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Avalanches in the Olympic National Park (Video by Critter)
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Home › Forums › Campfire › Member Trip Reports › Avalanches in the Olympic National Park (Video by Critter)
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Apr 9, 2014 at 8:11 am #1315453
This video is 6:18 long and exhibits some of the avalanches from a recent trip I took.
Apr 9, 2014 at 11:49 am #2091241What kind of explosives did you use?
Apr 9, 2014 at 4:51 pm #2091307Hey, Critter, my boyfriend had heard that the river in Enchanted Valley had really changed its course this winter, and that it was threatening the Chalet. He was really bummed to hear that, he's got good memories from hiking up into the valley and being able to stay in the chalet (this was in the 70's). Was the river really close to the chalet? It didn't look like it in your video.
Apr 9, 2014 at 7:40 pm #2091353Diane,
Here's a link to a trip report on Portlandhikers.org with a good photo of the Chalet (I don't have any connections to any in this report, I just remembered the photos):
http://www.portlandhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18445
Apr 10, 2014 at 12:29 pm #2091611The river has changed course and the bank is cut away under the Chalet. There are people trying to save it. I went out there with an expert house mover sent to assess the situation and an guy from Alaska who has moved cabins. The weight is on the far side of the Chalet so is the chimney, which is anchoring the Chalet in place.
The cabin was built privately by the very rich then it became part of the park when the land was made protected by President Roosevelt. Here are my photos from that trip.
Apr 10, 2014 at 3:56 pm #2091697Looks like if the park service doesn't move the Chalet it will soon be gone :-(
Apr 10, 2014 at 7:25 pm #2091774Cool photos and videos. Looks like I should try to make a trip up there this summer to see it again before the chalet goes. What does this mean for camping spots up there? I've never actually camped up there, just hiked in from Pyrites campsite then hiked back out and down the trail. Haven't been all the way through the valley into the pass, either, I'm guessing there are more spots to pitch tents than I've really seen.
Apr 11, 2014 at 10:06 am #2091926Diane, there are plenty of places to camp although I saw no bear wires at Enchanted Valley.
Below is a video from the trip of some Roosevelt elk crossing the trail in front of my group and the way my hungry meat eating friends reacted. These majestic creatures are one of the several types of animals that aren't found outside of the Olympics.
Apr 11, 2014 at 1:50 pm #2091995There used to be bear wires located at sites located towards the south eastern side of the valley. With the bear population in that area, I would assume they are still there.
Apr 11, 2014 at 4:25 pm #2092041a month ago, a National Park person said there are bear wires at O'Neil, Pyrites, and Enchanted Valley.
That's on my list. Supposed to be more bears there than most places. I was going to try it a month ago but there was so much rain…
Apr 11, 2014 at 5:02 pm #2092060Maybe I'll see you there Jerry.
Critter et al,
I'm looking to go mid-May. How were the trail conditions as far as being soupy and an obstacle course of blow downs?
Apr 11, 2014 at 5:08 pm #2092066I've never been there, although I've been close, I was thinking about doing it a month ago
Trail was okay according to that portlandhikers.org trip report. One difficult stream crossing
Apr 11, 2014 at 6:52 pm #2092109Mid-May/early June is, in my opinion, the most scenic time for this trip. Snow melt is cascading in falls all around the valley walls (used to be called the valley of 10,000 waterfalls).
Trail conditions should be pretty good by then…..with an occasional area of mud that is easily navigated.Apr 12, 2014 at 7:42 am #2092245IanB, I thought the trail was in pretty good condition. There was some mud and some people are starting to go around the mud and making new trails. I thought the blowdowns weren't very interesting but some people in my group were complaining about having to deal with them on the return trip. Even the river crossing was okay. I used logs slightly up stream and never got my boots wet. Most of the others waded through almost knee deep water. We went when there was flooding on the trail from two days of hard rain.
The contractor had never been backpacking and he made it in and out in two days…barely. He's the older guy with the tape measure (((pictured below))). The guy in the foreground is a cabin mover from Alaska and the other guy is in politics, fighting to save the chalet.
The Forest Service is out of money so they took what they wanted from the chalet and left it to fall into the river during the spring melt out, never mentioning moving it as an option. Well it didn't fall into the river and now there are plenty of volunteers including a huge group of backcountry horseman volunteers ready to help once a plan is approved. They would grease up steal beams and slide the cabin to a location further from the river where it will be safe for many more years. That is, if this is left to the public which it probably will be.
Anyways, I feel confident saying the backpackers here will find this an enjoyable hike. Even if you don't make it all the way to the Chalet there are plenty of places to camp and plenty of wildlife along the way.
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