Hurricane Ridge 6/17/07 4.5 miles
I had been trying to get my friend T.K. to go hiking with me for two years, and for two years he has found one reason or another not to go. Granted, most of his excuses have been legitimate - working on his house to make sure he had a roof over his head or walls to hold up the roof. But it's been a long haul and unrelenting patience. What finally got him out? Her name is Nancy and she has the strength to pull him out of the house to experience some of the grandeur the NW has to offer.
I had planned a hike along Klahhane Ridge up to Mt Angeles - a good 8 mile hike through meadows of wildflowers and patches of snow. However, the patches of snow were a bit more than anticipated. We were stopped far short of our goal when we came across a steep slope filled with snow. I was rather apprehensive about heading down the hill so steep that we decided to turn around and try another trail.
Why not the trail up to Hurricane Hill? Again we would be hiking through wildflower meadows and hiking up to a viewpoint over looking the Elwha Valley and the Bailey Range. There was still a bit of snow on the trail but the lupines were starting to bloom as was the phlox and indian paintbrush. The marmots were out in search of edible blooms to nibble on; the deer were grazing in the meadows, napping in the trees. We even got to see a couple of bear across the valley.
One last word. As we stood atop Hurricane Hill, T.K. looked out over the valleys and mountains and wondered why he had never been before - it was only an hour from his house. If he had been any closer to the edge, I would have pushed.
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