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07/27/23 - Obstruction Point - Part 1 Ever since the lodge at Hurricane Ridge burned down, only a limited number of cars have been allowed to drive up to the ridge. There is the city bus, but we wanted to get out to Obstruction Point, so we rose early and had only a short wait at the entrance gate.The drive out to Obstruction Point was its usual spectacular self with tight turns, a narrow road and vertiginous drop offs. There were also amazing views of Mount Olympus, the other snow capped mountains in the Olympic range and the green river valleys below. We headed out on the trail and slowly got more used to the altitude. Usually, by late July, we're comfortable at 6000', but we haven't been getting up to the high country much. We made our way up to the plateau then down the staircase and across the fields to the ridge with its cirque of winter snow still melting and the lakes forming below. We headed up and on a bit, out to Eagle Rock where we soaked in the view before heading back. |
 The high country, at last! |
 Greeting us was a grouse. |
 The start of the trail |
 A typical view |
 Alpine flowers, we missed you. |
 More along the trail and some distant snow |
 More trail and clouds |
 Clouds playing with a mountain ridge |
 A peek at Mount Olympus and the Blue Glacier |
 The little lake we always check as we descend the staircase was doing well. |
 A stone garden |
 Our first few lupines of the year |
 More along the trail |
 Not shown, but we found a last bit of phlox with a touch of its wonderful scent lingering.. |
 Another look at Olympus |
 One of the seasonal lakes |
 A high ridge |
 Lupines! |
 More lupines! |
 More lakes! |
 Paintbrush |
 A deer, an unusual sighting up here |
 Another mountain view |
For more on Obstruction Point, see our Obstruction Point Trail web page.
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Keywords: high country, hurricane ridge, obstruction point, winter
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07/26/23 - Obstruction Point - Part 2 Here are some more photos from our magical journey to Obstruction Point and beyond. Back in 2020, we had worried that COVID would have made the high country off limits. We were wrong. It was a great year for the trails and wildflowers, but this year, 2023, has been different. The fire that destroyed the lodge also destroyed the electrical power system, the water pumps, telecommunications and the septic system. The lodge was going to be closed for renovations, but the park service had made arrangements. The fire changed that. Instead, they have had to limit the number of visitors, so we haven't had much opportunity to explore.We made it up to Obstruction Point despite this. We were hoping to do some more hiking in the area, but a cougar attack led to the closing of the Lake Angeles Trail, Heather Park and Klahane Ridge. It's a sensible precaution, but this is not going to be a great year for the Kalebergs and the high country. |
 A view from near Eagle Rock |
 The lakes below |
 The hiking trail |
 Yet another mountain view |
 Mountain garden |
 Mountain trail |
 Paintbrush and snow |
 Harebells |
 More of the garden |
 The Olympic Mountains |
 Snow below |
 Lupines |
 Mountain clouds |
 Another bit of the trail |
 And yet more |
 Another peek at the peaks |
 Lupine leaves |
 Clouds again |
 More mountain rock garden |
 More flowers |
 A fascinating flower |
 The staircase |
 Returning to base |
Keywords: flowers, high country, obstruction point, trails
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08/26/22 - Obstruction Point Road - Part 1 We took what is probably our last hike of the season out from Obstruction Point. The park is closing Obstruction Point Road on the day after Labor Day, and probably not reopening it until 2023. Hurricane Ridge Road is going to be closed a few weeks later as well. According to the park service, Hurricane Ridge Road was collapsing onto Obstruction Point Road below it, and they're hoping to have both roads more or less rebuilt and repaired in the next few months.Meanwhile, we enjoyed the hike across the high country, down the staircase, then along the ridge with its spectacular views of Mount Olympus. We took the side spur out to Raven Rock and looked down at Moose Lake and Grand Lake way far below. I doubt we'll ever make the thousand foot plus descent. If nothing else, we'd have to climb back up which seems daunting. We're past the peak flower season. Colors are already starting to change. We did see a blue grouse and her chicks scrabbling about in the dry grass not far from the trail. They are so well camouflaged that seeing them was just a matter of good fortune. We may get another chance to get up to the high country this season, but it we don't, this was a great way to say goodbye to it. |
 Top of the world |
 The high country trail |
 A bit of the staircase |
 Mountains across the valley |
 Our first peek at the plains of Mars |
