Unbifurcated on the High Divide

[Tenmiles]

Well, I just got back from a week in the Olympic National Park in Washington, U.S.A., where I spent a week in the backcountry with my best old mates (we get together every summer for an outing somewhere), as we trekked through temperate rainforests and climbed to the High Divide trail to appreciate the marvelous views afforded to those stalwart enough to have ascended the multitudinous stairs leading up the mountain.

(and let me tell you, rucking a 58-pound pack overland is one thing, but bearing it up flights of steps for several thousand feet is rather something else)


This time, I went kilted.
A sensible poly-cotton cargo kilt, which wouldn't matter if it got torn, bloodstained (oh yes indeed), or just generally dirty.

I was a little worried about mosquitoes beneath it, but they turned out not to be a serious concern. I did not have to apply DEET under my kilt after all.


In the evenings, I did put on some warmer long pants, but the kilt was my essential daily garment.

Here are a few kilted hiking pictures:


























The weather was beautiful. We had one afternoon (maybe 4 hours) of light rain.
We encountered impressive herds of goats and deer.
The goats are more immediately dangerous than the bears up here; last person to die to wildlife out here was impaled by a goat in the leg.

They advise not to come within 100 feet of them, but I almost literally ran into a family of about 11 goats as I came around a bend in the trail; 4 of them were fresh younglings from this year. After a tense moment where we all just stood still, watching each other for a bit, one of them stepped forward to express the intent of the group - which apparently was "we're using this trail right now".

I turned around went back down the trail a ways, and gave them whatever ground they cared to have (I was, after all, a visitor in their home), as long as they needed it.


We spent a week out there (many people hike the same loop trail in a single [strenuous] day, or a weekend), and a good time was had by all, even when I took a sudden slide and skinned my knee on the trail (pictures tactfully omitted).

So, kilt hiking continues to be a good thing, and highly recommended. I hope by the next time, I'll have a tartan kilt I can also hike in.

[Thekiltedmohawk]

Great pics!!

[Gibtron]

Looks like a lot of fun, thanks for posting the great pics.

[Dughlas mor]

Great shots, Tenmiles. I can`t believe the lack of snow up there at this time of year. Glad you had good weather, and a good time. It looks like the kilt worked out well for you. BTW, you may have learned that the goats are not native to ONP. They were ill- advisedly introduced back in the 1920`s I think, and have caused much damage to the meadows in the years since. Now they think they own the place!

[Alan H]

Nice. I hiked that trail with the Luminous Joan and her parents about 15 years ago....had a lovely time of it.

[416 Rigby]

Well, heck, next time you're going to visit PA, shoot me a pm and maybe we can go grab a pint and a burger.

[Lady Grey]

Awesome pictures.
Having looked at the others garb, you looked (gulp) the most sensibly dressed for hiking

[grizzbass]

what a magnificent place. nice shots

[Spartan Tartan]

Pictures like these make me want to go hiking more. I hardly go, and I'm not very experienced, but I very much enjoy when I do. Great views. Thank for sharing these with the group.

[Macman]

Great pictures, great views, and great weather! Thanks for sharing your hike.
I hear you about the goats. I've encountered small feral goats on Saturna Island; it's eerie. It was like we were being surrounded by the critters.