| Heather Park A Hike with some Klahhane Amazonians and Elston and Jackie July 1, 2009 |
Heather Park is a tough hike. It is 4.4 miles each way and an elevation gain of 3300 feet.
Seven Klahhane Amazonians and two males (one did not make it to the top) did this hike today since the official hike was a
long drive to the east side of the Peninsula. The official starting time was 8:30 a.m., but I chose to show up at 7:00 a.m. so as
to make it a more leisurely hike with more time to smell the flowers.
Seven Klahhane Amazonians and two males (one did not make it to the top) did this hike today since the official hike was a
long drive to the east side of the Peninsula. The official starting time was 8:30 a.m., but I chose to show up at 7:00 a.m. so as
to make it a more leisurely hike with more time to smell the flowers.
The first half of the hike up is nothing to rave about. It is a rather dry
forest which might surprise some of our friends in other parts of the
country who perceive this as a much wetter place than it is,
particularly at this time of year. Did you know that Phoenix gets more
rain in July than Seattle?
forest which might surprise some of our friends in other parts of the
country who perceive this as a much wetter place than it is,
particularly at this time of year. Did you know that Phoenix gets more
rain in July than Seattle?
About 3/5 of the way up the trail there
were breaks in the trees and lots of
hanging moss, a sign of clean air.
were breaks in the trees and lots of
hanging moss, a sign of clean air.
There was lots of trillium
along this section of the trail.
Then as we emerged into the
alpine, there were lots of wild
flowers, many of them
growing in places that
seemed impossible such as
on the side of a rock (below,
right).
along this section of the trail.
Then as we emerged into the
alpine, there were lots of wild
flowers, many of them
growing in places that
seemed impossible such as
on the side of a rock (below,
right).
There was even Heather in bloom (below).
After 3 1/2 hours we emerged into Heather Park and then climbed up to the nearby peak.
There Jackie took a seat with a view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. That is Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada on the
other side of the strait. Three feet to Jackie's left it is a sheer drop of several hundred feet.
other side of the strait. Three feet to Jackie's left it is a sheer drop of several hundred feet.
Soon the rest of our group
arrived, a hearty group of
Amazonian women.
arrived, a hearty group of
Amazonian women.
The views were awesome. Looking South we had a
view of Hurricane Ridge and Mount Olympus.
view of Hurricane Ridge and Mount Olympus.
If you hike with a group of women, they
will be obsessed with flower names and
have a flower guide.
will be obsessed with flower names and
have a flower guide.
Looking east (below) we had a great
view of Mount Baker which was some
140 miles away.
view of Mount Baker which was some
140 miles away.
Dungeness spit, the longest sand
spit in the US, with Mount Baker in
the background.
spit in the US, with Mount Baker in
the background.
We straggled back to the car, this time keeping up with the Amazonians. Living in Paradise is lots of work, particularly when
you are trying to keep up with a group of Amazonians.
you are trying to keep up with a group of Amazonians.