Mount Rose — Monday, May. 25, 2009

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

I took this hike thinking that if I was going to get paid for a day off (memorial day) I should do something that actually felt like work. I could not have picked a better day to hike this trail as the sun was out and it was just warm enough for a great hike. Mt Rose is a great day hike for those that think Mt Si as a day hike is too easy. The guild book I was using said from the start you gain elevation and it was not kidding. After a short walk across a stream the trail starts gaining elevation quickly. This is largely because you have 3500' of elevation to gain in about 3 miles (maybe this is why my trail book said it was one of the steepest hikes in the Olympics). There are benches for resting...in the first mile after that spots to rest are harder to find. Also as I got into the last mile of reaching the summit there was a still snow in spots to the point were I had to keep a eye out for the trail. Don't despair though this snow is only in the last mile of reaching the summit and just makes getting there take a little longer. Other then the snow the trail itself was in great shape with only one or two trees across the trail. For all this effort the views of Lake Cushmen and valleys of the Olympics is almost overwhelming. The view looks west into the south Olympics and it is truly worth the hike. As a side note as tough as the hike was I was surprised to there were a few teenagers and kids on the trail. It was actually kind of cool to see others taking on a tough hike.