Since the haze has been so thick in the metro area for the last week, I decided to head to clearer air in the Olympics, but to no avail. According to the ranger, fog had rolled in off the ocean around mid-morning, well before I arrived. The air was so thick with water you could barely make out the mountains from US-101. I decided to head up to Hurricane Ridge anyway since I'd never seen it in the summer. Hurricane Ridge Road winds its way about 10 miles from Port Angeles up to the visitor center, then a little beyond to the trailhead for Hurricane Hill. The crowds at the visitor center kept me from those trails, but this one seemed relatively sparse. I arrived around 4pm and was greeted by 85 degree sun and haze so thick you could barely make out Mt Olympus. Nevertheless, I was determined to get in some hiking. The Hurricane Hill Nature Trail is a paved tourist trail that runs 1.6 miles to the top of Hurricane Hill. Most of the elevation gain is in the switchbacks near the end of the trail. The entire hike is through alpine meadows with grand views of Mt Olympus and surrounding peaks. The trail ends at the top of Hurricane Hill with a nice panoramic vista of the entire area. The only problem on the hike was the bugs, and on the way up they weren't too bad -- just a handful of horseflies buzzing around me in circles. At the top of the hill, the flies were replaced with a horde of mosquitos, which cut my stay rather short. On the way down, the flies were more aggressive, including one that buzzed my face for a good half mile before I finally had to swat him down. The crowds were not as thick as I expected for a summer Saturday afternoon, maybe because of the thick haze and late start. But still, there were a few irritants -- a girl reading a book laying in a meadow very near a 'stay on trail' sign, probably laying on dozen flowers as she read, and 2 dogs on the trail despite the large and frequent 'no pets on trail' signs. Most people were friendly though and rather sparse, and I had several moments to savor the views from the trail to myself. The wildflowers were out, but fading. The ranger remarked on the short season this year, lasting only 3 weeks so far. In another few weeks, the flowers will be gone. Most of the higher meadows were flower free, but the middle of the hike sported many different kinds. Unfortunately, I don't know the names of what I saw. I will definitely try this hike again in better weather, possibly in the morning to get good light on Mt Olympus. After being out of action for almost 2 months, it was nice to be back on the trail again.

We took advantage of the beautiful weather by driving up to Hurricane Ridge for snowshoeing. The road was completely bare and dry all the way to the top. There were only a few cars when we arrived and we had the great pleasure of being alone on the gorgeous ridge for a good part of the day. More people arrived in the afternoon, but it never was very crowded. The views were incredible! It's the first time I've been able to see Victoria so clearly across the water. All the peaks were etched against the blue sky, too many to count. The snow is melting along parts of the ridge and isn't as deep as I remember it being the last time I was up here. We didn't go all the way to the summit, but took a number of sidetrails and explored the beauty of the area. It felt almost like summer (if you ignored the snow under your feet!)

Great day to skip work and hit the ridge! Warm sunny skies and greening meadows welcomed me to the ridge. Walked along the road from the visitor center to the trailhead to maximize the workout and views. The paved trail still has snow about two thirds up, however the snow persists on only 10-15% of the trail and it's hardly an obstacle. Flower displays are currently limited to douglasia, phlox, some lupine and paintbrush. It will be several weeks before the wildflower explosion, however it is always worth the trip. Having tripped along a large percentage of Olympic trails, this tourist highway is still has one of the best mountain panoramas anywhere. Try to get here mid-week and late in the day for the best light for pictures and the least traffic.

Hiked up the Hurricane Hill Trail to the large meadow above 4,000 ft. I stopped ~ 4900 - 5000 ft., just before the final ridge ascent to Hurrican Ridge since this ridge still had snow. The sun stayed out & the views from the meadow are rewarding. Some tiny yellow flowers are blooming in a few spots around the meadow. The trail can be difficult to follow in the lower portion of the meadow (over grown), especially if your glasses are fogged & the sun is in your eyes. Some windfall in places from past year(s), but all low lying or notched to aid in climbing over them. Great early season hike !

We got to the lodge about 10:30, partly sunny and about 35 degrees. The snow at Hurricane ridge was hard enough to hike on without snowshoes, we never did break them out. We made it all the way to the top of Hurricane Hill, and the view was ( as usual ) just the best. At the top, it was cold enough to freeze my beard, with a 15 - 20 Mph wind, but not enough to ruin the trip. The crowds tend to stay near the lodge,even on the weekends, so with very little work, you can be at the ""top of the world"" by yourself.

We decided to take advantage of the glorious weather by driving up to Hurricane Ridge to go snowshoeing. Luckily we started out early and reached the parking lot before ten, as there were already many cars--by afternoon the place was packed with visitors, but most of them didn't venture much further than the lodge and the parking lot! The road is clear all the way to the top, and it's amazing to see how high it is piled on either side of the road. There is ten to fifteen feet of snow at Hurricane Ridge. We snowshoed out the Hurricane Hill trail for about a mile and a half--the views were splendid and the combination of warm weather and snowy landscapes were perfect for picture-taking. We took off our snowshoes and hiked a small ridge that was snowfree on its west side, and sat at the top enjoying the views in all directions while we ate our snack. After returning to the lodge we hiked around in the meadows and up to the top of the rope tow, but the snow was getting pretty wet in the hot sun. A great outing!