The end of August is normally a great time to do The High Divide, but this year, our winter was so late, (we had snow in May), that it made for a really interesting trip.

We started out at about 9:00 and decided to go up the Heart Lake side first, knocking out the 5 mile section following the river. It was just a routine hike, gradually working our way up through the old growth fir and blueberry patches which were just about prime for the picking. There wasn’t much wildlife to be seen, but there were plenty of other hikers coming down from up above.

At the Sol Duc Campground we came across 4 mountain goats grazing near a group of tent that were set up. They let us get within 20 feet of them before strolling off. We walked a short ways away to refuel ourselves with some carbs before tackling the rocky stair case up to Heart Lake.

Shortly after the Sol Duc River campground we came across a marshy pond with some nearby peaks in the back ground. Gene wanted a picture so we stopped. Upon stepping off the trail we saw about 5 frogs jumping out of our way and into the pond. They were all over the place, probably a couple hundred lined the pool and everywhere you stepped they scramble to get out of the way. I believe that they were Cascades Frogs. Gene said that this is just a great big orgy pool for them.

Checking out the frogs

The approach to Heart Lake is a killer. If you aren’t used to it or aren’t prepared, it can really take you by surprise. Large rocky steps prevent you from half-stepping, forcing you to step all the way up or not at all. It’s something else.

Heart Lake outlet

Before long, though, you come up over a rise and there lies the lake, snow-fed and ice cold. Step over to the stream and splash your face, it feels awesome. From this level you cant see what gives the lake its name, but continue up the trail and looking down from above it’s obvious: It’s shaped like a heart.

It was above the lake that we  got the first taste of snow. climbing hils in the snow is bad enough, but this snow was melting just enough to make the first inch on the top soft and almost slushy. The going was slow and aggravating and we had at least 2 miles of this to look forward to.

Snow going

The divide itself is the apex of this hike. Running east-west it divides the Hoh and Sol Duc watersheds. Looking south you see Mt. Olympus and the mighty Blue Glacier. It’s truly amazing.

Mt Olympus

Finally after trudging through the snow we reached the top of the divide; It was all downhill from here. Past the spur to the top of Bogachiel Peak and past the junction to Hoh Lake you come to one heck of a series of switchbacks. There’s only about 3 of them but it’s steep as heck. Today it was covered with snow as well. Jerry, being the lightweight agile fellow that he is took off across the snow field and was at the first switchback when suddenly we heard a couple choice words from Gene along with the sound of canvas sliding on snow. I looked up and there he was, sliding down the hill, snow was flying to the sides of him like a Bayliner plowing through the water.

There was a moment of  ”Oh shit!”, but I quickly realized that he would reach the trail below if he kept going. He kept going. Jerry shouted out, “That’s one way to cut out the switchbacks”. I couldn’t think of anything funny to say, so I just watched helplessly, wishing I could have gotten this on film.

Here's the snow bank gene slid down

Well, he finally caught a tree and was hanging there about 3 or 4 feet over the trail below. We heard a whimper come from somewhere down below. Gene said it was a marmot, but we couldn’t be certain.

Once he regained his composure, took a mental inventory of his limbs and other assorted body parts that he might have left behind, we continued.  The only casualty was his sunglasses. There was no finding them in the thick brush and he decided to leave them behind.

Most of the remainder of the trail was clear. There were patches of snow above Deer Lake, however. Going downhill on the snow is MUCH more enjoyable than climbing it. We were running and sliding and having a good ol’ time when suddenly, we rounded a corner and there was a shapely young lady in a bikini up in the snow getting some sun. Naturally, when faced with the unexpected up in the mountains, all trace of suaveness escapes you and the best you can do is “Uh, hi.” Gene managed to get out a “Just do your thing…” and we continued on hurriedly.

The remainder of the trip was uneventful. We stopped at Deer Lake to refill some water bottles and then tackled the final stretch: about 3 miles down a rocky trail, picking our way over rocks and boulder that look like they’d be more at home on a river bottom. Gene, not used to this sort of thing was getting angry at the rocks. I could see it in his face, he HATED them. He swore that a few of them reached up through his boot and punctured the soles of his feet. We had to stop occasionally to let him calm himself.

