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- Jul 17, 2017
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Mount Olympus: Success and Summits
Mountaineering is supposed to be about reaching the summit, gritting your teeth against the discomfort, and standing on top, right? I’ve heard several other guides say it wasn’t, but I’d always brushed it off. This weekend on Mt. Olympus, I learned they’re absolutely right; it’s not.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F1-Wynell_Schatz_above_Olympus_Blue_Glacier_Sunrise_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=1eb581ecb7f5dc2c1a7802aeb54063cd 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F1-Wynell_Schatz_above_Olympus_Blue_Glacier_Sunrise_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=831e1dbc45a1a7b268f3bcb92c6b14d9 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F1-Wynell_Schatz_above_Olympus_Blue_Glacier_Sunrise_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=86a516767016c922f053c38d4a7c49e3 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F1-Wynell_Schatz_above_Olympus_Blue_Glacier_Sunrise_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=71f72505b442fa32b5467617c9564e7b 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F1-Wynell_Schatz_above_Olympus_Blue_Glacier_Sunrise_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=60623b5f2eaaf7175aebe982d6823a62 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F1-Wynell_Schatz_above_Olympus_Blue_Glacier_Sunrise_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=1fb313518f6cd9fff376dee01633e638 1200w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F1-Wynell_Schatz_above_Olympus_Blue_Glacier_Sunrise_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=29f5c5003efb9124a4f3ba4f58a8b8f3 1400w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F1-Wynell_Schatz_above_Olympus_Blue_Glacier_Sunrise_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=ea616e07431082b77cc3b39eee167e1d 1600w)
Wynell Schatz climbs above Mount Olympus’ Blue Glacier at sunrise.
With a party of six, Zach Keskinen and I walked more than 17 miles to reach the flanks of Mount Olympus. The approach wanders through lush rainforest unlike anything you’d see in the Cascades. Thick moss carpets every branch in sight; a professional painter couldn’t number the ineffable shades of green. All the while, the sound of the glacially fed Hoh River rushing just out of sight makes for a unique, immersive experience.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F2-Glacer-fed_Hoh_River_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=90236c238a6ca53e3d75f00ec4a22d02 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F2-Glacer-fed_Hoh_River_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=ac617a62e3d9d41fc76edd38fe734847 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F2-Glacer-fed_Hoh_River_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=34696ebdaa7e2343269cccce10f7bc9a 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F2-Glacer-fed_Hoh_River_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=1f41a89da3e498ae23725175102c5a06 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F2-Glacer-fed_Hoh_River_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=07e63328ec412fa131322b02f7bfd788 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F2-Glacer-fed_Hoh_River_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=9ef0366346d4d4ebbc48ecf8cad71676 1200w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F2-Glacer-fed_Hoh_River_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=315b01f397fc6033ff7b21b82b88f691 1400w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F2-Glacer-fed_Hoh_River_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=f096d527ae45b059a047b50ae754b1dc 1536w)
View of the glacially fed, brilliant blue Hoh River.
I could go on about how gorgeous it all was, but that’s not what this weekend was about either.
We took the first day to drive and hike our heavy 5‑day packs 9 miles to our first camp. Day two was another long day of walking, interspersed with snacking. Day three was our summit push. Day four we reversed most of the approach and day five was a short and sweet walk back to the cars.
For as much as I love walking and snacking, this weekend wasn’t about the snacks either.
This particular group had been assembled by Jim Schatz, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. He was the common thread between the eight of us: members of a running club he was a part of, his wife Wynell, additional family, and finally Zach and I because he had climbed with Mountain Madness before.
Right from the get-go, it was clear to Zach and I that this group was super strong and fun. They had us laughing from our meeting point at Ascent Outdoors and all along the lengthy trail even after our climb.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F3-Sarah_Josh_on_approach_trail_to_Olympus_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=ffaa08544b083b7c66825d4b70bc6fd9 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F3-Sarah_Josh_on_approach_trail_to_Olympus_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=a834a78c0b9a0f136ed72f7453f1fd2e 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F3-Sarah_Josh_on_approach_trail_to_Olympus_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=b692e06dde8c7a7374dff918b2753943 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F3-Sarah_Josh_on_approach_trail_to_Olympus_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=b027bc91e9f857f4b6756843d70b772e 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F3-Sarah_Josh_on_approach_trail_to_Olympus_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=f34634765798be1a56518f7a03061aa8 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F3-Sarah_Josh_on_approach_trail_to_Olympus_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=2684d3bc59e08707f6bcdbb128185e8e 1200w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F3-Sarah_Josh_on_approach_trail_to_Olympus_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=0fc1506ecbd5fc5959065e2032fe423b 1400w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2F3-Sarah_Josh_on_approach_trail_to_Olympus_2048.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=d3c14bbde1e9e02264c21daa21468fe5 1600w)
Sarah and Josh rounding the final twists of the approach trail to Mount Olympus.
This weekend, it wasn’t about the summit, the scenery or the struggle. It was about being out there together and appreciating the wild ride through the twists and bends in the forest, through the highs and the lows, the sweets (Zach’s caramel cookies) and the sours (that time I accidentally dropped part of the pasta into the dirt.)
Of our party, four people reached the summit of Mount Olympus (7,979’) with Zach. Three of us decided that our high point was going to be Snow Dome at a substantial 6,600 feet, and that was quite alright. We broke out some lemonade and jelly beans, and took in the beauty of the surrounding Olympic Mountains. This weekend, it wasn’t reaching the highest bit of rock but enjoying what we’d accomplished together and the journey along the way.
~Words and photos, MM Guide Mallorie Estenson