 Foliage just starting to turn red |
 Still some lingering snow |
 Another bit of trail |
 Two lakes below |
 Another seasonal lake |
 Mountains and sky |
 Friable rock |
 Another spectacular view |
 Way down below |
 Early autumn colors |
 Fading fields |
 We'll miss the trail. |
 Blue mountains beyond |
 More on the hiking theme |
 Some more fall color and great scenery |
 More trail, color, snow and sky |
 Mount Olympus |
 Yet more of the trail |
Keywords: high country, hurricane ridge, obstruction point
| This is a continuation of our post on our last visit of the season to Obstruction Point Road with a bit more focus on details. |
 Some late lupines |
 Some flowers |
 Harebells and others |
 Paintbrush |
 Juniper |
 Yarrow |
 We're not sure what this is, but it's a great composition. |
 More flowers |
 And more flowers |
 Some fall flowering phlox |
 Paintbrush |
 Another bouquet |
 And another |
 A blue grouse |
 One of her chicks |
 Grousing |
 More grousing |
 There were three or four grouse chicks. |
 Another chick, or perhaps the same one again |
 Bright flowers |
 Lithiculture |
 Amongst the rocks |
 Magenta |
Keywords: high country, grouse, flowers, obstruction point
| We made another trip out to Obstruction Point. The season has been progressing. Most of the snow is gone, and more flowers are in bloom. The lakes have melted out from the snow. As usual, the scenery was magnificent. Our bonus sighting this trip was a bear down in one of the lakes. |
 On top of the world |
 The trail up there |
 Mountains and valleys |
 Another piece of the trail |
 Phlox - It's a pity we can't take a snapshot of its amazing scent. |
 More flowers |
 Plant life |
 Raven Rock, as we call it |
 Clouds in the distance |
 Still some snow in the mountains |
 Melting snow and a lake below |
 Growing from the stone |
 Another view down, melting snow |
 More clouds and a valley |
 Another mountain view |
 The trail again |
 Harebells |
 The bear sloshing around in a lake |
 The bear emerges - The photo is blurry. That bear was quite far away. |
 More flowers |
 A stone garden |
 Flowers and stone |
 Pink paintbrush |
Keywords: flowers, obstruction point
| We made a late season trip out to Obstruction Point. We got an early start to avoid the crowds and enjoy the low sunlight and its long deep shadows. |
 Mount Olympus |
 Blue grouse |
 Another grouse |
 View from the staircase |
 The trail |
 Another top of the world stretch |
 Lakes below |
 Another late season lake |
 A bit of lingering snow |
 A hillside in the morning light |
 It's hard to get contrast like this. |
 More morning light |
 High country trail |
 The ridge beyond |
 Mount Olympus again |
 Rocky ground - look up friable |
 Mount Baker, a distant ghost mountain |
 The ridge as seen elsewhere |
 Another grouse or perhaps one of the same |
| Text of entry goes here |
 Gold and red |
 More autumn color |
 A view across the river valley |
 The trail |
 Another bit of color |
 Red foliage around a lake below |
 Did we mention autumn color? |
 Red and green, a bit early for Christmas |
 The trail through red and green |
 Those two colors again with rocks for white balance |
 Another bit of trail |
 Autumn colors set ablaze by morning light |
 More intense color |
 Calmer colors |
 The Plains of Mars |
 Color by the trailside |
 Golden grasses |
 More red |
 More lakeside color |
Keywords: autumn, obstruction point
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08/06/19 - Obstruction Point - The Hike We went out to Obstruction Point again and took our usual walk along the ridge. Most of the snow had melted, and there was just a touch of late summer color - a bit of red and a bit of gold - creeping in.There are more pictures of flowers and marmots in another post. |
 This is actually a view from the start of Obstruction Point Road at Hurricane Ridge. |
 The trail |
 The little lake one sees descending the staircase |
 The stone staircase |
 Distant mountains with melting snow |
 Another bit of trail |
 Yet another bit under a big gray sky |
 The Olympic Mountains |
 Three recently melted lakes below a cirque |
 More of the trail - Can you guess which side is the north face? |
 Another view with a bit of autumn color |
 Distant mountains in the cloud |
 A peek at the big mountains |
 Still another bit of trail |
 Another spectacular view - The whole trail is like this. |
Keywords: obstruction point, summer
| Here is that post full of flowers, marmots and a butterfly mentioned in the next post. |
 A happy marmot - Look at that smle. |
 Another happy marmot - Look at that banquet of lupines. |
 A resting butterfly |
 Late phlox |
 Pink paintbrush among others |
 Another assemblage of flowers |
 Some lupines, some snow |
 More phlox |
 Some asters among the rocks |
 Rock plants |
 Flowers and scenery |
 Dark headed grasses |
 Lupines and snow, again |
 Seen by the trail |
 Harebells |
Keywords: flowers, marmots, obstruction point
