Bailey Range Traverse and Olympus

A John Scurlock photo of the Bailey Range and Mount Olympus
A John Scurlock photo of the Bailey Range and Mount Olympus

When I started the 09/10 Season I decided I would have a unified theme of exploring all the sub ranges of the Pacific Northwest and more specifically Washington State, with the Bailey Range Traverse being my big project. These mountains are quite literally the heart of the Olympic Mountains with well over 20 miles of unscathed alpine, rainforest, and enough terrain to stoke any climber. Once at the end of the Baileys and dead center in the Olympics our plan was to exit via Mt. Olympus an area we became familiar with over a year earlier, pulling off a 7 day expedition to the Valhallas (Click Here for the trip report). To pull off the traverse we expected it would take 7 days so we patiently waited for the perfect weather window throughout the season. By the end of June we had all but given up with questionable forecasts, but our window finally came in July with the promise of weeks of uninterrupted sunshine.

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