Kaleberg Archive for Keyword: hurricane hill, Page: 1

For more on the Hurricane Hill Trail, visit our Hurricane Hill website.

06/28/24 - Hurricane Ridge Once again we climbed Hurricane Hill. We got the last parking spot at one of the picnic areas and hiked 1/4 mile from there to the main trailhead. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the alpine flowers were in bloom. There was the heady sense of phlox, paintbrush, lupines, pask flowers and a host of others which is our way of saying we don't remember their names. There were no marmots, but there was a herd of deer down below the trail. We were surprised to see so many. We also saw an Olympic blue grouse getting ready to mate. We had never seen this before, so we're putting our photos in another post.	The Olympic Mountains
Another view	Melting snow
Pask flowers	More alpine flowers
The side spur we often take	A butterfly on a corn lily
A view north	A herd of deer below
Avalanche lilies	More avalanche lilies
Paintbrush and friends	Another mountain bouquet
Lupines in the middle	Phlox all over
Another mountain view	Another rock garden
More phlox	Western wall flower
Paintbrush	Pink paintbrush with corn lilies

Keywords: flowers, hurricane hill

06/11/24 - Hurricane Hill - To The Summit We really enjoyed our return to the high country last week. We had to head back up to Hurricane Ridge again. This time, the road to the Hurricane Hill trailhead was open. Even the bathrooms at the picnic areas were open. The closest parking lot was full, so we parked at the next closest, so we had a ten minute walk to the actual trailhead. The views were as spectacular as ever. Even more flowers were in bloom with a lot more phlox, glacier and avalanche lilies, some lupines and many others. We were horribly out of shape, so we made numerous stops once we got past the saddle and started the steeper part of the climb. It was exhausting, but we were rewarded with incredible views, even more flowers and a number of marmots.	A typical view
More view with wildflowers and mountains	More mountains
And even more	A marmot
Phlox in the right foreground	Only a few patches of snow left
The cirque as seen from the summit, already showing some blue	That's blue snow melt
Pask flowers	More flowers
Another marmot	A publicity shy marmot
Another, or possibly the same, publicity shy marmot	A more cooperative marmot - The presss thanks you.
A marmot in context	Glacier lilies
Avalanche lilies	More avalanche lilies
Lupines	The green glow on the old stump
A rock garden	Paintbrush and friends

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

06/09/24 - From Hurricane Ridge to Hurricane Hill - First Look The road to Hurricane Ridge has been open for a while. We've been watching the webcams, and most of the snow has melted, so we decided to drive up and see what has been blooming. Hurricane Hill Road was closed, so we parked in the ridge parking lot. We were pleased to see that the park service has set up some pretty nice bathrooms, the kind used for location shooting with running water and other amenities. There was a sad fence around the ruins of the old lodge, so we didn't linger. Instead, we headed down the road to Hurricane Hill. There were avalanche lilies and glacier lilies already blooming. Almost all of the snow was gone, and the closed road was full of hikers. We stopped to admire the view at the hairpin turn lookout. It's really the same view as from up at the ridge, but here it feels like one has earned it. We continued past the Wolf Creek Trail junction and up to the picnic areas. The bathrooms there were closed. Then, up the hill we went to the Hurricane Hill Trailhead parking lot. There were lots of spots. There was also a spectacular view, and, even better, the phlox was starting to bloom. There wasn't a lot of it, but we could pick up the scent. It's a sweet scent and one of the great scents of the high country. We made it to the saddle point where the Little RIver Trail emerges from the forest and joins the ridge. We were in no shape to continue. The trail gets a lot steeper shortly after. Also, there were clouds coming in. This let us invoke the sour grapes rule and start heading back.	We saw this owl on the road up to the ridge.
The view	An avalanche lily
A better view of the Olympic Mountains	Clouds coming in from the north
Phlox blooming early among the war rocks	More phlox and rocks
Phlox close up	Paintbrush and freiends
Another view	Lupines - no flowers yet
We're not sure of this one, but it's pretty.	Glacier lilies
Mist and gray sky	The view as the clouds rolled in

Keywords: high country, hurricane hill, hurricane ridge

08/05/22 - Hurricane Hill Yet Again We got an early start on our most recent trip up Hurricane Hill, but even then, the trailhead parking lot was full and we got the last available spot at the nearer picnic area. We hadn't been up this way for a while. The season has been moving along. We missed all but a few lupines. The glacier and avalanche lilies are long gone, as were the phlox and larkspur. Instead, there were yarrows, harebells, roses and corn lilies. It was a brilliant sunny day but cool. The trail was pretty easy going until the big climb just past where the Little River Trail ends. We huffed and puffed and pulled ourself up the mountain, past pine trees and then alpine fields. As usual, we were tricked by Marmot Rock. It really does look like a marmot, but we also so a number of marmots, a buck with velvet antlers and a sky full of ravens.	The Olympic Mountains
A marmot	Another marmot
Yet another marmot, dramatically posed	Ravens
A confused buck	A nearly hidden marmot
Alpine fields	Another view
Starbursts	Harebells
Alpine meadow mix	A rose among others
Corn lilies, also known as false hellebore	Corn lilies in bloom
Pink paintbrush	More harebells
A study in yellow	Mountains
A view to the northwest with a bit of snow left	The sidespur we took
Mountains and flowers	Zoomed in on the Olympic range