| Obstruction Point Road has been open for a while now. We finally drove out and took our usual walk along Lilian Ridge to check out the wildflowers, the marmots, the snow melt fed lakes and the beautiful scenery. Most of the snow had melted, but there were still scraps of it around. We caught some of the last glacier lilies and first lupines. We weren't used to the altitude, so even the 200' or so initial climb from the parking area was a bit of a struggle, but we made it. |
 Clouds in the sky, color on the ground |
 Another look |
 Fields of red and green and melting snow |
 Distant mountains, descending the staircase |
 A last patch of snow on broken rock |
 Glacier lilies |
 Harebells |
 The trail |
 One of the lakes |
 Phlox |
 Ripples on a lake |
 Rock garden |
 Striking red paintbrush |
 Four little lakes |
 Lupines |
 The trail again |
 A bit of the view |
 Another field of color |
 One of the marmots |
Keywords: flowers, marmots, obstruction point
| Hiking the trail out of Obstruction Point is a lot like walking through Venice. It is hard not to take a picture postcard perfect shot by just raising one's camera and pressing a button. This time, we captured the brilliant sun, the late summer scene, some grice or grouses, or perhaps both. |
 Instant picture postcard - It's instagrammable up there. |
 Lupines |
 Mountains |
 Little lakes below |
 More mountains |
 Flowers |
 More lupines - This wasn't a great season for them, so we really appreciated these. |
 Green |
 Another picture postcard |
 One grouse |
 Another grouse - To paraphrase Walt Kelley, The grouse is a singular animal; no one can say two of them. |
 The trail |
 Even more flowers |
Keywords: grouse, obstruction point, summer
| We've been getting up early to avoid the summer traffic to Hurricane Ridge. We drove out to Obstruction Point, and the early morning light gave everything an amazing glow with the bright colors set off by deep shadows. These pictures barely capture it. |
 Morning light |
 A hare |
 A butterfly |
 The trail |
 Distant mountains |
 Less distant mountains |
 A lake below |
 More mountains |
 More morning light and melting snow |
 The trail |
 Flowers |
Keywords: obstruction point, summer
| The drive to Obstruction Point has its hairy moments along with its spectacular scenery. In the forested areas, where one cannot see the mountains, the forest floor is covered with avalanche lilies this time of year. In the fields as one approaches the point, there are marmots out foraging. |
 One of the marmots with glacier lilies |
 Glacier lilies up close |
 Early flowers |
 More blossoms |
 A little bird by the trail side |
 Phlox |
 Avalanche lilies |
 Glacier lilies |
 A view from the road |
 Another marmot |
 Pasque flowers |
Keywords: marmots, obstruction point, flowers
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The road from Hurricane Ridge out to Obstruction Point is usually closed well into July, but this year it opened in mid-June.Despite all the road construction, we made our way out there a few days ago. There was still a fair bit of snow, perhaps more than we have ever seen, but we ventured forth anyway.
There were marmots and wildflowers and lakes melting from the snow and ice. We made our way down the staircase and followed the trails to the overlook with its view of Grand Lake. It was still early in the season with phlox and glacier lilies here and there. |
 Right before the staircase |
 One of the little lakes |
 Another lake melting out |
 The trail, north and south |
 More of the trail |
 One of the smaller lakes on the way to Grand Lake |
 Walking on top of the world |
 Another view |
 There are amazing views from this trail. |
 A view from the staircase |
 More high country |
Keywords: obstruction point, trails
| We made another visit to Obstruction Point to see how the season has been progressing. The snows have continued to melt and more flowers have come into bloom. |
 Flowers and mountains - That's why we come out here. |
 A view down |
 Lupines |
 More lupines |
 The trail as it goes |
 More flowers |
 The less shy of two birds |
 A seasonal lake |
 Another seasonal lake aforming |
 Even more flowers |
 Another seasonal alpine lake |
Keywords: flowers, obstruction point
| All of Obstruction Point Road is now open, so we drove out to the end and took a little stroll. The air was high and thin. There was still a little snow to deal with on the trail, but otherwise the going was easy. The fields and hillsides are full of flowers. The distant mountains are covered with snow, but it is melting and the seasonal alpine lakes are forming. It was a magnificent hike, one we hope to repeat soon. |
 Melting snow on the trail |
 There were lots of lupines this year. |
 Mountains in the distance |
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 |
 Glacier lilies |
 More flowers |
 One of the alpine lakes |
 Even more flowers |
 Spring is here. |
 An avalanche across the way |
Keywords: flowers, obstruction point
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