Part 3 of 2: The Lost Doofus Panoramas.
Approach to Lunch Lake basin.
Yeah. M. Doofus strikes again. I had several unprocessed panoramas left over, and didn't remember them for about a week, so here they are. They should have been included in the previous posts.
The first (above) shows the rocky depression leading to Lunch Lake. See the previous posts for where that was. Anyway, you go to the right around this jumble of stuff, hang a left, and come back on the other side of it, then squeeze through a teeny-tiny pass and have a view of a couple of lakes. One of them is Lunch Lake.
That's about all I know.
Olympus from the High Divide.
Farther along, past the turnoff to Hoh Lake, past Bogachiel Peak, you get better and better views of Mt. Olympus. This one shows just a peek at the Hoh River way down there.
This is one of the few mountains likely to keep its glaciers for a reasonably long time yet — the amount of precipitation here is stupendous, and not all of it is going to melt away until the planet gets to be uninhabitable, which will be a while yet.
Seven Lakes Basin from High Divide.
This looks better in the photo than it seemed face-to-face. The surrounding landscape was crawling with people and the Basin itself seemed all too ordinary and plain.
I hope they all liked it. I guess they wouldn't keep cramming themselves in here if they didn't like it.
For me it was a good day hike. A really good, long, tiring day hike, and that was just right. I don't want to camp on top of anyone else so I'm not going back with a tent.
The far side of Seven Lakes Basin.
This looks more interesting. I'm betting that a person could kind of slither down to that lake and fade into the geography. Most people are likely to stay near the spur trail (which is off to the left from this view), and park out in the open near one of the smaller lakes in the flats.
But me, I'd try for one of the edges. You never know what you'll find off to the edge. Besides privacy.
I like privacy, so if I went there, at all, ever, for some reason, I'd check out the edges.
Mt. Olympus.
Just before leaving the High Divide and beginning the long descent, you get a few more views of Mt. Olympus and its glaciers.
Blue Glacier is on the left, and White Glacier is on top. Coupla gnarly ones, they are. No nonsense.
Nice grassy hillside too.
Heart Lake basin.
And one of the first things you get to on the trip back down, going counter-clockwise, is Heart Lake.
The two trails at upper left show the route coming down from High Divide.
The place is pretty well trampled, and everything is out in the open — little cover or privacy, though the views to the east are nice. (See previous posts.)
Judging from the way all the vegetation is beat down, the sign warning against stomping on a revegetation area, and the pit toilet, this area must get a huge amount of use.
About the only thing missing is a giant pickup truck parked six inches from the edge of the lake, gun rack in the back window, a huge tent, bonfire, and cooler of beer.
Just like on TV.
The end
Previously...