The Last of Summer Hikes
This time of the year the weather becomes a critical element in your planning. During most of the summer rain is a possibility, but when it arrives, it will quickly move off and the sun again takes over. Somewhere between mid-August and mid-September the rain and the temperature will persist on into fall and winter.
The Kestern trail is a good example. Even when the rain has stopped, trails often become waterlogged. Puddles and mud become the model for trails until next summer dries them out.
One of your best clues to late season hiking is always overhead. These are resonable predictions but not hour-by-hour forecasts. Rain and certainly snow generally move in from the northwest, west and the southwest. Watch the clouds overhead. What direction are clouds moving? Ordinarily clouds moving west to east bring moisture while movement from east to west usually brings dry air. Watching the movement of clouds is about as good as it gets regarding what the weather is doing.
Lenticular Clouds are another handy sign of what the weather will become in the next day.
Lenticular clouds are the signal that the good weather may be about to change. They will appear often in the afternoon moving like flat hats from west to east. At worst, tonight and or tomorrow could be windy, cold and deliver rain or just overcast conditions.
Given the chances of poor weather and particularly fast moving weather, day hikes or—at most—two day adventures are probably your best bet. Aside from the length of your hiking choice, you should consider a hike that you’re familiar with. If you find yourself in the grip of bad weather, retreating may be your best move. Sometimes if the weather shifts, leaving you in thick fog, the weather may also degrade to the point of retreat and you look for another and better day.
As summer fades and fall announces the coming of winter, your choices for hiking should take on your consideration of your skill set, your experience and your ability to extract youself from bad weather. One way of extracting yourself is to avoid hiking in predicted bad weather. You can check the weather in the Park by Googling: 7-day forecast, Hurricane Ridge.
Fall storms can be exceptionally dangerious in the mountains. For example, high winds always carry the capability of downing trees. Most trailheads start at about 1,500 feet and a montain forest will acesnd to between 3,ooo and 4,000 feet of elevation. An in and out hike to 3,000 ft. and back could take you four hours of exposure and between five and six hours if you climbed to 4,000 ft.
You’ve hiked through forests that tell the tale of trees downed by high winds. Where and when you hike is uo to you, but remember the wilderness neither likes or dislikes you it just holds you accountable.
Winds aren’t the only concern. Fall in the mountains comes early and brings the rain and at times severe rain. Trail conditions, particularly during heavy rains, deteriorate rapidly. You’ll come across trails that are flooded, logs, timbers and puncheons become slick; creeks and rivers rise and the weight of the rain tends to bend wet brush inward along the trail.
For all the reasons above, fall is the end of summer, but more to the point, it’s a time for careful judgement and your ability to choose wisely.
Pre-Ordering your copy of “Loop Hikes in the Olympic Mountains”
You can order the Book at Villagebooks.com in August.
Enter “Loop Hikes in the Olympic Mountains” in the Villagebooks search box below their logo at the top of the opening page.
I’ve been writing about some of the elements of the book since March and I will continue to do so. If you or your friends haven’t checked Loophikes.com lately, it will identify when the book is available. It’s what we’ve all been waiting for. There is no better time to order your book. I’m certain that you’ll be pleased. The book is one-of-a-kind, informative, explores loop hikes that haven’t been published as a book. The “Grand Loop of the Olympic Mountains” is a loop that may not ever have been hiked. Whether you’re new at hiking or you’re an expert hiker, the book will be useful and helpful—and it will expand your collective experience.
All of the past articles beginning with March are accessible. Click here to visit the Archive page. Additionally, if you’re interested in what’s coming next, here they are:
September 1: “Stay Fit”
September 15: “Planning Hikes for 2024”
October 1: “Order Loop Hikes in the Olympic Mountains”
Visit LoopHikes.com frequently. Photos, information and stories change periodically, but sharing information with you comes first. Questions? Contact me at LoopHikes@olympus.net. Your curiosity is the foundation of building a better understanding. Tell your friends.