Olympic Natl Park - Klahane Ridge & Lake Angeles

The Summer of 2005 was both a hard and great year.  In 2002 I was sick with the flu for 9 months.  In 2003 our family was split up;  I became single and a single parent.  In 2004 our company was put on the selling block.  Early in 2004, I developed issues with calves constantly cramping and then hip pain.  By the Summer of 2005 I learned that was from a herniated and ruptured disk.  I'd been through 6 months of therapy with little to show for it.  The issue was getting progressively worse, but I could not find a doctor who would operate.

Life seemed a bit difficult.

My ex-wife had moved out to Seattle in 2004 and in June of 2005, after school let out, I took the boys out for their visit.  I determined that I'd make a small vacation of the trip.  I could no longer run or bike, but I had found that I could still hike.  How far I did not know.  How much strength my back and left leg had in them I did not know.  I had a trip planned with William and Dera for Long Peak in July.  This trip would be my guage for expectations on the trip to the Rockies.

The trip turned out to be one of the hardest and most rewarding hikes I've ever done.  This trip began a love affair with the Pacific Northwest that I have not been able to shake and likely never will.

I knew that I was likely to only get about 20 miles in maximum.  I also understood from reading the various trip reports out there on the Pacific Northwest trails, that weather was much flakier than most anywhere I'd been.  I looked through a variety of options.  Olympic has many opportunities for day hikes (3 to 8 hours), but taking into account the time I had, the money I didn't have, locations, and my uncertainty of my physical ability, choosing the right trail became a more important task.  I wanted something challenging, but something I'd likely be able to complete.  I wanted vistas.  I wanted woods.  I wanted to walk across snow in June, but not so much I needed crampons and a pick-axe.

I needed this trip to be cheap.  Partly because of the lack of money and uncertainty of future employment, but mostly because I've found that on my own I prefer very few frills.  I considered tent camping, but that would more gear to take out with me.  Plus, laying on anything but a decent mattress was killing my back.  Actually, almost everything killed my back.  Cheap hotel.  I mean really cheap.
The Pond Motel outside Port Angeles fit the bill.   A very no frills place that needed some very serious updating.  A bit more cleaning would not have been bad.  The sheets were clean, the mattress had no bugs, and for $31 tax included per night.. perfect.  The motel has a pond.  Yep, the name means something.  After the sun goes down dozens of frogs beginning their singing around the pond.  That was a very soothing melody to sleep to.

The next morning I awoke to the fog I was told to expect.  I ate in room breakfast of oatmeal (using the coffee pot provided - the stove was non-functional), banana and something else.  Packed up my gear and headed for the Hurricane Ridge parking lot.

The entire park was stuck in clouds.  Visibility was good for driving but not for viewing.  The temp was around 55F.  Fortunately, there was little in the way of precipitation.  Just the fog.

The trail leaves directly out the parking lot and heads North for 2.5 miles, until it meets the intersection for the trail up to Mt. Angeles.  The trail climbs slowly and easily through a mix of trees and open space.  Sunrise ridge hangs up over your left in a series of jagged bumps.  The Hurricane Ridge Road is about 500ft below on your right.  After 2.8 miles the trail intersects with a trail that drops steeply down to Third Peak Parking area more than 1000ft below.  A full mile of short switchbacks climbs up to the Klahane Ridge.  Staying straight would take the trail to Heather Park, Halway Rock and beyond.  Not my objective today.

Klahane Ridge rolls lightly up and down staying around 6000ft.  On the left is a steeply descending bowl that drains down into Ennis Creek.  On the right, 2000 very very steep feet below is the road.  The drop-off on the South (right) is very sharp.  Fortunately, the ridge is 20 or 30 feet wide and easily traversed.  Well, that's when there is visibility.