Before long, though, we reached the falls and the throng of tourists ever present there, and quickly covered the last mile to the truck. Those beers tasted wonderful.

Full Album of the trip

At the base of Mt. St. Helens is a little, 2.5 mile loop that rewards you with wonderful views of the mountain, the Toutle River and some beaver ponds, dams and a lodge, the likes of which you may never again witness in your life.

High Bridge Viewpoint

On a trip down to see some family I decided to take a couple of the kids out on this jaunt to stretch our legs and get off the road a bit. My mom, Ethan and Neveah joined me for this one; the others were at their other grammas house at the moment.

To get to the trail head, from I-5, take exit 49 to Castle Rock and then follow highway 504 from Castle Rock about 42 miles to the junction to Coldwater Lake and the Johnston Ridge Lookout. About 2 miles after the junction, a large sign points you right at the Hummocks Trail parking lot. It’s really pretty simple, but here are some Google Maps Directions.

The drive up there is not without its’ own perks. There’s a high bridge viewpoint overlooking the tallest bridge in the area; quite impressive. There are several visitors attractions, helicopter tours, an A-frame house partially buried by ash from the eruption 30 years ago and increasingly spectacular views of Mt. St. Helens the closer you get.

Hummocks Trailhead

There are two exits to the trail from the parking lot. Since I had never been there before we set out on the route that started closest to where we parked. I saw no discernible advantage going either way; the hills were about the same and the sights were spaced evenly enough that no mater which way you go, there’s always something to see or do.

The trail was sandy and dry and quite hot that day. I slathered the kids with sunblock, loaded up about 3/4 gallon of water and some snacks. When hiking with small children, the most important thing to keep in mind is keeping them comfortable. That means lots of water, snacks and rest stops. Don’t push them. They’ll have a negative experience and be tainted against hiking for quite some time.

Mt St Helens from the trail

The “Hummocks” are large mounds of ash and rock left over from the eruption of the mountain in 1980. Some of them are quite large. Others are quite small, but they are all interesting and offer lots of different photo opportunities.  Once we got out of the open and into some trees the kids got really interested. The views of the mountain we have been having are spectacular, but they quickly lost interest and the sun was draining their energy pretty quickly. I pair of chipmunks playing near the base of a multi-trunked alder tree piqued Ethan’s interest and he forgot all about being tired. I’ve never seen a kids get so excited about a chipmunk, it was really fun. Additionally, the Lupine and Indian Paintbrush was blooming prolifically, which was really nice.  As dry as it was there, the plant life made it quite bearable.

On a side note: Notice the sandals I’m wearing in the picture below. I went from Saturday night after work until Friday afternoon before going back to work, without wearing socks at all. It was a really nice change to let my feet breath and get free from the smothering work boots I have to wear.

Bridge Critters

Shortly after that we came across a small bridge crossing a stagnant little pond. It’s amazing watching a child become enraptured by the little things in nature. There were water skippers on the ponds surface and an occasional tadpole jigging by. They could have sat and watched the critters all day… but we had to keep going.

Mating Damselflies

Dragonflies (damselflies, actually) were abundant. There were so many blue damselflies flying around that it was tough to decide which one’s to take pictures of. Then I noticed a pair just off the trail, getting to know each other. They stayed still long enough to get a couple shots, then flew off into the brush by the pond.

A little ways past the tadpole ponds and damselfly sanctuary we came across the most impressive network of beaver ponds we have ever seen. We first noticed it from afar as a whole stand of dead, bare alder trees. My mom made a comment remarking that “That looks like beavers flooded that area, killing those trees.” and sure enough, we rounded the bend and saw a nice sized dam with quite a pond behind it.  What really struck my attention, though, was right up from the first dam was another, about 4 feet higher than the first, giving the whole place a terraced look. As we were walking by we noticed, about 20 feet off the trail, just inside the pond was a mound of sticks: Their lodge. Ethan and Neveah loved it. We told them that the beavers lived in there and they have a tunnel that goes under the water to keep other critters out and to hide themselves as they come and go.

