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07/20/10 - Hurricane Hill

The Hurricane Hill trail is one of our favorite trails. It offers the high country, amazing views and great accessibility. This year, the flowers have been spectacular. The corn lilies are not quite out yet, but they're getting there.

The big excitement this year, was that there is a bear down in one of the valleys visible from the trail. Usually, when we spot a bear in the high country, all we see is a large dark dot moving against the green below. This bear was close enough to positively identify it as such. To be honest, that's about close enough a sighting for us.

Definitely a bear, not a marmot and weird atmospheric effects

The bear is down there.

A snow crescent on the north face.

From the corn lily side spur

Corn lilies

Sometimes it's the grasses.

A floral spectacular

Avalanche lilies

Lupines

Keywords: flowers, high country, hurricane hill, trails, animals

06/28/10 - Lake Angeles Trail Update

We're doing a lot of updates lately, largely because a lot is happening. Summer means another season of local produce and another sesason of access to the high country of Olympic National Park. The Lake Angeles Trail is one of the first trails we explore, if only because it is open for most of the year, especially if we take our snowshoes. Now, of course, the trail is shoe ready, and from what we have heard, there is only a bit of snow left around the lake. (Yes, we really have to get up there, but we have to get back in shape first.)

For other news, the Pacific dogwood is out, the trilliums are passing, and the park service has removed that big tree that was blocking the start of the boardwalk about 700' above the parking lot. Stay tuned as we Kalebergs start checking things out, or check out the park service's trail reports.

Pacific dogwood

The trail repair team from a few weeks back - note the chain saw at the ready

The cleared trail

The rude bridge

Another flower we really should look up somewhere

A fading trillium, its petals turning pink

Descending into the mists below

Keywords: high country, lake angeles, summer, trails, trillium, kale

12/03/09 - Another Tree Down

There's another tree down on the Lake Angeles Trail. This one was quite a piece of lumber. Mind you, this isn't really news. Trees fall in the forest all the time, though quite a few choose late November or early December. There were a few trees down on the Spruce Railroad Trail at Lake Crescent as well, but both trails are still passable.

Keywords: lake angeles, lake crescent, spruce railroad, trails

11/22/09 - Wild Waters on the Spruce Railroad Trail

Lake Crescent is as high as we've ever seen it. Despite this, we decided to take the Spruce Railroad Trail out a bit and see how far we could get. It wasn't too bad at first. There was a lot of mud and standing water on the slope up to the first tunnel, but otherwise it was easy going to the Punchbowl. The little bridge was a little flooded, but it was just a giant step over the waters separating the trail from the bridge. On the far side of the bridge, however, the entire trail was flooded for a ways. There were actually breakers there. With a bit of timing, we managed to follow the rocky ledge and leap back onto the trail at the far end.

The trail was dry for a bit, though there were a few trees down. Still, there was nothing we couldn't crawl under, clamber over or slink around, but then we got to the little creek. Usually, we can just step over the little creek, but today was different. To start with, there was a little river running down the trail as a warning. We skirted this and made our way to the creek. It was a torrent with quite a waterfall. It was also fast, deep and wide, filling its channel and overflowing a bit. We puttered around deciding if it was worth fording, for there was no way to leap it, and no visible rocks mid-stream. In the end, we decided that we had had enough water for the day. It was time to turn back.

We'll be keeping our eyes on the Spruce Railroad Trail. The high waters can't last forever, and aside from some muds, logs and high water, it is still quite hikable.

A piece of the trail underwater - That's the bridge down around the corner.

More flooded trail - We hugged the rocks and timed the waves.

The "little" creek

The little creek has overflowed a bit.

A lovely waterfall

Someone put this mushroom up here in a niche in the rocks.

A fish caught high and dry

The bridge - That gap is leapable, even by us.

One of several fallen trees

Keywords: lake crescent, spruce railroad, trails, waterfall, little river

11/09/09 - Return to Striped Peak

We hadn't been up Striped Peak in years. For some reason, we remembered the trail having been turned into a hard packed lumbering road, and with our tender feet we avoided it. Well, there has been some lumbering, but it doesn't seem to have affected the trail much. Yes, they have paved the little parking lot and put in a new sign. Yes, the Scotch broom along the main incline seems bigger and sturdier than ever. Otherwise, the trail is not much changed, and that goes for the mud, and for the spectacular views.

The new sign at the trailhead

The same wonderful views

North to Victoria

The trail

Rain forest wall

Keywords: striped peak, trails

11/05/09 - Dungeness Bluffs on the Move

The Dungeness Bluffs are on the march again. A modest section of the bluff trail was closed. We took a detour inland through the campground not wanting to experience the bluff collapse first hand. Yet another good argument against high bluff waterfront property.

