Kaleberg Archive for Keyword: marmots, Page: 2

Kaleberg Symbionts

To truly experience the chthonic power of kale and bergs, join us in our brain fugue adventures...

Our Home Page

The Kaleberg RSS Feed, for those with news readers

ONP Trip Planner

Olympic National Park is a big park. Our trip planner lets you make the most of your stay whether you are here for a week or just out for a day trip.

Recently

Stanley Park in Vancouver

Sydney Botanic Garden

Royal Botanic Garden in Perth

Ningaloo Reef Arrival

Yardie Creek at Dawn

Afternoon at Ningaloo Reef

Moonrise at Ningaloo Reef

Ningaloo Reef Sunset

Archive

2004 - 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2005 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2006 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2007 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2008 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2009 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2010 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2011 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2012 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2013 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2014 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2015 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2016 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2017 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2018 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2019 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2020 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2021 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2022 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2023 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

2024 - 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

Month by Month History

Keywords

flowers
winter
spring
seattle
food
port angeles
kale
high country
hurricane hill
elwha
autumn
farmers' market
christmas
lake angeles
australia
trillium
trails
spruce railroad
hurricane ridge
lake crescent

All Keywords

Upcoming Hiking Tides

These are low tides of under three feet at least two hours after sunrise or before sunset.

Next tides for La Push
9/22/24 9:46 AM 2.29 ft
11/11/24 2:43 PM 2.45 ft
12/9/24 1:16 PM 2.87 ft
12/10/24 2:23 PM 1.71 ft
12/24/24 2:12 PM 2.69 ft

Next tides for Dungeness
10/1/24 9:13 AM 1.85 ft
10/2/24 9:45 AM 2.48 ft

Next tides for Cape Alava
9/22/24 9:56 AM 2.87 ft
12/9/24 1:59 PM 2.93 ft

06/27/17 - Hurricane Hill and a Sunbow Taking a break from Klahane Ridge, we went back to Hurricane Hill. The snow on the trail is almost gone, so it was easy going. We even went down the side spur that leads to the Elwha Ranger Station a bit. We saw a blue grouse and several marmots, but the real treat was a sunbow on our way back to the parking lot. On our way back, admiring the views of the main mountain chain to the south, we noticed that one of the high cirrus clouds was not quite pure white. It was colored and colored like the rainbow. There was another cirrus cloud not far, and it too was also colored, but more faintly. It took a bit of thinking, but what we were seeing was part of a colored circle, a rainbow around the sun, but only visible where there were ice crystals in the high clouds. That's called a sunbow. It's not like a rainbow. Rainbows are centered around the anti-solar point, the point farthest away from the sun. A sunbow is centered around the sun. It was a pretty rare sighting. Moonbows, colored rings around the moon are much more common, so we were quite pleased with such a fine view.	A blue grouse
Mountain view	A piece of the sunbow
Another piece, more lightly colored	Together, these were parts of a ring of color around the sun.
Lupines	Lupines and mountain friends
Phlox	Avalanche lilies
More avalanche lilies	One of the many marmots

Keywords: grouse, hurricane hill, atmosphere, science, marmots

06/19/17 - Hurricane Hill - Critters We've been getting up to Hurricane Hill to watch the snow melt, enjoy the views, gawk at the flowers and do some wildlife spotting. Hurricane Hill is great place for seeing all sorts of animals: marmots, bears, hares, deer and even mountain goats. Well, we didn't see any mountain goats this time, but we saw just about everything else.	The scene
A black bear ...	... from a safe distance
One of the marmots, not Marmot Rock	Melting snow
More snow on the north face	Another marmot
Yet another marmot	A snowshoe hare
Phlox	The lupines are back; we missed them last year.

