Summit: 6,280ft
Native land of the: Coast Salish and S’Klallam
8.8m 3110ft gain
The northeastern corner post of the Olympics in the Buckhorn Wilderness! Mount Townsend is yet another Washington mountain that can be hiked all year. Spring and summer bring rhododendrons and wildflowers, fall brings wild berries and autumn colors and winter brings loads of windswept snow! The turtle back like summit offers amazing views south and west to the Olympics, north across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and east across the Puget Sound.
1st Trip: 12/08/2019
The forecast looked good on Sunday so Ellie, Moose and I took the ferry to Bainbridge Island and drove to the lower trailhead near Quilcene that Saturday night. We slept in our cozy truck bed and got an early start the next day.
An hour into the hike the sun rose and lit up the foggy old growth forest!
The snow started shortly after and made the steep final third of the hike slightly easier to navigate. Moose was very quick to get reacquainted with the snow!
There was no visibility but we pushed through to the summit anyways. Moose was a champ!
As we descended the long summit ridge the clouds parted and gave us a look into the Olympic Mountains! We stopped at the saddle at 6,000ft and enjoyed the views we were afforded! We had so much fun playing in the fresh snow and it was simply gorgeous!
We spent 30 minutes enjoying the clear views before returning to our truck. We loved trekking through the snow and I think Moose did double our mileage. He was knocked out on the drive home. This peak is an Olympic classic and certainly worth repeating!
CAPPY TRAILS 