Snow: Different Places, Different Times

Funny how life can bring you full circle.

As a child, I loved to play in the snow 17 miles from my Port Angeles home at Hurricane Ridge. My family visited this beautiful tourist spot and ski area in Olympic National Park year-round. I have many fond memories - snow in the winter and incredible alpine views and hiking trails in the summer.

Since Port Angeles is a tourist town, Hurricane Ridge was one place we would take folks when they came to visit. The other was the Pacific Ocean. (Do a search within my topic on the left menu to read of ocean treks.) We spent a lot of time in both places.

What a serendipitous existence it was, growing up in the country and visiting such a place where new sights on every visit were the norm, be it deer, alpine meadows blooming with wildflowers or snow towering over our heads on the sides of the road. With the seasons, the pristine forested landscape was ever changing.

In the summertime, we used to see marmots peak out of their mountainside digs. Sometimes we could even get pretty close. I remember, in my child's mind, wanting to catch one. I don't think I thought about the consequences. You don't, when you are a kid.

If you take a trek up the mountain, there's a visitor center at the lodge on Hurricane Ridge that's a real delight, summer or winter. Ski and snowshoe rentals, great vistas of the Olympics and Canada, a large area topographical map, food service - they're all available. There are no overnight accommodations, but since it's so close to Port Angeles, that's not a problem.

The ski area is small, which gives the place its charm. There are other activities, like tubing and snowshoeing in the winter. In the spring, summer or fall, the lodge is a great starting place for whatever activity you choose: hiking, sightseeing, photography, etc.

If you want to know more about the ski area, I've listed the Hurricane Ridge website below with other ski areas. For more information on the area in general and what it offers, visit http://www.outdoorplaces.com/Destination... .

Traveling beyond Hurricane Ridge, we occasionally visited Obstruction Point where there was actually pink snow. I don't know what caused this, but it left an impression on me to this day. I remember tromping in it, having a good time.