Keywords: hurricane hill, marmots, summer

06/16/22 - Hurricane Hill - First Time We made it up to Hurricane Hill for the first time this year. We've been watching the webcam and following the park road announcements. The road from the lodge opened maybe a week ago, so we got a moderately early start and headed up the hill. There are now two booths at the entry station, a result of last year's construction, which should help somewhat this summer. The road was busy, but we have seen it busier. The parking lot where the Hurricane Hill trail starts was full, and the lot at the closer picnic area was almost full. No one wanted to park in a huge puddle, almost an inland sea, that spanned three spaces, so we parked offshore. That's what hiking boots are for. The hike itself was wonderful. The views of the mountains and glaciers were magnificent. There were glacier lilies out but no phlox yet. Most of the trail was clear, but the shady patch was still covered with snow. Once again, that's what hiking boots are for. The high country was beautiful with melting snow and fresh green. The marmots were out, still plump and eagerly chowing down on the greenery. It was good to see them after most of a year. The high country is open. Here's to a good hiking season.	Mountains and melting snow
The first segment of the trail, out in the sun	Those mountains again - Are they really that far away?
Weathered rock	The first marmot sentinel
Another marmot	That guy again on young grass
Another marmot on a hill	Yet another marmot
Almost summer, but the ground not yet green	A glacier lily
Another view	Mountains and clouds
The same mountains, a different sky	More glacier lilies and friends
A grayer sky	Another view
Yet another	The view north

Keywords: high country, hurricane hill, marmots, summer

10/14/21 - Hurricane Hill Updated We were up at Hurricane Hill again to check for signs of winter. There were clouds in the mountains and the hills were shrouded with mist. The next post down is just pictures of the fall color and the gray, but here are some photos showing signs of winter.	Good views near the trailhead, but we hiked into the clouds.
The trail	Alpine foliage hunkering down for winter
A first bit of snow	As we ascended into the clouds
A variety of colors	The summer colors have faded.
Some color in the valley	Rising into the clouds
More snow	More color
Restoration work by the trail	Dark green and bright colors
The last of the fall foliage	Still some bright red

Keywords: hurricane hill, winter

10/13/21 - Hurricane Hill in the Mist It had been sunny the day of our previous trip to Hurricane Hill, but this time it was gray and cloudy. As we ascended, the clouds grew thicker, and there was a bit of drizzle. The colors were spectacular and heightened by the mist. As they often say, show, don't tell, so just look at the pretty pictures.	A peek at Mount Olympus
Mist ...	... and more mist
Looking down	The summit
Lost context	More texture
More color	A bit of snow
A telephoto view of the forest to the north	Alone in the clouds
Another field	A slope
An air of mystery	More mystery
A tree with two birds	Two robins
As we descended	Mist and hills

Keywords: hurricane hill

10/04/21 - Hurricane Hill - Late Season We were originally planning another hike, but the sky was so blue and the day so pleasant that we had to get back to Hurricane Hill while the road is still open. The road from the lodge to the Hurricane Hill trailhead often closes before Hurricane Ridge Road. It was fairly busy, but it was definitely shoulder season. We had to park at the nearer picnic area, but that just added 15-20 minutes to our hike.	The view
Hillsides and distant clouds	Fields of gold
A cloud rising from a river valley	Another field with mountains
The view north, clouds over the strait	Mount Baker
Another field, on the side spur	Color contrast
Restoration work on the trail	Some baby plants ready for their new home
The side spur	Another bit of the side spur
Cliffs to the north	Clouds to the west
A field of red and gold	Another mountain view
Mountain slope	Bright green

Keywords: hurricane hill, hurricane ridge

10/03/21 - Hurricane Hill - High Country Autumn There were definite signs of autumn and winter coming up at Hurricane Hill.	Our first frost of the season
More frost	And yet more frost
Frost in the shade	Dry flowers
A golden field	Autumn color
Autumn color below	Another richly colored field
And another colored field	Corn lilies, now mere skeletons
Green, gold, red and blue	Another field
Another view below	A blue grouse
Red, green and white	Dramatic foliage
More drama	Even the walk from the picnic area to the trailhead showed signs of fall.

