Mount Townsend — Thursday, May. 21, 1998

Olympic Peninsula > Hood Canal

Mt. Townsend is a good start of the season hike to find out what kind of condition you are in. The road leading up to the upper trailhead is in excellent shape, so go there unless you want to hike the extra 1-1/2 miles from the lower trail head. From the upper trailhead to approximately 5000' the trail is clear of snow. There is one tree 8"" in diameter across the trail you have to climb over. Just before you get to the Last Water Camp, the trail starts to disappear under the snow. From this point till about 5600' elevation, finding the trail is tough. There are alot of footprints going many places looking for the path. Don't follow mine, I got off track too. Once you reach 5600 feet, the snow disappears for the most part and the trail is obvious. The last 1/2 mile to the top has no snow at all. The view of the inside of the cloud at the top was the same the last time I went up Mt Townsend. We were blessed with about 10 minutes of sunshine during our stay on top, but no view due to the cloud. By the time we returned to our car, the rain came. Say Hi next time you see me on the trail!