Hurricane Hill (winter)

Bluebird skies and cornices today.

Slight breeze on top o' the hill but otherwise a very warm day. Snow cover variable, with some bare spots along the ridge and on top of Hurricane Hill. A lot of impressive cornices on the east/northeast sides of the ridgeline. From where the trail begins there are two "bumps" along the ridge you have to get around. Following the summer trail route takes you around both bumps on the "left" or south-southwest sides. In sections this route traverses steep hillsides where walking in balance is important and ice axes are necessary. In other spots the summer route is perfectly safe. The alternative is "up and over" both bumps, which involves climbing straight up and over each, being careful to avoid the many cornices that form on the north-northeast or "right" sides of both bumps. We went did a mixture of both routes on the way up and down. Once past the second bump the winter route is straightforward and easy to follow in good weather, heading straight up a broad shoulder of the hill to the summit plateau. View from the top is hard to beat, we could see Victoria and well into Canada. Mt. Angeles looms up directly to the east. The rest of the views are of the Olympic range and include too many peaks to count. Snow was a bit slushy but not too bad. Not much in the way of pinwheels or roller balls. A big cornice on the east-northeast side of the ridge just below the final summit push had partially slumped forward down the slope. All in all a fantastic way to end the snowshoe season.