The weather started out foggy that morning.  Reaching the ridge the visibility was quite good for seeing the trail.  Viewing peaks around and lakes below were more of an issue.  To the South there should have been great views of Mt Olympus.  I was able to see the ridge near Mt Olympus, but things were very difficult to make out.  The weather only got worse, much worse, quite quickly.  I saw the big gray wall coming from Mt Olympus.  Wasn't the first, but this one didn't look pretty.  Was moving fast.  I thought I had about 10 minutes to look for a tree or a rock or some kind of cover.  There was nothing.  I also didn't have 10 minutes.  I had less than 3.  The blizzard was on me before I knew it.  The winds were fierce and the snow was absolutely blinding.  I  can only guess at the strength of the wind.  I was not very able to walk against it.  Coming from Wisconsin I knew about blizzards and had been out in them before.  This was a bad one.  I took a knee and made sure I was far from the edge.  There was no cover and all I could do was stay low and take it.



There IT Goes!!

 Ten minutes later the blizzard was gone.  A good dusting of snow was all over the ridge and me.

Ennis Creek starts somewhere down there

About mid-way through the ridge the trail descends down into the woods and then along Lake Angeles.  The topo map does not do this 1500ft descent justice.  This is a steep, rough, rocky, slippery trail.  I packed up the trekking poles.  There were spots where they became clear impediments.  My left leg was really getting worn out working my way down the side of the ridge.  My back was also starting to get very tired.  I tried resting, but the wet and cold wasn't allowing that to be more than 5 minutes at a shot.  Either cold or tired.  Take your pick. 

All the way down there!!

Finally I made my way to the little camp area about 3/4 way along the lake side.  Time for an extended break, food, stretching.  A change of socks, shirt, much needed rest.  And some ibuprofen.  Okay, a lot of ibuprofen.

I must relate this story.  I've never put it on paper and other's have told me flat that I was lying.  This will "totally gross you out".  I took my lunch and rest on a pile of wet rocks along the lake shore.  Some lake logs were partially on the rocks and mostly in the water.  There was a little squirrel who came out of hiding after a couple minutes.  I saw he/she nibbling on something large, white and red.  Figured it was a piece of sandwich left over from the campers who had probably been there the night before.  Eventually I got a good look.  Our intrepid squirrel was indeed chewing on something left by campers, but it wasn't a sandwich.  No, the featured entree was a left behind, well used, feminine hygiene product.  I couldn't take it.   Shooed off the squirrel and using a rock buried the bloody treasure.  Quite likely he just dug it back up after I left.


Klahane Ridge high above

A rain storm came down off the ridge and while not pouring the rain was steady.  Steady enough that after about 20 minutes I needed to get moving.  40F and raining is not much fun to sit in.  This was not good.  My left leg was in pretty bad shape.  I needed another 15 or 20 minutes and some time to stretch.  The way down was pretty tough.  The way up was not going to be a picnic. 

The way back up proved to be one of the toughest stretches of a hike I'd ever undertaken.  The rain was coming steady.  I was in pretty good amount of pain (rate it a 6 of 10 on the smiley face scale... believe me, by this time in 2005 I knew about chronic pain and the pain scale).  I had to stop every 100ft or so and take a break.  The climb was tough enough on it's own, but I was nearly blind with agony.  My left leg simply would not work.  This was one of those moments.  People ask why I put myself through this kind of thing.  The is a line from Jurassic Park that explains it all:
"Remember that chap about twenty years ago? I forget his name. Climbed Everest without any oxygen, came down nearly dead. When they asked him, they said why did you go up there to die? He said I didn't, I went up there to live."

Almost to the Top!

I made the top.  The rain had turned to light snow and then quickly tapered to just wispy clouds.  I sat on a rock.  Stretched and rested for a good 20 minutes.  MUCH BETTER.  At this point I had not yet had the first surgery so stretching actually helped for a little while.











Retraced my steps back along the ridge towards Mt. Angeles.  I was rejuvenated after the rest and just really psyched from making the climb.  The walk along the ridge and then back down the switchbacks was very pleasant. A few views of blue sky.  The jagged sides of Mt Angeles and Sunrised Ridge are very striking.

Along the switchbacks I met the first people of the day.  Two different groups who were just going to go up on the ridge a little ways and then back down. 

Although I had been on Rainier a year before I count this as my first moutain hike and it ranks as the most memorable of the few I've done since.

I absolutely need to get back to that park.

Mt Olympus over there...

My Spirit Guide