Mt. Baldy, September 28, 2012

Today I hiked up Mt. Baldy in Olympic National Park. I left home about 6:45 and got to the trailhead at 8:45, started hiking at 8:50. The trail goes straight up a ridge and it's brutally steep. The only good thing is there's no erosion, and the trail is in good shape.

 I sweated up the lower portion of the trail. It's so steep in places I climbed for a minute and took a half a minute rest.

 The leaves are turning autumn colors in places.

As I got higher I could see across the valleys. The alpine grass is turning a russet color.

It's lovely to be up in the alpine. It's completely open and the ridges seem to stretch away forever.

I got to the top just after noon, about 3 hours and fifteen minutes. Not bad considering it was 3,700 feet of elevation gain. From the summit, I could see Mt. Olympus in the distance.

I ate a hiker's lunch: salami, cheese, crackers, and M&Ms.

This view is looking up Royal Creek, where Guy and I hiked last month.

Just below the summit. I put my vest on because the breeze was chilly.

Alpine plants.

 I got back to the trailhead at 2:50, about two hours after leaving the summit. My legs were sore from the steep descent, and the bottom of my right foot was bruised a bit. Got home by 5:15 and took a shower. Great hike!

Obstruction Peak hike with Ray Flagg

Ray Flagg picked me up at 6:00 AM, when it was still dark. We drove through Port Angeles, up the Hurricane Ridge road, and turned down the Obstruction Peak road, a narrow dirt road that has steeeeeep sides in some places. By 8:25 we were at the trailhead at Obstruction Peak.

At the trailhead

We hiked about two miles until we came to a place where the trail drops into Badger Valley. We stopped for awhile and took in the view. Several groups of hikers passed us, including a very cheerful group of eight women and one man.

 The trail meanders along the top of the ridge, with stupendous views everywhere. We could see Mount Olympus off to the Southwest, Mount Deception to the Southeast, and the Elwha and Lillian drainages lay at our feet. The weather was perfect -- sunny and cool. You couldn't ask for a better day.

Looking down into Badger Valley

 After awhile we started back, arriving at the trailhead about 2:30. On the way back, I took a few photos of flowers. After I got home, about 4:30, I realized I got quite a sunburn on my face.

Google Map of Obstruction Peak trailhead:

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Mount Townsend hike with Larry Riggs

On Labor Day, Larry Riggs visited us from the Bay Area. We left the house about 7:45 and got to the Mount Townsend trailhead by 9:10. It was a clear, cool day. perfect for a hike.

We toiled slowly up the trail. It's a good trail but pretty steep all the way. We took lots of breaks and arrived at the top about 1:20. The views were great all around.

 There were a lot of people at the top, including a family with three little kids.

We started down at 2:10, and got home by 6:00. Katy had a fresh-baked apple pie waiting for us, which we dug into after a dinner of shishkebabs from the charcoal grill.

Cape Mountain hike

On Saturday, Guy, Chad, Brittany, and I hiked the Cape Mountain trail. We've hiked this so many times before it was like seeing an old friend again. It was surprising how much the trees in the old clearcut have grown. We used to be able to see above them, and now they block the view.

 When we got to the top, we lay around in the grass and enjoyed the warm sun, then we started down.

Oregon Dunes Overlook Trail

For my 2012 vacation, Guy and I drove to Florence where we visited Chad and Brittany, who are renting a small house for August and September. On Friday, Guy, Chad, Brittany and I hiked the Oregon Dunes Overlook trail.

It was a sunny day but it was windy. We hiked out to the beach, then south on the beach to the Takenitch River, then back through the dunes. hiking in the soft sand was pretty tiring, but we all enjoyed it.

Royal Basin hike

I started out my 2012 summer vacation with a hike with Guy into Royal Lake in Olympic national Park. Guy and I started out Sunday night by hiking a mile from the trailhead to a great campsite along the Dungeness River.

  Our campsite along the Dungeness River

 Breakfast the first morning.

On Monday morning, we started up the trail to Royal Lake. It begins fairly gently as it follows Royal Creek though the big timber, but after a couple of miles it gets steep and stays that way all the way to the lake. It was a tough day of hiking, abut 6 miles. We arrived at the lake about 3:00 and dumped our packs. The are is heavily used and the Park Service has strict rules about where you can camp. We found a good campsite and Guy took a nap while I explored the meadows around the lake.

 One of the avalanche chutes on the way up to the lake.

 Arriving at Royal Lake.

 Guy taking a break on the way up to Royal Lake

Guy arriving at Royal Lake.

A meadow with late afternoon shadows.

On Tuesday morning, I hiked up to the upper basin while Guy slept in. I hiked around a beautiful glacier-blue tarn and marveled at the peaks above me. What a beautiful alpine bowl. On the way back, a group of hikers pointed out six or eight marmots on the hill above the upper meadow.

As I looked back toward Royal Lake, I could see low clouds moving up the lower valley.

 After I got back to camp, I took a few pictures of the lake in the early morning.

 After I got back to camp, Guy had breakfast. We started out about 10:20 and got to the trailhead about 1:30. It was a great hike!

Hike to Silver Lake

This weekend I decided to hike in to Silver Lake. Since I'd worked every day the previous week for Vacation Bible School, I took Monday off.  Silver Lake is a side trail off of the Mt. Townsend trail. I figured this would be an interesting addition to that hike.

I had a couple of extra things to do after church on Sunday, but I left as soon as I could. Got home at 3 pm, packed up and left the house by 4:30. I left the trailhead at 7 pm, later than I would have liked. I hiked at a good pace because I wanted to get to the lake before dark.

I made it to the trail junction and then continued on upward to the pass. Then down the other side, with the sun shining on the ridges above me. I was getting tired as I came down to the creek. I passed a young family, a mom and dad with four little kids. They were all very cheerful.

I struggled up to the lake, arriving just before dark. I was surprised to find that there were many campsites filled with people. Luckily I found a small meadow and laid out my sleeping bag. I hung my food in a tree just as the family I'd passed on the trail arrived. I offered to share the little meadow with them and they were grateful.

It was nice listening to them making camp because the mom and dad were very patient and the kids were so cheerful. No complaining, no back-talk. They dad asked two of the older kids to get water and they took off into the darkness, coming back shortly with a pan full of water.

I slept under the stars, watching the meteor shower. One flared into a bright red streak before burning out. There was a cool breeze all night and my bag got slightly damp. Luckily I slept pretty well anyway.

 Making breakfast

My camp at Silver Lake

In the morning I made breakfast and was hiking by 7:30 am. I left my pack and hiked up the pass above Silver lake. The views were wonderful and the morning felt fresh and cool. What a beautiful place!

I got lots of photos:

 Looking down onto Silver Lake

At 8:45 I picked up my pack and started back to the car. I was tired and hiked considerably slower than the night before. By 11:45 I was at the trailhead.

The switchbacks on the west side of the pass. Silver Lake is just below the patch of snow on the saddle.