Break Time

After the beaver ponds it was time for a snack/recharge break. The kids sat on one of the benches that the park service so thoughtfully installed throughout the trail. A tent caterpillar fell from the alder above onto Neveah. She loved it.

After the first half of the hike out in the open sun, the last half or so was under the alder canopy and kept us plenty cool. There was a couple nice viewpoints overlooking the Toutle River that we capitalized on and got some pictures.  The remainder of the trip was fairly uneventful. There was about a half mile push uphill to end it and Ethan was really starting to get tired. He wanted to stop. I had to keep reminding him that we’ll never get there if we quit now, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and before you know it, we’ll be there. He reluctantly took my advice and once we rounded that last bent and saw the parking lot, he forgot all bout his hurting feet and ran the rest of the way to the truck.

Picasa Album of the Trip

Last August I was quite  fortunate to be able to team up with a few friends from work and do the Obstruction Point trail. This is a great trail that starts right above the treeline and follows a ridge for a couple miles, then drops down into a valley containing some wonderful lakes and several forks leading to other parts of the park and several choices for your return trip.

To get to the trailhead from Port Angeles follow the signs to Hurricane Ridge.  The National Park charges an entry fee per vehicle: $15 daily or $30 yearly.  The yearly pass is well worth it for what you can access with it. The entry station is located about 5 miles from Port Angeles up the Hurricane Ridge Parkway, and from there it’s another 12 or so miles to the Hurricane Ridge Park. We’re not going there though. Right before the main park, (you can see the visitors center), theres a little, treacherous looking dirt road that takes off to the south of the main road. Follow this road several miles until you reach the trail-head. Drive carefully; the road is narrow and negotiating with oncoming traffic can be exciting at times.

There’s no water that I can remember at the trail-head, so be sure to come prepared. There are two apparent routes from the parking lot, but the north trail splits into two more just out of view of the parking lot; one dropping into Badger Valley and the other makes its’ way to Deer Park. We set off on the south trail and the sun was already beaming.  It was perfect.

Once we worked our way over  the first rise, we saw a grouse just off the trail watching us. Grouse are funny birds in that they will let you get incredibly close to them before they realize “Oh crap, I better get outta here”, and even then, they may only fly 50 feet away and watch you some more. They can be incredibly easy to hunt because of this. Driving down the old logging roads where I grew up, most grouse I saw would see you coming and if they didn’t play ostrich and sit there, hoping you wouldn’t see them, they would fly to the nearest tree beside the road, just waiting to become dinner.

This grouse wasn’t much different. He may be accustomed to humans passing by, but for whatever reason, he let us get to within 10 feet of him before skittering away.

The first couple miles of this trail are quite mild and scenic. Occasionally, off to the south, across the Lillian Valley you can see Lillian Lake. Lillian Lake is a perfect little silver dollar shaped, crystal blue lake nestled into a bowl at the top of a mountain ridge. I decided then and there that one day I will make it up to that lake, and upon further research, I discovered that I can. And will. This summer, I’m taking a couple days and going to get there no matter what.

About 2 miles from the parking lot, we split from the “tourist” route and crossed the forbidden “Do Not Cross” sign to trek on the old, mostly forgotten trail. The “proper” trail continues on and then drops steeply into the Grand Valley and the lakes held within. The spur that we took picks its’ way up over a rugged outcropping of rocks, across a rock field and then you have to pick your way over a jagged ridge with a dizzying drop to either side of you. I make i sound worse than it was, but only to make it sink in that this is no place for the kids. One mis-step could really ruin your day. I took a video of us having some fun on the ridge: Rock & Roll (39Mb).

After picking your way over about half the ridge, it becomes impassable and you must drop down onto the hillside. A trekking pole is strongly recommended for this hike. The rocks are very loose and the ground is extremely steep and uneven. When you do have decent footing, the rocks are quite jagged and really do a number on your boots.

