Hurricane Ridge & Artist Point

The Red Rocket posing on Hurricane Ridge.
There were two bike rides/climbs I wanted to do before the fall weather set in. Both are considered among the hardest and best climbs in the state of Washington and have been compared to the Alpine climbs in France and Switzerland.

Tuesday I drove 2.5 hours to Olympic National Park just outside of Port Angeles on the Olympic Peninsula to climb to Hurricane Ridge. It is 18 miles each way and has over 5,200 feet of elevation gain with some at a fairly steep grade. It is the hardest climb I have done. But it was a gorgeous day and the climb was wonderful.

The climb is full of beautiful views like this.
About half way up.
The views at the top are breathtaking with mountain ridges that go on forever to the east, north and south.
To the west one can see the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver Island, and San Juan Island. The clouds in the horizon on this photo covered the water.
It was a truly unforgettable ride and view. The descent was fast and beautiful. I look forward to returning to one of the most stunning places I have been to in a long time.

Last week I drove about three hours north to the small town of Glacier where I started the climb (24 miles and 4,700 feet) to Artist Point -- arguably the most beautiful spot in all of Washington at the foot of Mount Shuksun and Mount Baker. It was a less than ideal day with partly sunny skies but a threat of rain as I began the climb. I decided I would turn around if it started to rain. But the sun kept teasing me as blue skies would show for a few minutes and then it would cloud over and even drizzle a bit. I kept going but was disappointed that the mountaintops were covered with clouds. I was plenty warm with just my cycling shorts and jersey as it was hard work getting to the top.

Here is a typical view on the ascent to Artist Point when the sun would come out.
The road has many hairpin turns as you can see in this photo near the top.
The clouds covered the most picturesque views but this gives you a feel for the beauty of this place as Mount Shuksun is reflected in a small lake.
As I got to the last mile or so, a dense fog rolled in and I could only see about 40 feet in front of me. But I had "summit fever" and was not going to turn around that close to the top. When I got to the top I put on the tights, leg warmers, arm warmers, full gloves and two light jackets I had carried up for the descent. It immediately began to rain and the temperature dropped. As I began my descent I quickly realized I did not have near enough warm clothes and that I was in trouble. By the time I was a few miles down the road I was extremely cold, shivering, shaking and praying for a way out of this situation before hypothermia set in.

A couple of miles further down I got a direct answer to my prayers as a pickup truck with four mountain bikes in the back had pulled over. I stopped and asked the young men, "Can I throw my bike in the back of your truck and ride down to the base?" They said, "No problem, Dude. That must be a freezing descent." The Lord had answered my prayer with four very kind and understanding young men.

I look forward to doing this climb again on a better day when the view looks like this photo I found on the Internet.
I will take plenty of warm gear for the descent.