Keywords: dungeness spit, trails

07/12/09 - Obstruction Point 2 - Flowers and Animals

The trails leading from Obstruction Point have a lot to offer besides spectacular scenery. If you can take your eyes off the mountains for a moment, you'll notice that you are surrounded by dozens of different kinds of plants, and right now it seems that most of them are in bloom. There are lupines, asters, glacier lilies and paintbrush in red, orange and pink. If you are lucky, you might see one of the local golden marmots, or a blue sage grouse, a chipmunk or deer. So, don't let the drive daunt you. This may be your chance to see Obstruction Point at its most varied best.

These look like miniature lupines with silvery leaves.

Our friend, the marmot

Pink paintbrush

Lupines and friends

This reminds of the silverswords at Haleakala on Maui

More blooms

More paintbrush, but another shade

A young deer

A blue sage grouse taking a sand bath

Keywords: obstruction point, trails, high country, flowers, animals, marmots, grouse

05/23/09 - Sad News For Tired Feet

The section of the Discover Trail running west of Morse Creek has been paved. We always liked its softer surface for jogging. After all, we're getting on, and even good running shoes can only do so much on hard pavement. Unfortunately, the powers that be don't like unpaved trails for some reason. Maybe it's the asphalt lobby. In any event, Morse Creek may as well be sidewalk now. It is still a pretty trail, but it is no longer an option for us, the footworn.

The Asphalt Institute triumphs again

Keywords: morse creek, trails

05/02/09 - The Lake Angeles Trail: Gateway to the High Country

The Lake Angeles Trail starts near the entry station on Hurricane Ridge Road and runs from about 1900 feet up to Lake Angeles which is about 4200 feet above sea level. It starts at a modest elevation, but it runs up into the lower reaches of the high country. Its low starting elevation means that it thaws out well before the high country trails do, so it is a good trail for getting back into shape.

We drove five miles up Hurricane Ridge Road and checked out the trailhead. There was no snow. The last official report was from early April, and the park people reported plenty of snow, and mountain lion tracks in the snow up around the bridge. We saw neither snow nor mountain lion tracks which was just as well. We did see trilliums, but that is another story.

The trail to the high country

Someone decorated the little bridge near the start of the trail

The obligatory trillium photo

Keywords: high country, lake angeles, trails, trillium

02/05/09 - Winter Beach

Second Beach is a winter beach, but there is still a lot to explore at low tide. The beach is broad and sandy, and there are even a few starfish in the tidepools. There is some rough going at the south end of the beach since so much sand has washed out for the season. Check our tide tables and look for a good mid-day low tide at Second Beach or Rialto Beach. (You can also see upcoming good tides in the left column of this web page).

The hole in the wall

Seastacks and a broad beach

Tidepools

Starfish are back.

More starfish

More seastacks

It is a rocky road to the cave entrance without sand.

Rough beach and seastacks

We don't know who has been making little leaf faces and leaving them on various trails, but hello again.

Keywords: rialto beach, second beach, tides, trails, winter

10/21/08 - The Morse Creek Trail

The Morse Creek Trail is not one of the great trails of the North Olympic Peninsula, but it is a little gem in its own right. If nothing else, it is convenient, with its trailhead right off of route 101. East of Port Angeles, it runs along the waterfront, but even away from the water it has its charms.

Keywords: morse creek, port angeles, trails

09/26/08 - The Adventure Trail

We've mentioned the Adventure Trail before. It runs from the start of the Lyre River at Lake Crescent and follows an old railroad grade for much of the way before meeting up with the Olympic Discovery Trail. We finally explored a bit of it, and it looks like a great bicycling trail. We walked, following the Lyre River. The river itself is only visible now and then. The trail runs along the valley wall, at least as far as we went. We didn't get very far, but we do plan a return visit. Maybe we'll get to Piedmont Road.

The trail itself

Rocks and ferns

The clear cut in dramatic light

Keywords: trails, lake crescent

07/06/08 - Lake Angeles Trail Update

We hadn't been making much headway on the Lake Angeles Trail. A huge swath of the forest had been knocked down by the winter winds shortly after the river crossing, and the trail was impassable. We'd clamber under and over a few of the great logs, but eventually, we gave up.

This time was different. The National Park Service has come through armed with chain saws and who knows what else. The trail is clear. We didn't make it all the way up to the lake, but we did get a good start. Other hikers, in better shape than we are, informed us that the lake is clear of snow. Several others were heading up with fishing rods in hand, and one group, heading down, reported swimming. Watch this page for the Kaleberg ascent.

Newly cleared forest

More windfall

The Park Service at work- the trails must roll.

The Pacific dogwood is in bloom.

We aren't sure of what this is. We'll stay tuned.

