Big Four Ice Caves 03-10-2019

AppleWatch Stats:  6.73 miles RT (includes the closed road mileage), 310 ft of elevation gain.

I decided to try out snowshoes for the first time today.  The road to the Ice Caves is closed just over 2 miles out, and everything is under snow.  I wasn't sure what the conditions would be like for the dogs, so I left the fuzzy adventurers at home.

I was amazed at how much snow was out there!  It was a gorgeous but icy drive, and luckily I got there before all the less considerate people parked all the way around the turnaround.... the one that says 'no parking after this sign.'  I mentioned it to a couple people that were still there, but not sure it did much good.

The road after that barricade is under a deceptively large quantity of snow.  The snowmobilers have packed it down nicely, so I did about a half mile on my snowshoes on the fluffy side of the road and then gave it up and just carried them the rest of the hike.

While learning about snowshoeing I heard about snow bombs - not something I had considered before, but looking up in the branches I could see that they could be a considerable danger if they fell on someone.  From small pumpkin sized chunks of snow, to larger armchair sized ones, they perched there, slowly melting and it's a good idea to keep an eye out when you're walking under branches to avoid going under them if possible.

Just over 2 miles and I reached the picnic area trail head.  This was such a gorgeous day!  The sky was super blue, the sun turned everything into jewels, and the trail was also hard packed by hikers and easy to follow.  Bless the forest service for leaving those bathrooms unlocked too!  If I had to leave the trail I would have been up to my armpits in snow.

As you walk along the trail you could see where people had stepped alongside the packed part and some of those postholes were over three feet deep.  I found that if I had to step off to let someone by, it was best to kind of stomp around in a wider area to pack the snow a little before I put my weight onto it.

When I got up to the ice caves (not that you could see any caves buried under that much white stuff!) it was so beautiful!  There was a very loud group of people unfortunately though that really detracted from the stunning view.  I did see one avalanche while I was up there.  Just a small one thank goodness.  You can't really get as close as you can normally, and that is a good thing.  That whole basin is a dangerous area to be in.  The cliffs covered with snow and silhouetted against the blue sky was heart-breakingly beautiful, and there were places that massive icicles had formed up high and shone with an aqua color that my camera sadly couldn't pick up.

There were a lot of birds singing, but I didn't get a great view of many of them.  At the old fireplace I noticed some orange birds fluttering around on the stones.  I had to wait until I got home and to my books to ID them - red crossbills!  Beautiful colors, but sure blended in with those stones!  Also I got to see a gorgeous raven doing some sort of call I had not noticed before in a tree along the road.  He was making kind of a loud, deep droplet sound.  I was glad I got a few pictures of his handsome self.

I only was passed by a few snowmobilers on the road, and they were polite, slowing and going to the side.  I hadn't been around snowmobiles before, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  It looked like there was potential to throw snow all over people next to them if they wanted.

Another positive thing about this hike... even with all that shining white deep snow, there were the starts of a few skunk cabbage buds!  Spring is on the way!  Definitely don't wait for spring to get out there though - get adventuring!

Mt Townsend 8-4-13

Second peak climb in two days!  Woo hoo!  This peak is so far the highest of the lower peaks I have hiked at 6280 feet.  The hike was steep and long, but not the steepest or longest I've done in the last few weeks.  This trail is 8.2 miles round trip and has an elevation gain of 2900 feet.  With the gorgeous warm weather we are having, it's definitely a workout.  My cousin Amy and her dog Stickeen joined Cedar and I for this one!
We saw a deer on the highway on our way to the trailhead, then a grouse and a rabbit as we got closer. The backroads are really nice to drive around Quilcene.  Right now they are lined with daisies, fireweed, the last of the sweetpeas, fox gloves in both purple and white, and a few straggling tiger lilies as well. 
We'll start out this journey with a smile.  Apparently people on the peninsula like sharing their humor and carry Sharpies when hiking (see salal leaf from last entry).

The lower part of this trail was through forest, but it wasn't long before we were up in the wildflower meadows with a beautiful panorama spread out around us as we hiked.

The wildflowers all along the trail were cheerful and beautiful.  My camera just didn't do them justice, but here are a few.

 

 

Once we achieved the saddle back top of the ridge, we could see the high point and had just a little climb further to get to it.  On this last leg we saw both a huge pair of ravens sitting up on the ridge and also a brave little chipmunk who kept bright eye on our canine companions.

 

There were little rock towers people had stacked at the highest point.

Up here we were took in the amazing views... you could see the Puget Sound from one side and glimpse the Straits of Juan de Fuca from the other.. we all took a much-needed break and ate lunch.

I would highly recommend this hike on a day with a view.  It is really impressive and breathtaking.  There is an awful lot of climbing involved if there wasn't a view though.  I wouldn't do this hike on a cloudy day.  The best day for it would be a clear cold day I think.  The heat was just too much for little Cedar.  He made it all the way to the top on his own power, but when we started down he burrowed into the lupine and absolutely refused to take another step.  Amy helped me rig a sling from a sarong I carry in my pack and I brought him down maybe a third of a mile or so that way.  Then he was OK to hike again and came out the rest of the way on all fours. 

Get out there and enjoy this amazing part of the world!

Lake Twentytwo 12-10-11

On a cloudy Saturday Dave, Adventure Dog and I hiked up to Lake Twenty-two.  Most of the trail was clear, but near the top it became icy and then covered with snow.  Around the lake, where the snow was packed down I think there was over two feet of it already, though you could still get all the way around the water.  I got to finally try out my Yak Trax and I totally love them.  On ice and hard packed snow, they nearly eliminate slipping.
Here is Cedar leading the way (as usual).

It was icy out, and there is this really interesting formation of ice from where water is forced out of the ground in a network of tiny ice columns.  I tried to get a good picture of that sprawling, but it doesn't show up very well. Here are some neat icicles too.

Here is a super cool phenomenon Dave and I enjoyed.  Little droplets of water were running along under the ice, looking like little shadowy living things.

Here are some pictures of the lovely snow-clad lake.  And of Dave and Cedar posing in front of it.

Here Cedar is enjoying this winter-wonderland.  Do you see him in this first one?  It was snowing while we were up there, so it was a particularly Christmasy day.

Here is what the difference looks like between a round rock covered with snow and a square rock covered with snow.  Fascinating, no? 

And as we wrapped up our hike up there, there was a raven perched on the bridge in the falling snow. We posed with it for pictures.  Great hike!