My Pacific Northwest: Marmot Pass 7-27-13

This morning Adventure Dog and I headed out from my mom's to a hike in the Olympics for a change. It has been a really nice sunny summer, so we got an early start to avoid a lot of people on the trail and try to get most of the uphill part done before it got too hot. When we got there around 8:15 the parking lot was already full, and it was already hot and sunny by the time we got out of the treeline. This hike, however, was enchanting.
The first couple miles went along the Quilcene River through the forest. There were some lovely big Douglas firs, and a lot of twin flowers, bunchberry dogwood and other small flowers growing along the trail. Also, lower down, there were ripe huckleberries.

There were also quite a few of the flowers that don't use chlorophyll growing in the forest. I'm not sure what they all are, maybe the large one is coral root?

There were a lot of pretty little streams cutting across the trail, which were nice on Cedar's feet. As it got warmer I poured water over him until he was soaked and much cooler. It was nice having the sound of the river or the smaller tributaries as we hiked.

Despite the trail being fairly populated it ended up adding to the day rather than detracting. Cedar and I had the trail to ourselves sometimes and at other times we stopped to chat with different people. Everyone was happy to be out there enjoying the gorgeous day and battling to reach the top under the blazing sun. The trail climbed steadily, but once out of the treeline, it became steeper and hotter. This was a trivial thing next to the grandeur of the views and the stunning color of all the wildflowers. We took a lot of breaks to let Cedar have a drink and rest. We both do better hiking on cloudy days, but when it's sunny and clear it's perfect for these hikes with views!

And then we were finally at the glorious top! Elevation around 6000 feet, and a view of the surrounding ranges and the Puget Sound.

I really wanted to see marmots on Marmot Pass, and I was not let down! There were furry marmots far across the meadow and a big fat one sunning himself on a rock on the way back down the trail. They are so cute.