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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

Keywords: high country, hurricane ridge, obstruction point, winter


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


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


08/25/22 - Obstruction Point Road - Part 2

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


08/02/22 - Obstruction Point Revisited

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

Keywords: flowers, obstruction point


09/30/21 - High Country - High Vistas

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

Keywords: obstruction point


09/29/21 - High Country - Autumn Color

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


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


08/05/19 - Obstruction Point - Flowers and Criters

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


07/20/19 - Obstruction Point, First Look

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


08/19/18 - Obstruction Point - Lupines and Grice

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


07/16/18 - Obstruction Point Road - Early Light

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


06/30/18 - Obstruction Point - Flora and Fauna

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


06/28/18 - Obstruction Point

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


07/31/17 - Obstruction Point

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


07/12/17 - 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



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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