Trip Report
Alpine Scramble - Little River - Hurricane Hill - Elwha Traverse
Ethereal alpine flowers glowed intensely in spite of (or possibly because of?) the challenging summit conditions: drifting fog/clouds, wet snow, and cold winds.
Dave Morgan
- Sat, May 25, 2019
- Alpine Scramble - Elwha to Hurricane Hill
- Elwha to Hurricane Hill
- Scrambling
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Substantial numbers of downed trees on the Little River trail and the Hurricane Hill - Elwha trails. Both trails continue their slow decline with minimal maintenance causing faint ‘hard to find’ sections on the Little River trail (elevation ~3700’, ~4000’) and the Hurricane Hill - Elwha trail (elevation ~4600’). Snow still present for the last ~300’ before gaining the Hurricane Ridge crest, and upper portions of the traverse to the west. Traction devices and helmets were not needed for these snowy sections.
A great trip (and weather) for conditioning and hypothermia avoidance skills, with views less so (could see nothing of the surrounding areas). The day started dry, with serious rain (transitioning to wet snow) holding off until ~1pm. Substantial water/food breaks at ~3700’ on ascent, ~4200’ on descent, with only a brief visit to the summit due to hypothermia concerns. Due to the Elwha road closure revisions, the total elevation gain/distance is estimated at ~5300’ and ~19 miles. Total time was ~9.5 hours with ~6 hours for the ascent. Photos from other trips to this venue can be seen here.