Keywords: animals, flowers, hurricane hill, marmots

08/28/16 - Klahane Ridge - Part 1 It hasn’t been easy getting up to the Hurricane Ridge hikes recently. If nothing else, they have been repaving Hurricane Ridge Road. We started early on a cloudy Sunday and managed to avoid the construction, but at the ridge we could smell the smoke from the Cox, and we could see the smoke settled on the mountains. We decided to try climbing Klahane Ridge anyway figuring that we had an asthma inhaler with us, so if the air was too bad on the way up, we could control its effects and make our way back down. As it turned out the air started getting a little better as we climbed out of the closed area near the Switchback trailhead. Still, we could see the smoke highlighting the mountain panorama. As we climbed we had a broader vista, but the smoke was a major feature that we could see and smell. We made it to the ridge and headed on to the “kick in the ass” as one hiker we met put it. This is the stretch of the trail to Lake Angeles that climbs and passes through some of the most beautiful alpine gardens. There were mountain goats about, even a few on the trail. We shouted at them and waved our hiking sticks and that seemed to send them scurrying. We also saw a few marmots as we wandered.	Smoke towards Sunrise Peak
Smokey skies	The panorama
More mountains	More smoke
Mountain goats, a mother and a kid	Another mountain goat
One of the enchanting alpine gardens	A plump marmot
Yet another mountain goat	Mountains as seen from an alpine garden

Keywords: hurricane ridge, klahane ridge, marmots, mountain goats

05/20/16 - Hurricane Hill Flowers, Marmots and a Bear The wildflower season progresses up at Hurricane Hill. The hillsides are covered with phlox. The wallflowers are out, and the glacier lilies are blooming. The marmots are out as well. We saw at least four of them including two younger ones sparring. On our way back down from the summit we saw a black bear eating ferociously along the hillside below. It was close enough for us to see its black mane, but far enough for comfort. They say black bears are the little ones, but they are not that little.	One of the amazing views
A golden marmot amidst the phlox	Another marmot
Snow still covers the north face.	The hills are alive.
A wallflower and friends	More flowers
Another marmot reminding us to stay off his or her lawn	Two young marmots sparring
The black bear at the limit of our telephoto lens	More flowers

Keywords: flowers, hurricane hill, marmots

06/18/15 - Klahane Ridge We don't believe it either. We made it up the Switchback Trail to Klahane Ridge. We were exhausted. We weren't used to the altitude. We kvetched and whined our way up the first thousand feet or so. Don't get us wrong. The scenery was spectacular with the Olympic Mountain range in the distance and fields of larkspur, cow parsnip and paintbrush beside the trail. We just weren't up to climbing all 1450 feet. Well, we did. At 1000 feet, the Olympic Mountains appear above Sunrise Point which is near the Hurricane Ridge Lodge. We were still dead on our feet, but we pushed onward. At some point, we started feeling a little less awful, and at around 1200 feet we realized that there was a good chance of making it to Klahane RIdge. Maybe it was just the knowledge that we were almost at the ridge. Maybe it was the golden marmots. We saw three of them. But somehow, we made it. The view to the north was spectacular despite a few clouds in the bowl of mountains below us. On our way down, it started to rain. At first it was just a gentle misting, but by the time we made it to the junction with the trail to the lodge, it was raining gently. The air was moist and fresh. Everything smells a bit different in the rain, and we could see that the hanging gardens could use some watering. On our entire drive down, we marveled. Somehow, we had climbed Klahane Ridge on our first try.	A view from the ridge
A view of the Olympic Range	A closeup
A golden marmot	Another golden marmot
Gathering clouds	Columbine
This little guy was right next to the trail.	Clouds and stone
Lupine and phlox	This is a great year for larkspur.

Keywords: klahane ridge, marmots

06/26/14 - The Critters of Hurricane Hill The flowers are near their peak on Hurricane Hill. The phlox may even be a touch past its peak, though its scent lingers. The lupines are blooming, as are the western wallflowers, glacier lilies, rock larkspur, avalanche lilies and yarrows. The marmots are out and active, as are the deer. There was also a mountain goat wandering about. The park service seems to have fitted this one with a collar. These can be dangerous animals, so we kept our distance. While we were exploring, clouds and mist were rising in the north, and by the time we were heading back, they had engulfed the top of Hurricane Hill. Through the mists we could see a blue lake forming from the melted snow and a golden marmot cooling him or herself on the snow. This was a great day for the flowers and for critter spotting on Hurricane Hill, but our real surprise was on the drive out. Driving through the parking lot, we saw a mother bear with two cubs scampering along Sunrise Ridge. We didn't have time to take a photograph, but those were the first bears of the season.	The scenery
One of the many golden marmots	Western Wallflower and some phlox
Phlox and the mists	Marmot of the mist
Clouds from the north	Another view
A mountain goat	Even closer
Glacier lilies	Larkspur and paintbrush

