Grand Valley Hike
The drive to Port Angeles and up to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center was rather uneventful. It was early, so I was half sleeping while Andy drove his Explorer. We stopped at the Visitor Center for a quick bathroom break and to ask “which way to Obstruction Point?” Our next leg of the trip was the 8-mile unpaved road that we passed just before the visitor center. I was a little nervous due to the narrowness of the road and the lack of any type of guard rail between our vehicle and huge drop into the valley. There were also several washboard sections of the road. Andy did a great job getting us to our destination (and back).
We got our gear together and began our trek from Obstruction Point. During the first jaunt up Lillian Ridge I started to wonder what I had gotten myself into. The wind was blowing a little and it took my legs a little while to get warmed up on the incline. The next couple of miles on Lillian Ridge was fairly level. It is very open and tundra-like with great views of the Olympics. During this stretch there is a “stairway” fashioned from rocks that is very impressive.
The whole hike along the ridge was a little blustery until about 2 miles in when we reached the highest point of the trail (about 6400ft) and began the descent to Grand Lake. It’s a weird feeling to drop over the ridge and have the air suddenly stand still. From what I’ve read, the descent to Grand Lake is about 1200ft. The upper part was very barren until we reached the tree line. This part was very steep with a lot of switchbacks. It was a difficult stretch, trying to control the descent without killing my knees. I was dreading the return trip at this point.
We then reached the junction with the Badger Valley Trail, and descended to Grand Lake. We decided to have lunch upon reaching our destination. Amy took a left at the lake while Gary, Andy and I took a right. We stopped at the first little area where there was a log on the water’s edge. It seemed like a very nice spot until we noticed the bees living under the log. After eating, Gary and Andy started getting their fishing gear ready and found their spots. I saw Andy catch a nice little brook trout then continued poking around further along the edge of the lake.
Soon, it was time to start the hike back so that we wouldn’t return to Olympia too late. My legs were angry with me! The ascent back to Lillian Ridge was semi-torturous. The sun came out just in time to make it rather warm when we reached the open area above the tree-line. Then, back on the ridge, the chilling winds were switched back on.
I was so happy to get back to Obstruction Point and get into Andy’s car. Even though I had some aching body parts, I was very happy that I took part in the hike. It is an amazing experience to feel like you are on top of the world and seemingly far from civilization. The views were amazing and I think I got some great photos during the trip. I look forward to more Northwest hiking!
