THE MOUNTAINEER 38 



siderable areas without timber where the low temperature and heavy snow- 

 falls have prevented tree growth. Above limber line there are many snuill 

 meadows and upland pasture is afforded. It has been estimated that the 

 forests of the Olympics will yield on an average not less than 24,000 board 

 feet of lumber per acre. The commercial trees in order of yield from the 

 standpoint of quantity are hemlock, red fir, silver fir, cedar and spruce. 



Since the maxinuim rainfall of the Olympics is on the western slope 

 it is into the Pacific ocean directly that the largest rivers flow. The prin- 

 cipal streams are the Soleduck, Hoh. Queets, and the Quiniault. The chief 

 rivers on the north are the Elwha and Dungeness, which empty into the 

 Strait of Fuca. Into Hood's canal flow the Quilcene, Dosewallips, and 

 Skokomish. About ilount Olympus the divides are veiy sharp and within 

 a small radius are the headwaters of several of the master streams of the 

 mountains. While the heads of all the large streams are torrential and 

 alK)und in cascades and Avaterfalls, the lower courses of most have a 

 velocity not so great but what they are navigated by Indians in canoes. 

 Into the mouths of some of the streams the tide enters from the sea, indi- 

 cating a submergence of the coast in recent limes. The large number of 

 independent streams along the northern slopes of the Olympics have evi- 

 dently all been tributaries of the large westward flowing river which occu- 

 l)ied the basin of Juan de Fuca strait previous to the general subsidence 

 which profoundly affected our coastline and which brought into existence 

 Vancouver and the numerous neighboring islands. 



The difficulty of traveling through the Olympics is the chief reason 

 why they are not visited by more people. Railway building has just begun 

 upon the outskirts of the mountains, but steam roads nnist not be expected 

 to ever penetrate them very far. Through the western foothills some wagon 

 roads have l)een constructed and a state road has been surveyed from 'Slon- 

 tesano northward to the Strait. Trails must be depended upon by all who 

 would go far into the mountains, and these are always more or less out of 

 repair because no systematic work is done upon them. It is to be hoped that 

 as a result of the expedition of the IMountaineers into the Olympics that 

 one or more good trails leading into the heart of the mountains may be 

 constructed and kept in good condition for future visitors. 



The Olympic numnlains attracted the attention of all the early ex- 

 plorers to our coast and it was Vancouver who applied the name Mount 

 Olympus to the crowning peak. In the mythology of Greece Olympus was 

 the home of Zeus and the other gods, who lived in a palace upon the sum- 

 iiiit. Tpon and about our own Olympus the Mountaineers expect to iiiul 

 gods the e(|ual of those of olden times. They will be the gods of comi-ad 

 ship, of good health, of the love of mountains, and of peace of mind and 

 soul. 