Keywords: animals, flowers, hurricane hill, marmots

06/02/14 - Hurricane Hill Trail Report The Hurricane Hill Trail is open. On slow days, we have been heading up to Hurricane Ridge to watch the snow melt and glacier lilies blossom. Usually this time of year, there are ten foot high ramparts of snow at the far end of the parking lot. This year, the area was almost snow free, so it was only a small surprise that the road to the Hurricane Hill trailhead was open. The big surprise was that the trail was relatively free of snow. There were some patches and a long stretch, a section of the trail shaded by evergreens was still covered. Still, we made it to the summit. The trail is open early. We usually don't make it to the top of the hill until late June or even early July, but this year is different. The alpine flowers are already coming out, and not just the glacier lilies. The trail is scented with phlox. The paintbrush is out and the lupines are starting to bloom. Even the marmots are up and about. If you are planning a trip to Hurricane Ridge, it might make sense to plan to come early. The high country can be hard country, so it pays to sieze the day.	The trail is quite clear here.
This shaded corridor is the most snow covered part of the trail, but passable.	The views are spectacular.
A view from the summit	Another high country view
Lupines	Phlox
A marmot	Another marmot
Bachelors, out grazing	Paintbrush

Keywords: flowers, high country, hurricane hill, hurricane ridge, marmots

09/25/13 - Hurricane Hill - After the Equinox Obstruction Point Road has already closed and the weather has been changeable. Instead of the usual September sun, our skies seem to be visitors from October. We hiked the Hurricane Hill Trail on a quiet day and watched Mount Olympus fuss with its wreath of clouds before vanishing. The marmots were out, but turning darker and browner for winter. Only their hindquarters were golden. We saw only a handful of flowers, dried yarrow, a few harebells, and the like. Instead we saw fall foliage with the grasses turning golden and leaves turning red and brown.	Golden fields and misty mountains
One of five marmots we saw	Another marmot in closeup - not very golden
A view	A misty view and changing colors
Mount Angeles	To the north, a touch of blue
The first bit of snow, near the summit	A band of gold
A mushroom	Last of the flowers

Keywords: flowers, hurricane hill, marmots, obstruction point, weather, winter

07/18/13 - Hurricane Hill in Season Hurricane Hill is in season. Even the roses and corn lilies are out. The hills are thick with marmots, and the scenery is spectacular. If you can't reach us at home, we'll be hiking the trails.	A marmot surrounded by dirty sock plant
A buck on the snow	A marmot beating the heat
Melting snow	A rock garden
The mountains	The snow really does melt faster on the sunny side.
A mountain plover	Pasque flowers and corn lilies - yes corn lilies
One of the first roses	More mountains and flowers

Keywords: flowers, hurricane hill, marmots, trails

07/04/13 - Back to Hurricane Hill Yes, we've already been back to Hurricane Hill - twice in fact. It is really beautiful up there. There weren't as many marmots this time, but we did see some other wonderful things.	The snow melt lake is forming below the peak.
The mountains - well, what can we say?	Green shoots
An early corn lily	We saw a mountain goat on a rocky hill side, at a good safe distance.
A marmot	The snow is melting quickly.
Glacier lilies blooming by the melting snow	Avalanche lilies growing in the shade
A little rock garden	Lupines

Keywords: hurricane hill, marmots, flowers

06/24/13 - Hurricane Hill - Part 2 - Summit and Flowers The summit of Hurricane Hill was surrounded by clouds. Our view degraded as we made our final ascent, scaring one poor marmot from his or her perch. Port Angeles and points north were invisible, hidden beneath the clouds. The entire north slope before us, sheltered from the sun, was covered in a thick layer of snow. It was quite dramatic. The marmots were still out as we descended and the fields were starting to blossom with glacier lilies, phlox, paintbrush, lupines and even some dirty sock plant. We didn't see any avalanche lilies, and the phlox didn't have its usual sweet scent. Still, it was a spectacular hike through the high country.	Another view north
The mountains shrouded by clouds	Fields of flowers
Yet another marmot	A snowshoe hare
The clouds would come and go.	A marmot with glacier lilies
Lupines and paintbrush	Larkspur
Lupines	Phlox

