It’s abnormal to talk about the weather in a trip report because weather is…well, so yesterday. But weather affects us in profound ways, in the way we feel, and the decisions we make. Take yesterday. I had been feeling quite housebound and lethargic because of a seeming bombardment of atmospheric rivers which make it so challenging and unpleasant to be out in the mountains. This morning’s weather forecast for town was dry but mostly cloudy. But then I checked the forecast for the southern Olympics and was surprised to see all sunshine. I decided to go with it, and packed my backpack with extra weight for a conditioning hike to Horse Camp. As I drove out of town, early morning fog obscured visibility significantly and I didn’t see any improvement until reaching Hoodsport. As I climbed the hill towards Lake Cushman, I began to see blue sky peeking through. By the time I reached the Mount Rose trailhead, the sky was all blue and remained that way all day. I had an absolutely rapturous time outside. The point of all this verbiage about weather is to say it’s so worth it to stay on top of weather forecasts and to take chances, not an easy task since the many forecast sites often vary in their predictions and make you feel like the science of forecasting is a casino.
The slog to Horse Camp went smoothly on bare trail. One new tree blocks the trail just uphill from the viewpoint with the Manzanita bushes at the top of the seventh switchback. It’s about 7 inches in diameter. The branches were brittle and I was able to break off several to make passage easier for everyone. Another older, smaller tree still blocks the trail another quarter mile further up.
There was a thin layer of snow starting at Horse Camp. Since this was my turnaround point, I decided to take a closer look at the waterfall just west of Horse Camp. There is a faint trail that leads to a ridge where the waterfall comes into view. Because of recent rains, water was running at high volume. The top part of the falls is characterized by a 40-foot drop into a small pool which then spills over onto a smooth rock ramp that runs several hundred feet downhill at a 30-degree angle. Certain parts of the terrain allow for a close inspection of the waterfall. It was mostly a day of solitude. I didn’t start seeing other hikers until my return trip downhill. I took a detour that follows a spectacular mossy ridge and eventually rejoins the main trail. Out and back to Horse Camp is 3.75 miles with 2100 feet of gain. It’s a great destination for early-season conditioning.
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