Читать книгу Olympic Mountains Trail Guide - Robert Wood - Страница 24

The Olympic Mountains exhibit splendid forest and alpine scenery which can be visited with comparative ease. Mount Olympus, the culminating point, is not quite 8000 feet high, yet it is similar in appearance, though miniature in comparison, to the world’s great peaks. Because the elevation is low, its effects are negligible and hikers or climbers are quickly conditioned. They do not suffer from altitude sickness and are spared the rigors of combating fierce winds and extreme cold, of pitting their strength against the thin air of high altitudes. This fact is appreciated by most backpackers or climbers, although it may diminish the challenge sought by dedicated alpinists. However, the latter can test themselves in the Olympics, if they wish—by climbing Mount Olympus with 60-pound packs during a midwinter blizzard.

Occasionally they do, but not many years ago the Olympics were virtually isolated during the winter. Most people restricted their visits to the summer and fall months, as they still do, with lesser numbers going in the spring. Many found the Indian summer weather of the autumn months the best time of the year to go on long trips in the backcountry. With the increasing popularity of cross-country skiing and winter mountaineering, however, people now visit the Olympics throughout the year. In fact, winter ascents of the peaks are no longer unusual, although they cannot be said to have become commonplace.

However, the Olympics are primarily trail country, and the opportunities for walking are almost unlimited. When hikers start up the trail with their packs, leaving roads and civilization behind, they enter another world, one where living is reduced to primitive, elemental terms despite the sophisticated equipment and trail foods available today. Although the delights of the wilderness include comparative freedom from regulations, visitors should keep in mind the basic rules of conduct. For example, horses have the right of way on trails, but are not permitted in camping areas. People who use horses, burros, or llamas as pack animals should realize that grazing may be inadequate and therefore carry feed for their livestock. Except where walking cross-country is necessary to reach specific destinations, hikers should stay on the trails, and should not cut switchbacks because this leads to erosion that disfigures the slopes. Hunting is prohibited in the national park but permitted in season in the national forest. Likewise, motorbikes are not allowed on the national park trails, but they are permitted on some national forest trails, not on others. The riders are required to stay on the trails, yield the right of way to both hikers and horses, and equip their machines with spark arresters approved by the Forest Service. When traveling on national forest trails, hikers should bear these facts in mind and at all times should watch out for trail bikes (even though hikers have the right of way). During the hunting season hikers should wear red or orange hats and be alert for hunters.

The time required to hike the trails varies greatly, depending upon numerous factors, including one’s age, physical condition, stamina, motivation, degree of freshness or fatigue, weight of pack, the weather, and the condition of the trail. A psychological factor is also involved: when the pack is heavy and the path is rough, the trail will seem to be much longer, and this may retard one’s rate of progress. Generally speaking, however, backpackers can expect to travel level trails at the rate of 2.0 to 2.5 miles/3.2 to 4.0 kilometers per hour; 3.0 mph/4.8 kph if they are exceptionally fast. On the uphill stretches, 1.5 to 2.0 mph/2.4 to 3.2 kph is a good rate, and the average hiker will cover 2.0 to 3.0 mph/3.2 to 4.8 kph when traveling downhill.

The prudent hiker in the Olympics keeps one eye on the sky and always packs wet weather gear—parka or poncho, rain pants or chaps, pack cover, and tent. Quite often, of course, one can successfully violate this rule—at least for a day or two—but the weather changes rapidly in the Olympics, and cloudless skies at sunset are no guarantee that the next day will be clear. Perhaps a front will move inland during the night, the stars disappear, and the backpacker awaken to the gentle patter of raindrops striking the tent. The weather can thus shift within a few hours, skies with unlimited visibility giving way to fog and clouds so thick one can see scarcely a hundred yards; or sunshine may be replaced by steady rain.

The weather does not always change quickly, however, particularly during late summer and fall, when a high-pressure cell often settles over the Pacific Northwest. At such times skies may remain blue for a month or more, and people have gone on outings lasting a week or two when every day was clear, with no rain. Conversely, they have also gone on trips that began coincident with the onset of stormy weather and thus experienced dismal gray skies and rainfall on a daily basis. However, both instances cited are unusual; during late summer and fall, rain can be expected to occur on two or three days during an outing lasting about two weeks. The hiker should therefore be prepared—not only in camp but also along the trail—with raingear and warm clothing.

The Olympics are inclined to have cool temperatures, but the afternoons are warm during occasional spells of hot weather, and at such times the nights may have just a slight breeze or perhaps none at all. When this condition prevails, practical backpackers will arise at dawn, break camp quickly, and accomplish their day’s march during the morning, thus avoiding travel during the heat of the day. They can then enjoy the afternoon warmth instead of arduously toiling up the trail. If the day’s hike is long or involves considerable elevation gain, they may wish to split it, doing the first half in the morning, resting over during the midday hours, then completing the walk in the evening. If, however, their schedule demands that they backpack on a hot afternoon, their rate of travel (particularly uphill) will necessarily be slow. They will need lots of liquid and should halt from time to time and prepare one of the various drinks used by runners.

Generally speaking, one need not carry water when hiking in the Olympics because it is readily available. Exceptions occur, however, and trails that follow ridges are likely to be dry. Accordingly, everyone’s pack should include a water bottle.

The hiker is never far from running water in the Olympics, and rushing streams are legion, but is the water safe to drink? The National Park Service and the US Forest Service advise one to boil or filter the water in order to prevent contracting giardiasis. Numerous hikers will swear they have drunk untreated water from the Olympic streams for many years without ill effects, but giardiasis is a serious health problem. Accordingly, both the National Park Service and the Forest Service recommend boiling or filtering the water to make it safe to drink. Although it is often impractical to boil the water, one can always filter it.

Many excellent campsites are located along the trails, both in the forests and the high meadowlands. Responsible hikers avoid camping within 200 feet of lakes, and they do not disturb the soil and vegetation by ditching around their shelters. They leave a clean camp and an extinguished fire and also pack out all trash that cannot be destroyed by burning. Good campers also use ground cloths beneath or inside tent bottoms to provide protection from the dampness so notorious in the Olympics. Unless the trip is entirely in the lowlands, hikers should carry lightweight backpack stoves and fuel because fires are prohibited in high-country areas. Moreover, in the forest, where they are allowed, fires can be difficult to build and maintain during wet weather, when dry wood is scarce.