When is a Hike Worth It?

When you get views like this:

And like this:

And this:

This magical wonderland of breathtaking views is called Hurricane Hill, located at the top portion of the Olympic Mountain Range. And it was actually a relatively easy hike. Now, I often read "reviews" of people who go on hikes and tell you how easy or difficult said hike was. What they fail to mention is that they are usually avid hikers that backpack overnight, walk 12 miles a day, and do it all year round. I'm not that person. I'm 175 lbs, as weak as a puppy, and have the lung capacity of a marmot. (I have no idea how long marmots can hold their breath; maybe Google knows.) So when I say it was relatively easy, well, that might be a fairly accurate assessment! It was a 950 foot climb in 1.6 miles, but a lot of it was still flat, so it wasn't a straight shot up the whole time. Most of it was out in the open grassland though, which afforded a view almost the entire hike up, but also meant you were in full sun saturation. 

But considering how short the hike was (and how quickly you can get from Port Angeles to Hurricane Ridge), it was very little effort for a great reward.

Now I can finally cross it off of my Places I Visit Out of Spite list!