TRAINING DAY: Mount Ellinor Summit
Updated: Sep 28
SEPTEMBER 2026
HOODSPORT, Wash. — We are less than a month away from our return to Nepal for the Manaslu Circuit Trek. The trail encompasses the world’s eighth highest mountain, putting us between 5,106-5,160 meters (16,752-16,929 feet) as we traverse Larkya La Pass. Weather permitting, we will also get a chance to see Manaslu Base Camp, which sits at around 4,800 meters (15,748 feet). Based on the latest news on weather out that way, we'll see how it goes...
Our first visit to Nepal was for our Everest Base Camp adventure in fall 2024, guided by a top-notch team from Himalaya Journey. We are lucky enough to soon be reuniting with some of our original team for this next journey.
We've been doing our best to fit in proper training for this newest mission. The latest peak of choice? Mount Ellinor in Washington State’s Olympic Mountains. Standing just shy of 6,000 feet (1,881 meters), what it does not provide in high-altitude exposure, this 6.5-mile out-and-back provides a great test for our calves, quads, and glutes.
We hit the Lower Mount Ellinor Trailhead at around 7:30 a.m., which at that time still had a heavy mist of fog and cloud cover. The first 1.5 miles or so are along dirt trails lined by tall evergreens and thick green underbrush. The earthen path of switchbacks continues to steepen, giving a proper warning of what’s to come.
We reached our first clearing and began to see large boulders marking the path. The clearing immediately brought me back to the last time we took this trail in July 2020. We were joined that day by two mountain goats grazing just off the path. The two didn't pay much mind to us, and just continued munching on the local vegetation. They stuck out quite a bit considering their pure white, shaggy coats. At the time, we didn't realize that moment would become a rare treat as the vast majority of the mountain goats have since been removed from the area as part of efforts to eliminate the non-native population.
That’s the same year I was gifted my Kilimanjaro trail name of Mbuzi Mawe, Swahili for “goat of rocks” or “mountain goat.” So… technically they didn’t get rid of all of us…
From the clearing, the trail turns into large rock steps, making hikers feel like the rest of the day will be spent completing repetitive lunges to the summit. The experience wasn't far off from that as we moved from boulder to boulder until we found ourselves completely out of the trees and along a path of shale and railroad tie steps. We took care to avoid stepping on the wood made slick with rain as we continued toward the rocky peak, which we were able to navigate without any additional issues.
The view was gorgeous and made all the more dramatic with occasional clouds and a mist rising from the lowlands.
What our hike lacked in mountain goats, the local chipmunks made up for it. Clearly they had been hand-fed considering their lack of fear and carefree attitude when it came to approaching humans. While I didn't offer any food, the chipmunk unknowingly provided me with my own Disney Princess moment. Thankfully for everyone else there, the comparison ended at that and no one had to endure singing or dancing on my behalf.
We took in the views, said goodbye to our woodland friend, then made our way back to our vehicles. As part of a celebratory job well done, we made sure to stop in Hoodsport for a burger and milkshake from the county's top-voted Korean Barbecue restaurant (it must have been stiff competition). That's one thing we will not be treated to while on our trek next month, so we better enjoy it now.
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