Kaleberg Archive for Keyword: high country, Page: 5

This has been a very dry summer, even in the high country, there is not as much water as usual We were up at the Potholes above Deer Lake, and the drought was really visible. There is usually water in the pothole shown on the left. That grass has been growing for a fair while. Let's hope that the autumn rains come soon, and we have a good snow pack this winter. We need it.

Keywords: deer lake, high country, autumn, winter

07/15/05 - Obstruction Point Marmots

They're back. We're back. Obstruction Point Road has been open for a few weeks now, and we finally made our way eight miles down the one and a half lane road to some of the most wonderful alpine high country accessible by car in Olympic National Park. We took our usual walk to the rim of the great descent to Moose Lake and promptly turned around and made our way back to the car. The air was thin, most of the snow had melted and all the flowers were out in bloom.

Also, there were marmots, the Olympic golden marmots, who looked well fed and were quite active. We could hear them whistling from some distance, probably warning the other marmots about us human invaders.

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

07/02/05 - Mountain Goat at Klahane Ridge

The Switchback Trail to Klahane Ridge is one of our favorite high country hikes. If nothing else, the trailhead is right off Hurricane Ridge Road a bit shy of the ranger station on Hurricane Ridge, so it is an easy drive. We got an early start today to avoid the Fourth of July crowds, and we fairly tore up the 1450' from the Switchback Trail trailhead to the ridge, but just as we got to the overlook, where one can see Port Angeles, Sequim, Dungeness, the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island spread out below, we stopped short. There, by the sign post, was a mountain goat, chowing down on the foliage.

There are mountain goats, actually a type of sheep, in Olympic National Park, but they are rarely seen in this part of the park. This one was shaggy, still shedding its winter coat, but more than willing to cooperate with a photographer.

Keywords: klahane ridge, animals, high country, dungeness, hurricane ridge, port angeles, winter

06/16/05 - First Fawns of the Year

We spotted the first fawn of the season along Hurricane Ridge Road on our way up to the flower show along the Hurricane Hill Trail. It was hard to get a better shot since there is no shoulder along the road. Usually, one doesn't see fawns until they are much older. This one was wobbling as it walked, so it must still be pretty new to the world.

Keywords: animals, high country, hurricane hill, hurricane ridge

05/25/05 - Signs of Spring

We were up at Hurricane Ridge today and were pleased to see that the road to Hurricane Hill was open, despite the snow on the ground which was rapidly melting. The high country wild flower seasson is starting early this year. We have already missed the glacier lilies, but the avalanche lilies are out and the scent of the phlox was everywhere. It looks as if the lupines are getting ready.

This is typical of the high country. The season is short and the flowers are in a hurry.

If you plan on seeing the wildflowers in the Olympic Mountains this year, this is a good time to get up to Hurricane Ridge.

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

05/12/05 - Hurricane Ridge Web Camera

Wow, there is a new Hurricane Ridge web camera! We can't remember how many times it has been cloudy and gray at sea level, but a mile up at Hurricane Ridge the sky is blue and the air is clear. Now, we can check things out from ground level.

UPDATE 05/13 - It has not taken us long to put together a short Quicktime movie from the webcam imagery. We apologize for the color balance and some of the blockiness, but this is a webcam on top of a mile high mountain. You will need to load Quicktime to view this movie, or the bigger version of it.

Keywords: movies, atmosphere, high country, hurricane ridge

02/15/05 - Snowshoe Report From Hurricane Ridge, snowshoeing

We went snowshoeing on Hurricane Ridge a few days back, and we were rather amazed at the lack of snow. There was snow, but not all that much as you can see in these two photos. Just as a reminder, these were taken in February, not June.

The road to the Hurricane Hill trailhead did have snow, but the thick section near the start was deceptive. There were portions of the trail where it was easy to bottom out and poke at the asphalt of the road with our sticks. Still, the snow was white, and the scenery spectacular. If you don't have snowshoes or cross country skis, you can just hike if you have a good pair of shoes.

The picture on the right is of Hurricane Hill. Most of the snow seems to have melted! There are usually bits of snow hanging around until August. Unless the heavens open up, it looks like it will all be gone by May.

The picture on the left is of the Switchback Trail to Klahane Ridge as seen from the road to Hurricane Ridge. It looks like most o fhte snow has melted, but you can see the snow on the trail as the criss cross of white lines just above the center of the picture. Judging from the trailhead, it looks like you can just walk up to the ridge if you don't mind the occasional snow drift.

