Deer Ridge — Sunday, Sep. 18, 2016

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

Heading to a different hike, but impatient to get a hike in before the torrential downpour yesterday, I stopped on this trailhead and got trekkin'. I only went up to the bench mentioned in the WTA description (at 2.75 miles in), and stopped and admired the clouds dancing in the valley. It gradually becomes a very steep hike, so that bench is quite a welcome sight by the time you reach it. The trail is narrow, filled with beautiful ferns and mosses and of course trees; peekaboo views through the trees and the promise of clearing the treeline keep you chugging along. I saw ZERO other people on this hike; we started at 1:30 pm and were back to the car at 5:30 pm on a Sunday. The road to the trailhead was bumpy, but didn't seem too bad until the rain started...on the way out, I realized how steep those roads are and it became a bit harrowing making it up the steep muddy road around potholes in a regular ol' non-4wd-sedan. Just a note for those adventurers in a similar situation...if it's raining hard, maybe skip this one and head to another hike in the Peninsula.