Decided to go to the Olympics to get away from the heat. I decided to do a ridge hike, the purpose being get high and cool off. Boy was

I wrong. I decided to drive to Obstruction Point and hike to Deer Park and stay one night and then hike back. I got to the trailhead

and parked next to several cars. The hike started uphill around Elk mountain with some snow and then after coming around toward the south I got hit hard by the sun and it stayed that way for seven miles. I was cookin and the weather was not cool at all. When the wind did blow it was as if someone had a giant hair dryer blowing at me. This hike was miserable in the hot sun. The views are good but don't do this hike in hot weather. You are at the mercy of the sun

on a mostly south exposed treeless ridge. Oh, there is no water. Try in cooler weather.

A spectacular ridge hike for a spectacular day.

As per earlier reports, the road to Deer Park TH is open. The last 8 miles of Deer Park Road to the trailhead is a dirt road, in very good shape. The road is, however, very narrow and curvy, with an unforgiving drop on one side - so slow going.

The trail is also in great shape. Whatever you do though, don't turn around at the 3 mile point on the shoulder of Maiden Peak, as the 100 Classic Hikes book 'permits' dayhikers to do. Yes, you get to soak in wonderful views of the Straight and Sound, and Vancouver Island and the San Juans, and Mt Baker and Glacier Peak. But if you go just another half to full mile further on, behind Maiden Peak, you encounter views of Grand Valley and the peaks of the Olympics. Breath-taking. Another mile further on, and Mt. Olympus comes into view. I went out past Elk Mountain, about half a mile short of the Obstruction Point TH. In the last quarter mile of the trail before Obstruction Point, there is a stretch of snow across a very steep section. The Park Service warns not to proceed if you don't have an ice ax and self-arrest skills.

Road to Deer Ridge is open, so I checked out the trail from Deer Ridge to Obstruction Point (road to Obstruction Point not open). Road to Deer Ridge is in good shape, but very narrow and winding. Trail is also in good shape, with only a few snow fields. Only a few blow downs the first half mile. Scattered avalanche lilies, glacier lilies, and paintbrush. Great views -- count on cool breeze even on a warm day -- quite refreshing. Hiked to Elk Mountain and back with no trouble. To breezy for most bugs. It was easy to pick out Moose and Grand Lakes in Grand valley far below -- both snow-free with nice greenery. Continuous snow begins just above Grand Lake.

This is NOT the Grand Ridge Trail that WTA is working on. This trail is half in forest, half residential. We met at the old depot in Issaquah, walked Sunset Blvd to an overpass over I-90, then walked an old road until we came to a sign on the left for King County Parks. We took the trail there, followed it up through beautiful woods until we came out on Grand Ridge Drive. We walked to the end of the drive to look out over a huge new residential development, with the Seattle and Bellevue skylines in the distance. Walked down through the development on Park Drive, then on Highlands Drive to a tunnel that took us back to the overpass and our cars.