I hadn’t climbed Hurricane Ridge before and when I saw that the Native Planet group were heading up it on Saturday I decided to ferry/drive over to it and give it a go.
The ride to Hurricane Ridge takes you to 5200 feet above sea level in 17 miles from the park headquarters. It is one of Washington’s toughest climbs with switchbacks reminiscent of the French Alps.
I saw a couple of familiar faces on the ferry and we met up at the Visitor Center parking lot for the start of the drive. All told there were only 5 of us which was surprising given the gorgeous weather, clear blue skies and temperatures creeping up to the 90s.
The climb starts right away from the car park with some of the steeper pitches in the first 5 miles leading up to the park entrance. It took a little while for my legs to get into a climbing rhythm with no warm up and the other riders I was with were soon out of sight ahead. There were gorgeous views all the way up (it’s impressive just how far you can see from 5200 ft on a clear day, from Canada to Mt. Rainier).
At the summit
I had a leisurely stop at the top with a big plate of fries enjoying the view.
Then it was time for the fast descent back to the car. The first part of the descent was a bit sketchy with some cross winds but once I dropped down a bit into the tree line it was more stable and I was chasing down and passing cars on the way down.
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