Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park

Olympic Mountain Range from Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center

We'd been camped in Port Angeles for two days having just spent the better part of the past week in and around Olympic National Park. Melanie was working again after taking her first vacation in over three and a half years. I got laundry done and a few other maintenance type things done.

As an aside, I had chided Melanie when she first suggested taking vacation kidding her about what a vacation might look like. Reminding her that all our vacations over the past years somehow involved work. Ski trips or beach trips often involved CLE (Continuing Legal Education). She'd be on the phone during lunch and at other times of the day responding to work-related matters. She answered emails, etc. Sometimes I'd accompanying her to destinations for depositions and we'd slip in some R&R.

She insisted this time would be different. And, to her credit, it was and I'm happy to say she's rested and ready to begin work again. I'm sitting across from her in the front of the van as she composes a sermon she'll deliver this coming weekend.

Digressions aside, I woke up on Wednesday morning and found the Olympic Range had made an appearance out the van window. For much of the week cloud cover had been low and we couldn't with a few exceptions, see any of the surrounding peaks. 

By the time we were ready to leave, however, a marine layer of clouds had moved in obscuring the range again. I suggested that despite this we should make the drive up to Hurricane Ridge in the park. She was game as it was one of her regularly scheduled days off. 

I'd overheard a conversation while we were camped in Hoh Campground and knew the road was open despite big snowfall this year. 

As we ascended the road to the Visitor Center, we drove through low clouds pushing up against the mountains from the northeast. But as we got to within about 5 miles of the Center, we moved out of the clouds and into a brilliant beautiful spring day and had great views of the Olympic Range. 

We parked in an RV spot in the parking lot and made our way to the Visitor Center which was closed. So we made our way to where the road past the Center was blocked off by cones and began walking to the end of the road and a trail leading up to a viewpoint. 

The road walk is about a mile and a half and easy. The trail up to the view points was partially covered in snow and a bit strenuous, but was made more difficult by the fact I'd worn my tennis shoes which was like wearing short skis. 

The photos below are of our walk out and back. Highly recommended.