Keywords: autumn, hurricane hill, winter

06/23/21 - Hurricane Hill We've been getting an early start on the hiking trail and heading out along the Hurricane Hill Trail. The snow along the trail has melted, but the climb is as steep as ever. The rewards are the wildflowers, the marmots and the amazing views.	The view of the mountains, as spectacular as ever
Morning clouds over the Elwha	One of the marmots
Another marmot	Yet another golden marmot
Melting snow	The start of the little lake
Pask flowers	Other flowers
Across the high country	Another mountain view
Glacier lilies	Avalanche lilies
Mountains and mountains	Western wallflower
More glacier lilies	More avalanche lilies
Lots of larkspur	Early lupines

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

10/23/19 - Hurricane Ridge - Early Snow There has been snow up at Hurricane Ridge for a while, but the road is still usually open. The Switchback Trail to Klahane Ridge is closed while they repair the road which is down to one lane there. The Hurricane Hill Trail is closed, because the twisty little road to Hurricane Hill is covered with snow and ice. The ridge, however, is reachable and navigable, though we recommend good boots for the snow and some icy patches. The views are spectacular with the Olympic Mountains covered with fresh snow. It isn't very deep, so the richly colored late autumn grasses still cover areas. Call the park, 360 565 3131, before you go to make sure that the road is actually open since they'll close it for snow falls, white outs and heavy fog. Still, if you can make it up there, the ridge is beautiful.	Autumn grasses
Snow and trees and mountains	Scenery
Further away	A bit more snow
The forest	The Olympic Mountains
Klahane Ridge	More of everything
The Olympic Mountains again	More autumn color
More mountains	More snow
Hurricane Hill Road	Mountain light

Keywords: autumn, hurricane hill, hurricane ridge, klahane ridge

06/26/19 - Hurricane Hill - Last Visit for a While With the construction, Hurricane Hill is only open a few days this summer, but we managed to get up there one more time. We were pleased to see the lupines in bloom but a bit worried by the advanced state of the snow melt. Still, the flowers were beautiful. We are going to miss the corn lilies, but we could see them coming up. We are also going to miss the marmots, but they seem to be do fine without us. If we manage to synchronize our schedule and the construction schedule, we'll try for a visit later this summer, but it doesn't look promising.	An amazing sky
Two marmots	The same two marmots sparring
The Olympic Mountains	Another view of the mountains
Alpine flowers	That's the little seasonal lake in the background.
Field of corn lilies	One of the corn lilies
Another view, so very green	A view north and west
Soft skies	Blue and green
Another marmot amidst the dirty sock plant	A view through the trees
Avalanche lilies	We are sure we looked these up once.
A floral arrangement	Larkspur and wallflower - if your browser supports the SCENT tag you should smell the wallflowers.

Keywords: flowers, hurricane hill, marmots, summer

06/11/19 - Hurricane Hill - Up Close We were so excited to be getting back to Hurricane Hill, that we took a lot of pictures, so many that we need a double post. This post has the close ups.	The setting
Golden marmot	A seasonal pond frequented by bears, but not today
Early stage corn lily	Pasque flower
Spot the chipmunk	Chipmunk posing
Phlox and some more drama	Avalanche lilies
Lupines	Wallflower
Yarrow	More lupines
More avalanche lilies	More phlox
A rock garden	Lupines up close, with beads of water

Keywords: hurricane hill, flowers

06/10/19 - Hurricane Hill - Wide Angle We made another trip up to Hurricane Hill. We're trying to make the most of the few days that the trail will be open this season. Right now, the trail will only be open 6/22-23, 7/4, 7/21, 8/2-4, 9/1-2, 9/13-15, 9/27-29 and 10/11-14. That's only 19 days, and that's it for the year. It was a sunny day, but there were dramatic clouds coming in from the east. That meant spectacular views, but also spectacular cloud-scapes. The flowers were in serious bloom with phlox, western wallflower, pasque flowers, glacier lilies, avalanche lilies, paintbrush and even some early lupines. The corn lilies were just green shoots, but we'll probably miss them this year.	The setting
Some cloud drama	Phlox on the fields
A bit of snow and cloud	Another view
Clouds from the south and east	The seasonal lake below the summit, just forming
The sidespur	Dramatic light and flowers
Mountains near and far	Even more drama
A study in green	Another study in green

