Mount Deception - Gilhooley Saddle, July 2009
At most I might average a single Olympics trip a year. After all there's only so much choss that even I can take. Having climbed both Anderson and Deception within a few weeks of each other, one might ask what the hell has gotten in to me this summer. Have I lost my mind? Perhaps yes. But then again, I had it on relatively good authority that a trip to climb Mount Deception would be well worth the effort, no matter how loose or easy the climb for that matter. From outrageously scenic Royal Basin to the lofty summit (by Olympic standards) with its expansive views of surprisingly rugged peaks both near and far, Deception doesn't disappoint. But make no mistake; the peak certainly harbors some awful rock, although frankly I didn't find it any worse than that which I have encountered on so many peaks in that mountain range east of Puget Sound. Besides, being that it's the second tallest peak in the Olympic Mountains alone warrants visitation by any avid Seattle-based peakbagger...er, um chossaholic in my opinion. It certainly also doesn't hurt that the climb is doable in a day from my bed in North Seattle. Bed-to-bed in less than 20 hours I like to say...ha ha! Had I not gotten hosed by the damn ferry wait once again I'd have made it home in time for a late dinner even!
Ever the glutton for punishment, John Lupo answered the call to join me with relatively little notice. As John would be driving up from Aberdeen, we agreed to rendezvous just outside Sequim and drive to the Dungeness Trailhead together. Volumes were light on the 5:45am Edmonds-Kingston sailing and I caught-up on some much needed sleep during the half-hour transit...that is until I was jolted out of my slumber by an irate ferry worker beating his fist on my windshield. Save for the vehicles queued behind me, the entire ferry was empty. Whoa, good morning everyone! (more...)
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