Keywords: flowers, high country, hurricane hill, marmots

06/27/12 - Marmot City Hurricane Hill is so full of marmots that we're thinking of renaming it Marmot City. We saw at least ten of them, including one so large we were thinking of counting him (or her) as two. The snow is melting apace, and we're getting more used to hiking the high country, so stay tuned for more news from Marmot City.	These two were tussling, like something right out of a nature documentary.
These two are digging their digs right near the bench and the new marmot sign.	They are fearless.
A proud profile	This one lives at the summit of Hurricane HIll.
Another marmot lurking	Some token scenery
Yup, more scenery	Most of the trail is easy going, if you don't count having to climb a bit.

Keywords: hurricane hill, marmots

09/24/11 - Hurricane Hill Was Crawling With Critters Hurricane Hill was crawling with critters on our last visit. There were marmots, chipmunks, and blue grouse wandering about. The flowers of summer have passed for the most part, but our big disappointment was the corn lilies on the side spur. We had hoped to, at long last, catch them in bloom, but they don't seem to have blossomed this year. Still, there seem to be a lot more of them.	A golden marmot
Chipmunk alert: watch your shoelaces!	A plump blue grouse
A couple of marmots	The disappointing corn lily crop
Early autumn colors	More golden grasses
and mountains	and more mountains

Keywords: autumn, flowers, grouse, hurricane hill, marmots

07/09/11 - Hurricane Hill We were always fond of those mountain climbing movies from the 1930s with their portentious narratives, and their imagined voices always seem to accompany us on our ascents of Hurricane Hill. Maybe it's the park signs for Folded Rock and Lingering Snow. Maybe it's that there is a stretch "so full of dirty sock plant, they call it 'The Hamper'". Well, those voices are back, and we've made our first Hurricane Hill Ascent of the season. The snows are melting rapidly, and most of the trail is clear. The shaded section through the trees (from The Bench to The Hamper actually) still has a fair bit of snow, but it's well packed and the footing is obvious. The area near the Hurricane Hill Trail side spur is also still covered with snow, but melting rapidly. The side spur is already walkable, at least for a ways. The views, as one might expect, are spectacular. There is still a lot of snow on the mountains in every direction, and the alpine flowers are coming into bloom, even near the summit. The fields are adorned with a carpet of glacier lilies, and we saw at least one marmot. It may have been two, or it may have been just one who followed us to the summit. All told, the high country is open for the season and is as spectacular as ever.	The view hasn't changed much. There is a fair bit of snow on the big mountains.
Golden glaciers lilies	Melting snow
More glacier lilies and melting snow	The view from the summit
More view	Even more view - There is lots of view from Hurricane Hill.
The trail through that shady stretch of trees is still covered with snow, though passable.	The marmots are back.
This may or may not be the same marmot.	Marmot the Bold, in profile

Keywords: flowers, high country, hurricane hill, marmots, movies

10/23/10 - Wild Sky at Hurricane Hill Winter is teasing Hurricane Ridge even now. There's already a touch of snow on the lodge roof and a fair bit more fresh on the distant mountain tops. There's still a lot of autumn color, but now that is starting to fade. We started our latest hike with the mountains shrouded in white cloud and a light sleet, but the clouds parted and swirled. The sky was gray, nearly black, then white, then gray again, then blue. It was quite a show. It made up for the lack of marmots, now sensibly drowsing, we presume. It won't be long before the dominant shade is white, and getting to Hurricane Hill will require skis or snowshoes, so this might be a good time to say goodbye to autumn.	An unprepossessing sky
Autumn colors
	Light and mist
Quickly moving shadows	Harvest gold - it looks better here than on one's refrigerator
Early snow	More autumn color
More wild sky	The glow of the sun

Keywords: autumn, hurricane hill, hurricane ridge, marmots, winter