Keywords: lake angeles, trails, kale

03/29/08 - Flowering Currant at Morse Creek

This is one of the coldest, latest springs in recent memory. It is at least a month behind, but we are seeing a few signs. For example, the currant bushes are finally flowering on the Morse Creek trail. (You can tell the late season is slowing us down, or we'd be doing more adventurous trails at this time of year).

At long last

Keywords: flowers, morse creek, spring, trails

12/28/07 - Snowshoeing On The Lake Angeles Trail

There is snow in the Heart of the Hills, so the Lake Angeles trail is no longer at that annoying ambiguous level with just a bit too much snow for easy traction, but too little for snowshoes. There is plenty of snow there now. We should report that the park maintenance teams have been hard at work, at least as far as the bridge. The log that we had to crawl under last time is gone. We were too timid and exhausted by all the holiday fun to cross the bridge and check out the mess on the other side. That's something for the new year. Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures of the forest and the snow.


Keywords: lake angeles, trails

11/28/07 - The Elwha River Trail Is Open

The road to Whiskey Bend was closed after the last wind storm, but it has been open for a while now. The road is its usual winding, one and a half lane, unpaved self, and the trail is quite passable, at least the first few miles. The Elwha Valley doesn't bear the full brunt of our winter storms, nor does it get all that much snow. Even when there is snow on the peaks on either side of the valley, the road and trails are snow free. The foliage thins out in the colder months, so the views are better than ever.

Looks like we found our Yule log


Keywords: elwha, trails, winter

11/25/07 - A Bit Beyond On The Lake Angeles Trail

We did make it a bit farther along the Lake Angeles Trail. We made it across the bridge and perhaps another few hundred feet before the brush and fallen logs stopped us. More intrepid hikers continued, but you can see what the trail looked like on the right.

The going gets rough

Keywords: lake angeles, trails


The bridge is crossable; the trail a bit less so

11/20/07 - A Visit to the Lake Angeles Trail

The Lake Angeles Trail is open, but there are lots of logs down thanks to last week's wind storm. The park service has cut some of the logs near the start of the trail, but clearing the trail is still low priority with so many roads out. Still, we managed to get up to the little river crossing about 700 feet above the parking lot, or around 2600 feet above sea level. We considered going farther, but as you can see in the picture to the left, there was a big log down right before the bridge. (That log is about three feet in diameter). That probably wouldn't have stopped us. There was a good crawl space under the log, but the bridge was covered with snow, and we didn't have our Yak Trax.

That whole section of the forest was blown down

Just for pretty - snow on a log
There wasn't any snow at the trailhead, but about 300 feet up we saw our first signs of winter, a light frosting alongside the trail. The trail itself was largely clear, but there was more snow as we ascended. Now and then we could see a thin layer of snow had settled on the canopy of the forest, which is partly why there was so little snow on the ground. There were a few downed trees blocking the trail, but most could be stepped over or walked around. There was one spectacular root mass that had pulled out when a tree right next to the trail had fallen downslope. All told, signs of wind and signs of winter.

This tree toppled recently and took some of the trail with it

Keywords: lake angeles, winter, trails, little river

11/19/07 - A Visit to the Spruce Railroad Trail

There was a big windstorm last week. We were lucky and got by with a fifteen minute power outage followed by a six hour DSL outage. West of Port Angeles power was out for days, and even some people in town had to wait days for the lights to come back on. The PUD, and the town electrical people, were running ragged. Trees were down all over the place, and the roads were a mess.

Even now, the park is still digging out. Hurricane Ridge Road is still closed, largely due to downed trees. We decided to take one of the more accessible trails at Lake Crescent, so we set out for the Spruce Railroad Trail along the north side of the lake. We didn't get far before our first obstacle. There was a big tree with lots of branches down across the trail (see the photo below). This did not bode well. We figured that we'd be clambering under and over tree trunks the entire walk, but we figured wrong. We actually made it three miles down the trail, to the "point", as we call it, and there were four, maybe five, trees down across the trail in all.

For our efforts, we were rewarded with the silvery lake, and some fantastic views of the mountains to the south. You can see the river clouds hanging over the Barnes Creek Valley in the photo to the right. There was a touch of snow on Storm King, but no solid snow line. There were lots of downed branches, and that gave us a wonderful opportunity. Rain forest trees, especially the big old maples, are covered with lichens, moss, Spanish moss, little ferns and the like, but these can be hard to see except rather low on the tree. There's just an overall impression of life and green-ness. With all the branches down, we got a better view. Below and to the right, there's a photo of a rather common lichen. It looks like a bunch of leaves, but the back is white. The algae get the sunny side and the funghi get the shady side, and they do very nicely together.

Clouds over the valley

This is the worst of the four or five trees across the trail

It looks like leaves, but it's windfall lichen

Keywords: lake crescent, spruce railroad, storm king, trails, barnes creek

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