Last May, when we were deciding which hike to embark on, we took a few into consideration out of the Olympic National Forest. Did we want one with a waterfall or near a lake to cool off in? Or did we want a summit hike? We eventually settled on Mt. Townsend because of all the good things we heard about it, and when we looked up some photos, we were sold. The Washington Trails Association gave us all the facts (which you can find here: http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/mount-townsend ) showing it was an 8 mile round trip with a 3010 ft elevation gain. We were thinking that didn’t sound too hard and we needed to get some exercise anyways so we gave it a go, but boy were we in for it.
The long drive on the fire roads had us questioning if we would ever even make it to the trailhead. Luckily we neve
r turned around and eventually found a small parking lot with a couple of cars and a much needed bathroom. We ate a small lunch and started talking with an older gentleman about the trail. He had been up about 7 times before and decided to leave before us. We got started but never caught up with him, we were exhausted after the first 30 min. We finally got out of the dense forest and on a clear almost cliff side trail... this was one of the most beautiful views we had ever seen. We found ourselves often just stopping to look at the cliffs and the forest intermingling into this picture perfect moment.
Eventually we reached snow which we were NOT prepared for in May. Emma was in shorts and Des only running shoes. The snow was eating at our ankles and shins but we trekked on until we could no longer identify where the trail was or keep ourselves from sinking hip deep into the ice. We looked at each other, laughing at the predicament we got ourselves into per usual, and decided we should turn around rather than keep going in a direction we didn’t know.
But suddenly we started hearing what we thought was a whistle. We debated for probably 10 min if it was just the birds or if it was an actual whistle. Then the thought crossed our mind that pushed us on- that old man is probably stuck in the snow!! We HAD to find him and help him! We searched for footprints and followed what we thought were tracks that went straight up the mountain rather than taking winding switch backs.
We again sunk into the snow as we trudged up and became weary quickly, but that constant whistling pushed us on... Until we lost all tracks and began getting lost. We made the decision to turn around.
On our way down we tried to ignore the thoughts of the man needing help, telling ourselves it was just a bird not a whistle. We were struggling getting down when we started hearing voices coming towards us. Soon three shirtless guys came trudging through the snow towards us with their walking poles in hand and shades hiding their identities. We immediately told them about the difficulty the rest of the trail posed and about our getting lost but they didn’t care, they were going to summit and asked if we wanted to tag along. Three navy guys? Confident in where they were going? Why would we say no when we wanted to summit too!
They led the way up the mountain and we got to know each other a little bit. It was interesting seeing their dynamic and how the oldest one naturally tried to take over, but it was the youngest who always knew the right way to go. We were winded the whole time but made sure to keep up so as not to lose their trail.... and so we wouldn’t look weak. When we were taking a quick break about 30 min before summit, we heard a faint voice coming up behind us. She caught up and immediately joined our group. She had been lost too but found our tracks and followed them up hoping for the best. What was once just the duo soon became a rag tag group with a common goal of beating the mountain.
So after about 5 hours, we made it to the ridge. WHAT. A. SIGHT. A small trail leading up to a rocky summit encompassed by grassy cliffs on both sides. Snowy mountains ALL around. We all shouted out of joy and as we quickly made our way up the final stretch we saw a figure walking down the mountain towards us. Can you guess who it was?
It was the man. The lost old hiker we had intended on saving. He had summited an hour before us and asked us where we had been. We all laughed and shared our short stories and he began opening up more about his past. But we still hadn’t reached the summit so we said our goodbyes. FINALLY we made it. An overwhelming sense of joy and peace rushed through us as we looked out in every direction to find all the sights of Washington. Wow.
Food is a great way to build community... so we all pulled out all the snacks we had and passed them around- and thank god we did. We had brought our healthy little snacks, just vegetables and some crackers.... the navy guys brought 2 full sub sandwiches each and offered us some... much needed.
After 30 min of failed self timer group photo attempts, we trudged down. At this point we weren’t separate anymore with the men leading the way followed by us two little groupies. We became a little family all intermingled, learning about each other on the leisurely way down.
Golden hour.... so so beautiful. With our backs to the last hours of the sun we walked down and back into the trees. Soon the final golden rays shined through. This was probably the best moment as we said our goodbyes to our new friends, our defeated mountain, and the best day.
