10/27/07 - North Face, South Face

You should be able to see the difference for yourself in this photo.

10/27/07 - Hurricane Ridge Panoramas

This week, the high country opened again. The snow had melted from the hills, and the ice had melted from the road. The twisty little road to Hurricane Hill was closed, and Obstruction Point Road was closed for the season, so we decided to climb up to Sunrise Point and then see where the trails took us. The day was spectacular, with the sky blue and the snow on the mountains white. Even a tame trail in the Olympic high country offers a lot of great stuff to look at.

To share the experience, we took a few panorama photos. If you click on the little preview you should get a larger version that you can pan across in your web browser. It isn't the same as the real thing, but it might give you a sense of the view from Hurricane Ridge.

Along the ridge - click on the picture for a bigger version that you can pan horizontally.

A good view of Mount Angeles, and everything else - click on the picture for a bigger version that you can pan horizontally

10/14/07 - Obstruction Point Panoramas

The view to the east - click on the picture for a bigger version that you can pan horizontally

The view to the south with Mount Olympus - click on the picture for a bigger version that you can pan horizontally

Another view to the south with Mount Olympus - click on the picture for a bigger version that you can pan horizontally

10/12/07 - Hurricane Hill In Its Autumn Glory

10/09/07 - First Signs of WInter, Last Signs of Summer

This has been an odd year. We missed the usual late summer drying. By September, most of the alpine flowers are past their bloom and rather sere. This year, the lupines were blossoming into autumn, and the hillsides covered with flowers.

The lupines are gone, but even in October, there are a few blossoms - yarrow, Indian paintbrush, and even a few of those violet harebells. There was a bit of ice on the trail, and some slushy segments. The ice freezes under the soil. When you step on it, the soil compacts and the water flows making the ground slippery. Slime ice, we called it, but it dries out in an hour or two and turns into good old fashioned mud.

09/14/07 - Deer Lake and Potholes

There is a little bridge across the side stream that flows from Deer Lake to the Sol Duc, then the trail begins to climb in earnest alternating between flat areas and staircase like climbs. The lake is about 1600' above the falls, but the effort is worth it. Deer Lake is a jewel in the mountains.

We were energetic today, so climbed higher. Rather than walking around the lake the way we usually do, we took the side trail to the Seven Lakes Basin and climbed towards the potholes. This trail follows the side of a mountain past several little ponds, but eventually it turns inward and through a grove of blueberries, still surprisingly full of ripe berries, and then up to the barren open area of the potholes.

This is a relatively bare flat area with a number of small ponds sparkling and reflecting the sky. We ate our tongue sandwiches here keeping a wary eye out for bears. There were bears in the high country according to several campers we met, but they were another six miles down the trail which was close enough for us.

The descent was lovely. The feeling of accomplishment was glorious. The pounding of our feet by the rocky trail painful.

08/31/07 - Obstruction Point

08/23/07 - Hurricane Hill Flowers

07/15/07 - Rainbow On The Ridge

For some more interesting webcam images, check out our webcam movie page.

06/17 - Hurricane Hill Trail Open For The Season

The road past the lodge at Hurricane Ridge is open, and the the Hurricane Hill trail from the end of the road is almost completely snow free. There are a few patches in that wooded section, but the snow is melting fast. The flowers are blooming, and the scenery is spectacular. The high country is opening for the season.

We drove up to Hurricane Ridge on a gray, unprepossessing day. There was a foggy stretch from above Heart of the Hills to a fair ways past the tunnel, but then we were above the fog and the mountains views were clear. As an extra bonus, in addition to the mountains, the flowers and the trail, there were marmots.

We saw three Olympic golden marmots, unique to the region, and they were doing quite well, thank you. They were trundling around, digging burrows and checking out the tourists. One of them was rummaging about just to the side of the trail and seemed quite unperturbed by his or her audience. It is definitely time to head for the hills.

