OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK
NEAR PORT ANGELES, WASHINGTON
Activity: Day Hike
3.5 miles, 825’ elevation gain, 2 hours,
Date: 6-4-22
Our trek along Hurricane Ridge to Hurricane Hill was quite windy, living up to it’s name I suppose. It was cold with low cloud cover and partial snow. I understand that the views on a clear day of the Olympic Mountains from Hurricane Ridge are simply extraordinary. On this day however, it was a little more of the adventure type of day rather than the tourist type of day where you might break into song, “The hills are alive with the sound of music”, because those are the type of scenic views that one might have.
We first stopped at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center area late in the day where apparently there is a gift shop and a restaurant. At least that is what it seemed to have going on there. We were just glad that this early in the season that the bathrooms were open, because everything else was closed for the day.
It was a couple mile drive from Visitor Center to the trailhead. Portions of the hike were paved, but there was still a lot of snow around. Alec got to try micro spikes, I had trekking poles so we were able to make our way without too much problem. Moody day with drizzle and just partial views of snow capped mountains. The views heading up were of fir trees that were so thick on the mountain, and so vividly green that it was really something quite special. It was starting to get dark, we were in snow, and it was cold and windy. We had time and light to make it back, but there wasn’t room for error. I actually wanted to head back before the summit. We saw some cool views, that is when the clouds lifted a bit, and some of the terrain reminded me of some nice ski bowls. Alec really wanted to push on towards the summit. We only had one set of micro spikes and he being in top shape from his cross country high school team took off at a very quick pace, despite my objections. He high stepped it up to an above vantage point, but turned around after that as we were burning daylight fast, plus Dad was having a “Major Pouty Fest”.
Alec and I appreciate you joining us on top of a chilly, snow top mountain, with night quickly approaching and with no one else around while ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’. This is one of the first of our many adventures in the Olympic National Park so stick around for more by doing this: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. If you care to checkout the menu above you will see that besides National Parks we travel extensively around the WEST to find adventure and to take a break from the responsibilities of school, and the busy lives that we all experience and need to balance out when we get the chance. Balance is exactly what adventures in nature can achieve, so it is important. The menu is categorized by location and in some cases activity, each is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. When I am not wearing full rain gear and a burka to face the storm then I like to adorn myself with Adventure Wear from ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’. I invite you to check it out at SHOP APPAREL.
Happy Trails-
Roger Jenkins
Pursing Balance Through Adventure
National Parks Hiking 