INTRO
President's Day 2018 was forecasted to be clear and sunny, a day to be outside in the mountains. But due to a recent winter storm system that had dumped a few feet of snow, avalanche conditions were considerable across the Cascades. The Olympic Peninsula—which had received less snow and had a more stable slope forecast—seemed a good choice. So a few friends and I decided to hike to the top of Hamilton Mountain, a peak on the east side of the Olympics with pretty good accessibility and good views of Mt. Constance across the way.
The pros: Good workout, nonexistent avy danger, good views of Mt. Constance from the top, being on the Peninsula and experiencing a different area.
The cons: Rhododendrons, unremarkable forested terrain, seemingly endless little up and downs, no views until the top.
My conclusion: I wouldn't really recommend this climb, but it was much better than sitting at home and it was good to be with friends, be outside, and get a nice workout. So a great day in the mountains!
The following page gives a short trip report for the adventure.
STATS
Total trip (from GPS track): ~10.5 miles, ~3500 ft gain/loss, ~9.5 hours (car to car time, includes breaks)
- 7:09 AM : Sun rises
- 7:10 AM : ~0 FT : Ferry (Edmonds-Kingston)
- 9:05 AM : ~2,000 FT : Leave car
- 2:20-2:45 PM : 5,093 FT : Summit Hamilton Mtn
- 5:38 PM : Sun sets
- 6:45 PM : ~2,000 FT : Arrive back at car
- 8:20 PM : ~0 FT : Ferry (Kingston-Edmonds)