I've had my eye on this route for a while, and an opportunity came up with a free weekend with a need for a long run and a desire to get deep in the Olympics. I slept at the trailhead and woke up early for coffee and breakfast before hitting the trail.
I started at 2:30 am to do the easy part in the dark and avoid spending too much time in the heat. I saw tents in all of the plentiful campsites on the way to First Divide. The sun was just coming up as I finished this first climb, where I stopped for my favorite backcountry meal of salami and cheese in a tortilla and enjoyed the sunrise. The descent went smoothly - other than a wasp sting around mile 14. I stopped for the obligatory shot of the hollow tree on the way up to Marmot Lake, and attempted my first ever timed selfie. I saw a couple bears off trail on the way to Marmot Lake. I had another soppressata taco at O'Neil Pass. Traversing from O'Neil was one of the most runnable sections of the loop. I met a very large frog refilling my water at one of the small trickles - I forgot my reservoir so I had to make more frequent stops to fill the two small bottles I brought.
I took a minor tumble right before the largest stream crossing - just scrapes and bruises - and took some time to soak my feet and eat a third salami taco. The rest of the run to Anderson pass was uneventful. La Crosse pass was the high point of the day - both literally and figuratively. I love those rocky trails (mostly) above treeline. The views were awesome. The switchbacks down to Duckabush are surprisingly runnable. There were quite a few downed trees, but even more that have been recently cleared. Many thanks to WTA (and others) for the trail work!
I lost the trail briefly on the way up Duckabush. I got stung again on my calf on the way back up to First Divide - it was pretty swollen by the end of my run. I tried to make up some time on the 13 miles of downhill on the way back to the start. I was feeling pretty beat up by this point, and the last few miles were a bit rough. Back at the car I cooked up some chicken and rice and decided I wasn't up for the drive home. I was glad to be able to sleep in the car again.
This is a great route that highlights so much of what the Olympic Mountains have to offer - low deciduous forests, mature evergreens with a smattering of old growth, many streams and rivers, mini gorges and large waterfalls, epic views, high peaks with glaciers and perennial snowfields, a mix of well maintained trails and many less traveled and overgrown, and long stretches of solitude.