The descent onto the hillside is interesting to say the least:

Once back on the trail below that ridge, you must grind your way back up to the peak of Moose Mt. Between the loose rock and insane grade, you wonder how on earth you can manage. You can: Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Here’s where staying well hydrated and fed pays off. Nothing makes you more miserable and shaky-legged than being hungry. Also, I’ve found that bringing along a bag of hard candy to suck on, such as Werthers or LifeSavers, does wonders at keeping your mouth wet and your energy level high enough to make it through the next push, wherever that may be.

Moose Mt. is a knob in the middle of this area, upon which you can see where you’ve been, where you’re going and where you wish you could go. Another feature off Moose Mt. is its’ nondescript little glacier. Nothing special, but even in the hottest part of summer it never totally disappears. It’s a steep little scramble to get to it, but it’s rewarding none-the-less.

After a quick break on the mountain, make your way down the north slope onto low pass. In the loose shale, there isn’t much of a trail, but you can tell where you are supposed to go: Downhill. Now you can look down into the valley on your left and see Moose Lake and the smaller Gladys Lake, and before you know it, you are standing on the ridge overlooking the “proper” trail once again. The switchbacks leading to the valley wind through a massive network of marmot dens. You are pretty much guaranteed to see more than one of those massive rodents on your way down.

The cool valley, beside Gladys lake is a nice spot for lunch. Now, from here you have a couple choices. Turn north towards Moose and Grand Lakes or south up a 2 mile network of switchbacks to Grand Pass. The views from Grand pass are spectacular, and we were feeling pretty fresh yet, despite the roller coaster ride we’ve just been on to get to where we were, so we opted to check that out. The ascent was fairly unremarkable, but the reward was worth it. It was here we decided to take our group picture:

Once back down in the valley, Craig and I started pulling away from the rest of the group. Not because they were getting tired or anything, they were just enjoying the scenery. We were trying to get to the fishing. Moose lake looked promising, but we knew Grand lake was twice as big and for sure had better fish.  However, between Moose and Grand Lake lies a junction in the trail: Back up the hill to where we left the trail earlier, or north to Badger Valley and eventually the parking lot. Unfortunately, no one had ever taken the Badger Valley route before and didn’t know what the trail was like. We knew what the trail was like the other way: Switchbacks straight up the hill. We opted for Badger Valley and stopped at Grand lake for some R&R. There was a beautiful deep pool right off the trail with tons of trout just waiting to be caught.

Grand Lake

After our little respite at the lake we set off again. By now we were well below the treeline and still descending. I was getting uneasy at this and Craig also made a comment: “We sure are dropping a lot here… We’re going to have to make this up later.” By this time we were getting pretty tired from the days adventures, and by the time we reached the bottom and started back up again, we were well into the trees and I wasn’t looking forward at all to climbing back out of them. Oh well, we were committed.

The remaining few miles were a lot slower going than before, when were fresh. I kept looking up ahead, trying to discern any familiar landmark from the parking lot area. I swore we would never get there.  By this time, the sun had fallen behind the peaks and some low clouds came in, dropping the temperature considerably; It was welcome, but due to my fatigue, I could keep moving quickly enough to stay warm and loose.  Coming to another shale, switchbacked hill, I was beat. I saw nothing that led me to believe that we were nearing the end. I’d make my way up to one end of a switchback, rest. Up the the next corner. Rest.  Finally coming over the last rise, onto the trail above, I realized that this was the other fork, just out of view of the parking lot. Needless to say, my spirits rose and I strode around the corner to salvation.

We left a note on the other vehicle that we were headed home to fire up the grill and pop the tops off some beers. The rest of the group made it to the house about 45 minutes after we got there, and soon we were chowing down on great grub with our families in the back yard. It was wonderful.

Now, I’m not the fittest of people, but I keep trucking. What I tell the kids is this: “You don’t have to move fast. You just have to keep moving.” Many of the hikes I go on are ass kickers, and when I get home I crash. But I will never stop moving forward. This hike here is one of those. I’m sure if we hadn’t gone up to Grand Pass, the climb out of Badger Valley would have been much more tolerable, but if I had to do it again, I’d do it the same way. Never take the easy way out.

Here’s a gallery of the entire trail: http://olympicwanderer.com/Obstruction%20Point/ Enjoy.

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