06/03/07 - Lake Angeles Trail Report

We finally got around to checking out the Lake Angeles Trail. This is an often overlooked trail that runs from near the Hurricane Ridge Road entry station at about 1900' to Lake Angeles at about 4300'. It is a wonderful climb, and it is usually passable well before the high country is open. This year, we'd like to report that the trail is open to the lake, and, according to an informant who was returning from the lake, all of the snow around the lake has melted. We ourselves didn't get much above 3000'. We need to get back into shape, but it's nice to know that the lake is waiting for us.

As for the trails around Hurricane Ridge. As of a few days ago, there was a lot of melt, but also a lot of snow. The road to the Hurricane Hill trailhead is still unplowed, but at the rate things are melting, the high country should be opening up through the month of June.

05/03/07 - Still Snowshoeing at Hurricane Ridge

Did we mention that there is still snow on Hurricane Ridge? We were out snowshoeing. The snow is getting a bit crunchy, and the trail is pretty messy, since most people, less clumsy that we, are just wearing hiking shoes on the trail.

The road is still only open on weekends (call 360 565 3131), but the drive is worth it. It is still mighty pretty up there.

03/18/07 - Hurricane Hill Is Still Winter

We were up snowshoeing today at Hurricane Ridge. While it is starting to look like spring down here near sea level, up on Hurricane Hill Road it still looks like winter. It was well above freezing, but there were still about eight feet of snow. There is a bit of the road starting to peep through here at the hairpin turn, but we will not be holding our breath waiting for the glacier lilies.

03/06/07 - First Salamander (and Slug) of Spring

A lot of trails are closed right now. Whiskey Bend Road is more or less wiped out, and the Hoh Rain Forest is inaccessible. This means we are spending a lot of time on the Spruce Railroad Trail at Lake Crescent. We were out there a few days ago, and it sure smelled of spring. Today, it smelled even more spring-like. The currant and salmonberry blossoms are getting ready to bloom. Then we saw it. The first salamander of spring! We knew that slugs could not be far behind. We were right. A bit down the trail, there it was, a slug, slugging its way through the trail debris.

Eventually other trails will reopen, and even the high country will thaw out and open up, but for now, we are going to watch for spring.

We often have trouble believing how clear Lake Crescent water is. The upper rocks in this picture are under water. The water is radioactive pool blue, even without radioactive waste to make it glow.

11/05/06 - First Snow at Klahane Ridge

We seem to be watching winter come to the high country in slow motion. The rain stopped for a day, and we, and a fair number of other hikers, set out to see how things were doing up on the ridge. Just a few days ago there was frost; today there was snow. There was not a whole lot of snow, or we wouldn't have made it up there, and it had mostly melted save in the highest areas and in places where things lie in shadow. Still, there was snow, and the hanging gardens are now silver and gold as the foliage turns towards winter.

11/01/06 - Klahane Ridge Ground Frost

The high country is wet but open. We managed to crawl up the Switchback Trail to Klahane Ridge. There wasn't any snow, but there was a bit of ground frost and some pretty ice flowers. Winter is icumen in.

10/26/06 - Rosy Fingered Dawn

We weren't up at Hurricane Ridge this morning, but thanks to the National Park Service webcam we got a look at the dawn's early light. Not only is Mount Olympus and its friends covered with snow, but the early morning glow has given it a glorious pink coloring. We have to start getting up earlier.

10/24/06 - First Snow at Hurricane Ridge

We were just up at Hurricane Ridge a few days ago, and it was definitely autumn. Today, the first snow fell. As you can see in the webcam picture to the right, there is little more than a dusting, but this means that winter is coming in.

10/01/06 - Obstruction Point Autumn

Autumn is a wonderful time to visit the high country, particularly the wilderness at Obstruction Point. The growing season is short up there, so the autumn always feels like borrowed time. It has been dry, and most of the flowers are gone, though the pair lurking amidst the warming rocks in the photo to the left are an exception. There is a lot of color in the alpine foliage, some of it brilliant red.

As usual at this time of year, we are hoping to borrow yet one more trip to Obstruction Point before the winter snows. The high country is haunting and it calls to us.