Wolf Creek, Hurricane Hill, Elwha To Hurricane Hill

Did a loop hike from Whiskey Bend trailhead up the Gray Wolf Creek trail to Hurricane Ridge, then to Hurricane Hill, then back down to the Elwha.

Wolf Creek trail is in its usual shape - a little eroded, some overgrown salal thickets, but generally a pleasant, and easy, walk. Snow started just above 3500' on either side of the lowest creek crossing, then ended again. When the trail returned close to the creek, I bushwacked up the slope to rejoin it directly above, as I figured the snow would be extensive on that stretch, and the dry sunny slope above seemed much nicer. Just when I got back to the trail at about 4400', it became snow covered the rest of the way up. There were 3 trees down - 2 on the first long traverse (maybe at 1500' and 2000'?), and one just after the first creek crossing. Nothing difficult.

  In general, this whole day, and on another hike earlier in the week, the snow was quite good for walking on. Firm underneath, with only the top layer soft enough to get a decent foothold - no ice and no postholing. I brought snowshoes, but the snow was good enough that I only wore them a couple short times, and they were definitely not needed.

  The Hurricane hill road was fine, of course, and surprisingly no people. For the most part I followed the "real" trail out to Hurricane Hill, which was no problem. The one steep stretch is, well, steep, and completely snow covered still, so don't try it if it's icy or you don't like long slippery slopes below you. Some spots the trail had melted out, but for the most part, there is still complete snow cover all the way. Most people seemed to be following the ridge crest and trampling assorted plants on the way.

  I then proceeded back down to the Elwha. Going down that ridge in soft snow proved a LOT easier than my last time there going up it on icy snow! The trail is snow covered down to about 5000', and except for a few small patches, and one or two stretches just on the north side of the crest, is snow free from there on down. That south slope at about 5000' is really green and nice now with lots of different plants coming up, and the trail footbed is full of onions. The last rocks above the trail at about 5000' have a nice view down to the upper 1/3 or so of what used to be Lake Mills. The bit of trail just above treeline is a bit of a mess, as usual, with lots of rodent burrows and flattened shrubs, and some down tree parts, but it's dry for the most part and easily traversable. Then there's a messy tree across the trail perhaps around 4000'. I cleared most of the small stuff, but you need to go several feet downhill to get over one trunk and under the other. From there on the trail is fine, although the higher elevations got showered in small branches (which I didn't see on the Wolf Creek trail at all).

Flowers - there are Erythronium lilies, Trillia, and false solomon's seal blooming along the Whiskey Bend road, and one little slope covered in very inconspicuous tiny blue-eyed mary and draba. The hike had nothing I noticed except a number of scattered Calypso orchids. On the way down there was lots more. I'm always amazed at how different the vegetation is on these two trails so close together. Anyway, on the way down there were some sort of alpine buttercups blooming ins spots on the open ridgecrest, then Erythronium lilies in the 2000-3000' elevations, Calypso orchids, and as you got lower, Salmonberries, miner's lettuce, yellow violets, some kind of Cardamine (I think), and fairy bells. Quite nice to see all those for the first time this year. I was surprised by the Erythronium lilies at 3000' - that's awfully high for them, and somehow I'd never even noticed the leaves there before.

Birds - saw a couple grouse on the lower Wolf Creek trail, and some juncos and such. On Hurricane Hill there were some pairs of larks singing, and I think a whole flock of them, as well. Saw some gray jays on the hike down, and a group of nighthawks flying high overhead as I slogged back up the Whiskey Bend Road in the evening.

No other interesting animals. A number of deer in various places, some squirrels, that's about it.

Whiskey Bend Road could use a grading...

I really like all these trails, and when I'm energetic enough, combining them really shows you quite a variety of environments in a one day hike.