Keywords: winter, high country, hurricane hill, hurricane ridge, klahane ridge, snowshoeing

02/03/05 - One Weird Winter

This has been a weird winter. It just hasn't been snowing on the North Olympic Peninsula. This has been bad news for skiers and snowshoers, but it is great news for us hikers. For example, the Lake Angeles Trail is clear, no snow, no ice, all the way up to the lake. In fact, there is nothing blocking the route but a couple of downed trees that you can step right over. Up at the lake, the water is clear and the mountains majestic. You can even a little snow here and there.

Keywords: winter, high country, lake angeles, snowshoeing

12/17/04 - The Snow Is Back On The Mountains

The snow is back on the mountains We were out on the Elwha Trail out of Whiskey Bend yesterday and we could not help noticing the difference.

Keywords: trails, elwha, high country

12/03/04 - Hurricane Ridge in the Winter

Hurricane Ridge is once again open for cross country skiing and snow shoeing. This morning the road was open and there were five inches of snow at the "snow post" so we headed up to the ridge and checked things out. The road was open and well plowed. The scenery was spectacular with an amazing lemon sky. We had to blaze our own trail, but with so little snow it wasn't much of a problem. It was the true glory of the Northwest with white mountains and green trees. A great start for the winter season.

NOTE (for disbelievers): No, we did not Photoshop in that yellow. That is what you see. That is what our camera recorded. The sky really is yellow with notes of pink. This is a lemon sky. A buttermilk sky is similar, but the yellow is tinged with blue.

Keywords: high country, atmosphere, food, hurricane ridge, winter, oysters

11/15/04 - Klahane Ridge

The weather has been rainy and blustery and the snow line has been creeping down. We were up at Klahane Ridge the other day and the path was easy going, but there was already a bit of snow on the ground here and there. As you can see in the picture to the right, there was perhaps an inch or so of snow total, and most of it has melted. Since yesterday's wind and rain this whole area is probably under several inches of snow, and it is not likely to melt until spring. One must take the high country when one can get it.

Keywords: high country, trails, klahane ridge, spring

09/23/04 - Deer Lake

The high country is still open around the High Divide. Needless to say, we didn't quite make it up to the divide itself, but we did make it up past Sol Duc Falls and up past Deer Lake to The Potholes. This is a climb of about 2200 feet.

Since it is late in September, we were glad that the snow has held off this long. We ran into some campers who had run into snow a few days before, so we know that the high country will be closing to casual hikers soon.

In exchange for our efforts, we got to see the fall foliage. The leaves are turning red and brown and gold. We could smell to leaves just starting to decay and the other crisp smells of autumn.

Summer wasn't completely over though. We did manage to grab a few of the last blueberries.

If you do plan to head up to Deer Lake, The Potholes, or beyond, do hurry. The snows will be coming soon.

Keywords: deer lake, high country, autumn, sol duc

08/30/04 - Marmots of Obstruction Point

The marmots are out in force. These are just two of the critters we saw out near Obstruction Point. We think the one on the right is a juvenile. He (or she) was sure playful.

If you do plan to get out to Obstruction Point, do so soon. It often gets snowed in by late September, and it is an amazing place.

Keywords: marmots, high country, obstruction point

08/29/04 - Blue Grouse at Hurricane Hill

The blue grouse are all over Hurricane Hill lately. If you want to tell the boys from the girls, check out the lady on the left and the lad on the right. He's the one with the golden eye and yellow feet.

The best spotting is towards the final third of the ascent with its "hanging gardens". There are just a few flowers left, but the high mountain foliage is starting to turn, and the grasses are in seed. Bring a rain coat in case a cloud drifts by, but it is not too late to enjoy the high country.

Keywords: birds, flowers, high country, hurricane hill, grouse

08/15/04 - Blue Grouse Chicks

We were up at Hurricane Ridge today. The temperature was in the 80s, but the air was dry. Most of the flowers have passed. There was one bunch of lupines, but the rest were harebells, yarrow and a few other late season bloomers.

We did see a number of blue grouse (or is it grice)? We even got a picture of a grouse and chick. You have to look carefully to spot them. They hide easily in the grass.

We thought we had seen a marmot, but it was just an ochre rock.

As for the snow. There is still a bit, sort of southwest of the Hurricane Hill summit. Don't expect to do much skiing.

The hike is still well worth taking. The plants are still green and loaded with seed pods including the white fluffy ones, the pea pods on the lupines, and the brown prickly ones.

Keywords: birds, high country, flowers, hurricane hill, hurricane ridge, grouse

The High Country at Obstruction Point - Lupines

07/29/04 - Obstruction Point Open for the Season

The road to Obstruction Point has been open for some time now, but we finally made it up there ourselves. If you don't know Obstruction Point, it is in the high country about 7 or 8 miles down an unpaved from Hurricane Ridge. The road has some scary moments, but the real terror is the left turn you take getting onto it or off of it, since most of the folks on the main road are gawking at the view from Hurricane Ridge.

