Mount Townsend, Little Quilcene River — Sunday, May. 17, 2009

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

Tried to access the standard trailhead via Lord's Lake Loop Rd, but was stopped by another pair of hikers in their truck who informed me that snow covered the road 7 miles from the trailhead. Plan B saw me heading toward the Little Quilcene trailhead via Bon Jon Pass. The snow was blocking the road only 1/2 mile from the trailhead, so off I went. Snow was patchy, becoming constant as you round the north flank of Townsend into the Sleep Hollow headwaters. Its Spring, so no footwear is perfect - one moment your post-holing through deep soft snow changing into snow shoes, the next the trail is bone dry. Se la vie. Hanging a left at the turn off for Townsend up Dirty Face Ridge the views really open up. The air also becomes peculiarly thinner...yeah, I'm still getting my old lungs back. The snow becomes less consistent with the more southerly exposure, alternating between melting fields of snow and bare trail. Little blue flowers dotted the heather and a few birds courted one another with their calls. The summit was amazing - a beautiful clear blue sky day with Baker to St. Helens bookending the Puget Sound. Took about 3 hours to get up. I decided against returning the same way - just hate up and backs. So I descended the ridge below the North summit. The 72 degree weather had softened up the snow so much, that I changed my mind and headed back beneath the summit. I hadn't brought my ice ax, but after a few test glissades, realized I wouldn't need it for the main chute. So down on my butt I went, riding caboose in a slow moving snow cone of an avalanche. A little farther and the drainage, typical of the Olympics, began to look like it would cliff me out, so I headed north via game trails through the woods. Made the road in about 2 hours from the summit, and a mile walk back to the car.