Mount Church
A friend gave me the second edition of the Climber’s Guide to the Olympic Mountains, published in 1979. While reading through it, I found this tantalizing sentence: “Mt. Church. The most enjoyable climb in the southern Olympics — judged by its ease of access and challenging variety.” My interest sparked, I started looking for information online about Mt. Church but found very little, which was a bit puzzling given the glowing book description.
I studied maps of the area and saw that forest service roads 2361 (Church Creek) and 2363 would provide access for the approach. Road 2361 was closed for wildlife until May 1, but I couldn't find any information online about road 2363. Figuring it was worth a look and not wanting to wait until May, I decided on a bike and hike approach.
Finding the gate on FS road 2361 closed as expected, I parked my vehicle and biked about 3.5 miles on mostly gravel roads beyond the gate. I had GPS coordinates for the FS 2363 intersection, but after arriving at the location where the road was supposed to be, I had difficulty actually finding it. Eventually I spotted a bent-over road marker and, looking to the left where the road should have been, I saw a huge berm blocking vehicle access. I suddenly realized that the road was decommissioned and active measures had been taken to prevent people from traveling on it. Not to be denied, I stashed my bicycle and headed down the road on foot.
Climbing over the berm, I found a deteriorated road in the advanced stages of being reclaimed by the forest. I slowly picked my way down the obstacle course of a road through overgrown brush, over and under numerous trees lying like matchsticks across the road. Beyond the brush, I navigated several deep ravines and rockslides that dramatically bisected the road.
I made slow progress, traveling about 4.5 miles down the road before the weather started to turn, with light rain beginning to fall. Encountering snow around 2,500 feet, I decided to call it a day and turn around. I faced another 2,000 feet of elevation gain and with my slow progress under deteriorating conditions, turning around was the safest option. After this exploratory trip, it's obvious why this mountain does not make many appearances in trip reports, as even getting to the beginning of the climb is a significant challenge. Until next time....
Starting elevation: 590 ft | Elevation gain: 2,344 ft | Distance: 16.0 mi