To Klahhane Ridge and Back
Sep. 13th, 2021 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerOlympic Peninsula Travelog #20
Back at Hurricane Ridge - Mon, 6 Sep 2021. 12pm.
The trail to Klahhane Ridge is a long one, almost 8 miles round trip, and with lots of up and down. We weren't sure how much we'd have time or energy for. We decided to take it one section at a time.
From our perch atop Sunrise Point (previous blog) at end of the first leg of the hike, we could see a lot of the trail below us.
The route toward Klahhane Ridge started from the saddle between the dual peaks of Sunrise point. It descended at an angle across the flank of Sunrise on a path that seemed barely carved out from the steep hillside (left in the picture above) then up along the ridgeline to a knob, then continuing along the ridgeline slightly down and back up to a higher knob. We decided we could get that far with our time and energy.
The trail went by quickly. It helped that there were views in all direction, including every time we stopped to look behind us (picture above). Time flies— and so do distance and exertion— when you're having fun.
We got to the second knob we targeted. When you look back, though, you realize it's actually the fourth knob— counting the two we climbed at Sunrise Point. This is where we turned around, figuring the round trip with its distance and elevation gains made a reasonable half-day hike.
Back at Hurricane Ridge we found just a smidge more energy in our reserves. We extended our trek with a walk along the paved paths there. By this point in the day the trails were crowded— and the parking lot would be full when we returned to it— but we enjoyed the distance views nonetheless.
In this photo (above) you can see Hurricane Hill. It's the tallest peak, on the left. We hiked Hurricane Hill Saturday. The valley the ridge circles around is actually a glacial cirque. The glacier that carved this area is long gone, though a few small ones remain below the peaks of Mt. Olympus and its neighbors.
Back at Hurricane Ridge - Mon, 6 Sep 2021. 12pm.
The trail to Klahhane Ridge is a long one, almost 8 miles round trip, and with lots of up and down. We weren't sure how much we'd have time or energy for. We decided to take it one section at a time.
From our perch atop Sunrise Point (previous blog) at end of the first leg of the hike, we could see a lot of the trail below us.
The route toward Klahhane Ridge started from the saddle between the dual peaks of Sunrise point. It descended at an angle across the flank of Sunrise on a path that seemed barely carved out from the steep hillside (left in the picture above) then up along the ridgeline to a knob, then continuing along the ridgeline slightly down and back up to a higher knob. We decided we could get that far with our time and energy.
The trail went by quickly. It helped that there were views in all direction, including every time we stopped to look behind us (picture above). Time flies— and so do distance and exertion— when you're having fun.
We got to the second knob we targeted. When you look back, though, you realize it's actually the fourth knob— counting the two we climbed at Sunrise Point. This is where we turned around, figuring the round trip with its distance and elevation gains made a reasonable half-day hike.
Back at Hurricane Ridge we found just a smidge more energy in our reserves. We extended our trek with a walk along the paved paths there. By this point in the day the trails were crowded— and the parking lot would be full when we returned to it— but we enjoyed the distance views nonetheless.
In this photo (above) you can see Hurricane Hill. It's the tallest peak, on the left. We hiked Hurricane Hill Saturday. The valley the ridge circles around is actually a glacial cirque. The glacier that carved this area is long gone, though a few small ones remain below the peaks of Mt. Olympus and its neighbors.
