Hardy Ridge Hike 10/31/10

The beauty of nature can be experienced throughout the year. It doesn't have to be a warm, sunny day to enjoy the sights and sounds on a hike. In fact, the experience can be very different at different times of the year.

For instance, during the fall and winter, there are far fewer people on the trails. There is a greater feeling of solitude. Of course the scenery of fall colors are always a welcome display. And when the leaves have fallen, what may once have been obscured can open up to wide open vistas. With the sun lower in the sky, the lighting can be completely different. Creeks that are bone dry during the summer once again flow with water.

So if you ever wonder why people go out hiking in the cold and rain, refer to the comments above. They are not crazy... they just enjoy nature.

With that being said, despite the forecast of rain, and partly because the forecast of rain, on Sunday (10/31/10) my friend Chris and I headed out to hike Hardy Ridge. Hardy Ridge is a 2957' high ridge located within Washington State's Beacon Rock State Park.

I have done this hike many times and it is one of my favorite close destination hikes. Normally, views can be seen of the Columbia River, Bonneville Dam, Mt. Hood, Hamilton Mt., Table Mt. and Mt. Adams. During the spring and summer, the wildflowers are abundant. But not last Sunday.

With rain in the forecast, I wanted to test out my new rain gear, which included my new friend, Gore-Tex. The rain never came, but there was dew and leftover rain droplets all over the vegetation. My gear passed the test of secondary moisture. Bring on the monsoon!

While there was no rain, there was almost constant fog and clouds. What was really interesting was that Hardy Ridge appeared to be the dividing line between complete cloud cover and the partly sunny skies. It was like that for almost the entire hike. Of course, as we neared the end of the hike, the clouds cleared off. Oh well.

Total distance: 10 miles

Elevation gain: 2500'

Below is a link to some photos of the Hardy Ridge hike. To view the pictures with descriptions, click on the picture and go from next to next. To view in full screen as a slideshow, click on "slideshow" in the upper right area, then click on the icon in the lower right.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/54959080@N05/sets/72157625284109438/detail/

Enjoy,

Brad