. Even though my body was aching the surrounding wildflower and alpine views made all my aching feel well worth it!! This is why I love to backpack!!

Mount Cameron Ridge

Next the trail takes you from Lost Pass only to gain more elevation by climbing to 6,400 foot Cameron Pass. Cameron Pass was the most windy all four passes. Down through Cameron Basin I hiked to set up camp at an unknown campsite off the trail just before the Grand Pass trail junction. The only reason i found this primo campsite was by running into a retired couple. Their camp was already set up and as I said hello as I hiked by they suggested the campsite, which was behind there's.
I hope that when I retire I can still physically backpack! I respect the older generations who still enjoys exploring the outdoors!
After 2 days of 29 miles of backpacking I had come across 17 people on the trail who also realized the amazing summer West Washington was in the middle of!
Day two was successful as all three passes were accomplished with 14 miles logged all done one hour before dark. Jumping into my hammock I quickly fell asleep to the mesmerizing sound of swift Cameron creek.

Cameron Basin looking at Grand Pass

Mount Cameron

Mount Cameron Marmot

Mount Claywood

From the top of Lost Pass with Lost Peak

7.639 ft Mount Mystery (L) with 6,941 ft Little Mystery (R)

Looking north from Gray Wolf Pass

Looking north from Gray Wolf Basin back at where I started the day

My first fight with poison oak

A couple of weeks ago a friend and I hiked into Grand valley, in the northern Olympic National Park!! The trip was amazing! It was everything I thought it would be and that i promised it would be to my friend. Thanks goodness!! Beautiful snow capped mountains, amazing sunsets, 35 brook trout caught (all released) , wildlife (black bear) and POISON OAK!!!
I had never experienced poison oak before. I had heard about it and seen it occasionally but this time it stung me!
A five days after our backpacking trek while at home I spotted a red zit like nuisance on my left ankle. Not thinking, I scratched it and opened up the sore. The zit like volcano on my ankle was slightly hard to the touch. After opening it a clear liquid leaked out.
I remember two days later seeing a patch of itchy rashes pop up a couple inches above the zit on my high ankle. At this point I still didn't put two and two together.
Within a week from first discovering the "zit", I had itchy rashes on one arm, chest and one both hips.
My first guess was hives. I'd never been allergic to anything or had hives before.
I talked to a friend who is a nurse and showed her the rash. Her response was poison oak or ivy!!! She asked if the rash was moving toward my groin?!!! Huh yeah it is!!! She explained that it was a sign of poison oak!
The situation was looking grim!! That night i quickly bought the following: Calamine lotion, gold bond medicated lotion, and Zanfel
Gold bond helped the itching go away for up to 4 hours but then had to reapply. It did nothing to stop or dimish the rash!
The Calamine lotion was the cheapest of all three! The kind I bought was generic. It worked well stopping the itching lastly longer than gold bond! I applied three times daily. Three times per 16 hours which equals about just over 5 hours per treatment. It was hard to apply as it was in liquid form then dried as i applied.
Then their was the Zanfel!!! It worked like a charm. Amazing stuff! Definately worth the price of $40$!! Yeah I know $40$ dollars. Albertsons was going out of business so the total came to 28. Still spendy but at that point the rash was spreading and heading towards my groin!! Throwing down 28 bones, $, took no time at all!
Zanfel comes in a small plastic squeeze tube at 1 ounce. Directions :
1- wet the affected area
2- squeeze 1 and 1/2 inches, no less , of Zanfel onto one palm
3- wet both hands and rub the product into a paste. This activates the ingredients.
4- rub both hands on the affected area, working Zanfel in until itching stops.
5- rinse area thoroughly

I rubbed Zanfel into my rashes for several minutes. Zanfel is gritty, like bath scrubs, and while rubbing you can feel it literally rubbing into the rash!
The itching stopped instantly after washing! I had to reapply a couple areas which were very bad. I noticed that the 1 and 1/2 inches of Zanfel works best when rubbing into an area the size of your hand. With a larger area than a hand it's not as effective!
Poison oak does not quickly effect you. It took 5 days for the first spot to pop up. A friend and experienced hiker told me about this and how poisen oak will effect people differently. He had friends who ran into poisen oak but never developed itching or a rash.
I'm now well prepared next time I come across this enemy. No more surprises here!! Next time, knocking on wood, I will just use calamine lotion at first. Only if the rash is small and caught in time. Zanfel would definitely be step two! When poison oak is moderate to severe I suggest Zanfel!!