If you drive up Hurricane Ridge Road and

go to the road's end at the trail to Hurricane Hill, walk up the Hurricane Hill Trail, and then take off to the west on the Elwha Trail (just before you summit Hurricane Hill), eventually you will get to Deer Hair Rock.

A longtime ranger swore to me that this rocky projection looking down at Lake Mills and giving you a view up the Boulder Creek drainage is called Deer Hair Rock. Why? I really don't know, but I have seen a number of deer in the area.

The trail from here dives down the mountain to the Elwha Road. If you look to the northwest, you can see where Highway 101 heads out toward Lake Crescent after crossing the Elwha River.

The real magic of this trail is that once you leave the Hurricane Hill Trail, you are very likely not to see anyone else on this trail. In all honesty, the trail mostly goes downhill after you reach Deer Hair Rock. This means that you might be surprised at how much uphill the return trip is.

Still, the trail's magical quiet offers some wonderful views of Mount Olympus and is home to deer, coyotes, marmots, etc. Earlier in the year, the wildflowers are great up here; now, most are gone. On the plus side, the crowds of visitors also are gone.

Once you take this hike, you will be able to pick out Deer Hair Rock from the shores of Lake Mills or on the mountainside just before you cross the Elwha River when you are driving home from Lake Crescent or the ocean beaches. I almost never have met anyone else out here. The rock itself is out in the open and it's sort of unusual to have such a good view all to yourself.

Like any other hike, the destination is only a small part of the experience. Along the way, there are always surprises.

On one of our trips up here, we all felt that we were being watched. Sure enough, on the side of the hill above us we all noticed a huge buck with a magnificent rack watching us as we traversed the hill below him. He seemed as fascinated at our presence here as we were of his presence.

Deer almost always are seen and sometimes one of them may join you for lunch. I remember one foggy day when we found ourselves surrounded by a herd of does and fawns. They seemed not to mind that we were sharing their space.

The trail here either hugs the crest of the mountain or dangles on the south side, and there is a constant view.

It's funny, but even in the fog you get a sense of grand vistas hanging just out of sight. There are only one or two places where I was reminded of my fear

of heights.

Deer Hair Rock is itself not remarkable. It's scratchy, rough volcanic stuff covered with colorful moss, lichen and fungi, but on a clear day the view is nice. Lake Mills is pretty from up here.

You're looking at the south end of the lake and you can see the delta formed where Boulder Creek empties into the lake. You almost can see the road up to Olympic Hot Springs and imagine the lingering odor of sulfur and semi-naked bodies in small pools ringed by rocks. Ah wilderness!

And don't forget, it's uphill and down again before you reach the car. Enjoy!



Richard Olmer can be reached at columnists@

sequimgazette.com.