Sol Duc Falls, Deer Lake, Bogachiel Peak, Hoh Lake

October 19th, 20th and 21st

We left Silverdale for the drive to Lake Crescent and Sol Duc Hot Springs Camp Ground.  The trip started Friday morning at 11AM when we left Brad Gleeson's house.  It was almost 4PM when we arrived at Sol Duc campground and hefted our packs on the trail.

It is a .8 mile hike to Sol Duc Falls and then another 3 miles to Deer Lake and our camp site for the evening. We arrived around 5:30PM.  It is a moderately strenuous up hill climb from the falls to Deer Lake.

The first pictures shows the start of the trip , Kirk is packing last minute items. One picture in the dark show Brad's bright yellow tent in the campground by the lake.

Saturday morning we headed up the trail towards Bogachiel Peak.  From Deer Lake to the peak is a little over five miles all up hill.  The trail is well maintained but still has those ever present switchbacks to climb. A little after noon we bagged our peak for the trip. Bogachiel Peak is 5474 ft.  We had a beautiful sunny day as you can see by the pictures from on top of the peak and looking back towards the peak as we headed towards Hoh Lake.  

Hoh Lake is a little over a mile south from Bogachiel Peak.  On our way there we met the first other person  in the park. He was sitting on a ridge watching a bear feed on blueberries.  We joined him excited to see a bear.  It was about a mile down hill from us but our trail to Hoh Lake brought us within half a mile of the bear. At our closest point to him we were trying to be inconspicuous but the bear noticed us. He paused a moment then ran off into the woods. 

As we reached Hoh Lake and dropped our packs for a rest we were admiring the lake when we realized the the hill across the lake (a VERY small lake) was filled BEARS.  There were three pairs of bears.  Brad pointed out that the bears outnumbered the people two to one.  We put the packs back on all thoughts of rest forgotten and headed back up the trail the way we had come.

I am pretty sure the bears never noticed us.  For sure they never did anything but eat the blueberries growing all over the place.  I had stupidly decided to keep my pack almost full (40 pounds) for the day hike to the peak and lake to 'get a work-out.' Brad and Kirk got pretty far ahead of me.  I thought they had stopped to let me catch up when I realized they were staring pretty intently at the trail leading back to our tents at Deer Lake.  Sitting right on the trail was a Mother bear with her two cubs playing around her!! 

I was wondering how long we would have to wait until she left and if it would get cold waiting when Brad decided that maybe a little friendly pressure would convince the family to play elsewhere.  While eating a candy bar he very slowly walked down the trail towards the bears.  Momma bear finally noticed us and took a few steps down the trail towards Brad.  Brad backed off but only for a moment.  He then pressured her again and was rewarded when she headed down the hill away from the trail her two cubs in tow she went about a quarter of a mile down the hill. We quickly made tracks down the trail headed for our camp.

I had never seen a bear while camping before. Let me tell you they look very big even from a hundred yards away.

We got back to camp that night and Brad made a big dinner.  It seemed much more important to use the bear wires for storing food that night but we saw no more wildlife.

The next morning the rain that makes the forests so green started and the pictures below show us fixing breakfast in the cold and wet. 

A long wet hike back to the truck and the end of a great weekend.  Peaks and bears in the wilderness are all you can ask for!