Keywords: hurricane hill

05/25/19 - Hurricane Hill - To The Summit We went back to Hurricane Hill again, and this time we made it to the summit. The trail is still closed every other week and never open on Wednesdays, so it if you want to enjoy it, check the Olympic National Park website. Be prepared to walk maybe ten minutes from one of the two picnic area parking lots to trailhead proper. The road there is closed. On the plus side, there are bathrooms at both parking areas. The alpine flowers were spectacular. There would be waves of sweet scent from the phlox as we walked by. All of the snow on the trail has melted, but there is still snow in the shade and on north faces. There isn't much more to say. Enjoy the pictures.	One of the many views of the Olympic Mountains
A view from the summit	As the season progresses, this snow on the north face melts and fills a little lake, now visible as a few blue spots.
Another view	And yet another
Still another view, follow that strip of white down ...	... and at its base, the snow melts and forms a stream.
It's hard to know where to look.	Patchy snow in a bowl below the trail
Glacier lilies	More glacer lilies
An arty view	Sweet smelling western wallflower
We looked these flowers up once, but forgot what they are.	Phlox
More phlox	Even more phlox
Paintbrush	Yarrow

Keywords: flowers, hurricane hill

05/16/19 - Hurricane Hill The Hurricane Hill Trail is open. It is still being rebuilt, so it is only open about half the time. Check the park web page and scroll down to the calendar before you head up expecting to take this hike. Note that the trail is ALWAYS closed on Wednesdays. Also note that the road is closed at the second picnic area, so the trailhead is now an additional ten minute walk from parking. That said, the view from the trail is as beautiful as ever. Most of the trail is free of snow, and the snow is melting rapidly. The glacier lilies are out as is the phlox, so keep your nose peeled for that latter flower's wonderful scent. There were many marmots about which was a nice treat. We didn't quite make it to the summit, so that's for our next try. We had a long winter this year, so it's great that the high country is finally open again.	The Olympic Mountains
Phlox	A view from the trail
More of the mountains	A late winter scene
One of the many marmots	Another mountain view
Another marmot	A marmot in a field of delicious, to a marmot, spring flowers
The marmot by the trailside	That marmot checking us out
That marmot again offering us a closeup	A bit of snow on a shady stretch of trail
More spring flowers	Some of the trail work, a stone retaining wall where the trail has been widened
More phlox	Glacier lilies
Glacier lilies in closeup	Goodbye to the mountains

Keywords: high country, hurricane hill, marmots, spring

09/30/18 - Hurricane Hill Reopened Hurricane Hill has finally been reopened, at least for three days a week until the road is closed by snow. The trail is one of the most popular in the park, and it has shown a lot of wear. It is being rebuilt, widened, repaved and restored. For now, the Hurricane Hill road only runs to the second picnic area. The parking area at the usual trailhead is full of building materials for the trail work. We got an early start. This was a good idea since just about every parking space was taken when we returned from our hike around noon. The hike was as beautiful as ever. One day we expect to see Mount Olympus itself covered in construction scaffolding, but, for now, the mountains are being left to their own devices. We took in some amazing views, admired a few late blooming flowers and the golden grasses and checked out the sap covered pine cones. Check the park web site before you go. The trail is only open three days a week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), but it is well worth the effort.	A common sight in 2018 - road closed
Hurricane Hill Trail widened	The new trail with have a lot of stone work to encourage people to stay on the trail.
The Olympic Mountains seen from Hurricane Hill Trail	Autumn color
More autumn color	Even more autumn color
Good grief, even more autumn color	Fields of gold
Fields of gold with distant mountains	More fields of gold, more mountains
Variation on a theme	One of the late harebells
Pine cones	More pine cones
Autumn color by the trail	Autumn color and more stones for the trail work

Keywords: hurricane hill, trails

05/27/18 - Hurricane Hill - First Ascent This time we made it to the top of Hurricane Hill. Most of the snow has melted, except for a long stretch between the bench and the "hamper". All sorts of flowers are starting to bloom: glacier lilies, yarrows, violets and avalanche lilies. The lupines are getting ready. Spring is here. We even saw some marmots.	Phirst phlox
Glacier lilies and others	One of the marmots
Another marmot	One of the views
That lake to the north of the peak	More flowers
Grasses in bloom	Yarrow
An assemblage with phlox	An avalanche lily

Keywords: flowers, hurricane hill, marmots, spring

05/20/18 - Hurricane Hill - First Look Despite the delays on Hurricane Ridge Road, we made our way up to the Hurricane Hill trailhead. There was still a lot of snow, but some of the trail was clear. The sky was blue and the view of the distant mountains was crystalline. Only the bravest plants, or those lucky enough to have an especially warm microclimate, were out and in bloom, but we could see signs of alpine spring. Stay tuned. We'll be back, road construction or not.	Snow on the trail - still passable
More snow on the trail	Someone getting a head start
Melting snow on the mountain	The Olympic Range in its majesty
Another gorgeous view	Paintbrush getting out in front

Keywords: hurricane hill, spring, flowers

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