I hiked up Little River from the outskirts of Port Angeles to the top of Hurricane Ridge, 18.0 miles and 4,100 feet elevation gain, a tough hike.
In order to cut down the distance a little, I hiked in two miles on Monday night after dinner and camped at the first river crossing. Before I left home, Katy and I cooked eggs and pancakes for an early dinner, and I left home at 5:35 pm. Got to the trailhead about five miles outside of Port Angeles and started hiking at 7:35 pm. It was nearing dusk as I started, and by the time I got to the campsite, it was pretty dark. Had to use my headlamp to lay out my sleeping bag.
I knew it would be too dark when I arrived to find a tree and hang my food, so I brought my bear canister instead. This was a minimal camp, just my sleeping bag and pad and granola bars for breakfast. It got quite cold during the night and my sleeping bag was too thin to keep me warm. At 2 am I put my down jacket around my legs, and at 4 am I put my goretex parka on. I didn’t sleep much after 4:00, and I got up in the dim light at 5:45.
Ate my granola bars with some reconstituted whole milk for breakfast and started up the trail at 6:25. I missed my hot coffee and oatmeal. In the bottom of the canyon, the air was still quite cool and the light was dim. The sunlight didn’t hit me until well after 9:00.
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| The lower bridge |
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| The Green rope bridge |
About half way up, the trail begins to ascend the south slope on a steady grade. There are downed trees over the trail that have to be negotiated. But after a couple of miles the valley levels off and there is a stretch of almost flat trail. Really a pleasure to stride along this section, especially since the sun was shining at this point.
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| Sunlit trail |
The trail comes back to the creek and
winds through thick alder and salmon berry brush before it starts up the
last mile to the ridge. This section is aggressively steep, and I had
to take many small breather stops to keep going. I was fatigued, and
only the knowledge that the end was near kept me going.
Finally I
heard voices above me and knew I was almost there. I emerged onto the
asphalt path that runs along the ridge at 11:40. There was a crowd of
hikers on the path, clad in LL Bean hiking gear, chatting merrily as
they strolled along. I sat at the edge of the asphalt and ate lunch,
ignoring them. It seemed like they had cheated by driving up to the
ridge instead of sweating up it like I did.
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| The view down Little River drainage |
I brought along dried
peanut butter for the first time, but I added too much water and it
turned into a runny mess. Awful. Next time I’ll bring regular old peanut
butter.
Started down the trail at 12:25, slowing myself with my
two hiking poles. Soon I could feel the strain on my thighs and knees as
every step was a braking maneuver. I was glad to arrive at the flat
stretch of trail where I could stride easily. About two pm I took a
break in the sun. I was so tired I let myself fall into a delicious
30-minute nap. One of the best naps I can remember.
Continued down the trail quite a bit refreshed. The lower stretch felt new to me in the pleasant afternoon light. I’d hardly seen anything on the way up in the dim morning light. Arrived back at my campsite at 4:00 feeling quite tired. Packed up the things I had stored behind a tree and started out on the last two miles to the car.
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| Does this rock look like a moss-covered gnome to you? |
Those last two miles were
tough. I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other.
Although it’s a good trail and nearly flat, in my fatigue it seemed like
climbing Mount Everest. Finally arrived at the car at 5:30 and called Katy to
let her know I was safe.
Drove to the Corner Caboose where I had the good sandwich last week and ordered a cheeseburger. It was divine.
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