As you can see, the fields are FULL of wildflowers. Most of what you see in the picture to the left are lupines and dirty sock plant with some pink paintbrush for emphasis. Most paintbrush is orange, but you often see the pink variant up in the high country.

There were quite a few people up there at the end of the road. We were walking on the trail and rather openly admiring the scenery when two hikers walked by and, in passing, reminded us, "Don't forget to vote!"

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

06/27/04 - The Hamper

We always liked those old fashioned nature documentaries with their portentious announcers. We were up at Hurricane Hill today, and the dirty sock plant (Polygonum bistortoides) is in bloom. This plant is noted for its hearty aroma. The scent hasn't really ramped up yet, but as we passed this field (shown at the right), we could almost hear the ominous bass voice, "... a field so full of dirty sock plant, it is known as 'the hamper'".

On a more pleasant olfactory note, the bog orchid (Platanthera leucostachys) is also in bloom near the start of the Switchback Trail to Klahane Ridge. This plant has a sweet, almost honeyish smell. We had noticed this scent on our last hike up the Switchback Trail, but had been unable to find its source. This time our search bore fruit, and good smelling fruit at that.

In any event, we should point out that the alpine wild flower season is nearing its peak of diversity. The yarrow is ready to open, the phlox and glacier lilies are passing. The season started early this year, and the true floral glory of the high meadows is upon us.

We will provide appropriate aromatic HTML as soon as a few more browsers start supporting SE-CSS (scent enabled CSS). We apologize for the inconvenience, or maybe not.

Bog Orchids

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

06/09/04 - Snow Melted at Deer Lake

The snows have melted at Deer Lake, so we were up the trail to take a look. The weather was scattered showers, so the sky was a mix of gray and blue patches. It rained under the gray and it was warm and bright under the blue.

Since the sky was gray when we arrived, we stopped for a coffee at the Sol Duc Hot Springs resort. The pools were empty, and we were tempted to take a dip, but with the new whirlpool bath at Lake Crescent Cottage, we decided that we had mountains to climb instead.

We headed down from the Sol Duc trailhead parking lot and passed by the falls. The Sol Duc falls were spectacular. There was a lot of water blasting through the rocks by the bridge, but we still had mountains to climb.

The trail was usual stony self. The air was heavy and misty, so it was hard going. The trail was wet, but not impassable. We had to stop on the bridge to marvel at the waterfall. There was a lot of Pacific dogwood in flower for the first half of the trail, and a lot of glacier lilies as we got higher.

As for the lake itself, it was by turns brilliant and misty as you can see in our photo. The water was clear and fresh, and the snow seems to have melted all around the lake. You can see the snow above, and we hear that the Potholes are still in deep snow only a few hundred feet above.

For more on this great trail, click here.

Keywords: deer lake, high country, sol duc, lake crescent, lake crescent cottage

06/04/04 - Klahane Ridge Opening

The Switchback Trail to Klahane Ridge is open. We were up there earlier today and are pleased to report that it looks like a really good wildflower season. Already, there are avalanche lilies, violets, some yarrow and lots of greenery just waiting to blossom. We even saw the local marmot at the top of the ridge. This is a clearly auspicious sign. Those of us in on the secret know that sighting a marmot at Klahane Ridge at the start of the season means that we will have a sunny summer in the high country of Olympic National Park.

Keywords: klahane ridge, flowers, spring, high country

06/03/04 - The Snows Are Melting

The snows are melting! The wildflower season is upon us!

We had heard that Hurricane Hill Road was open. In the winter, this is the cross country skiing trail that runs from the Hurricane Ridge Visitors' Center to the Hurricane Hill Trailhead. It sometimes doesn't melt out until July, but this year it was open in early May, despite 374" of snow on the Ridge. We tried driving up last week, but it was foggy and rainy and a bit unprepossessing.

Today was sunny, and you could see well into the mountains, so off we drove. Most of the snow is already melted and the wildflowers are already coming out. They were vacuuming out the parking lot at the Hurricane Hill Trailhead when we arrived for our hike. The trail was open, with just a few snowy patches. There were no glacier lilies or dirty sock plant yet, but the lupines, phlox, Indian paintbrush, and a host of other flowers were in bloom.

Don't way for July, the alpine flower season has already started at Hurricane Ridge.

Keywords: hurricane hill, spring, high country, flowers, hurricane ridge, winter

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