A Norwegian Elkhound's Paradise – Mountain Hike in the Snow with Skye

It's early Saturday morning, March 11. As dawn broke, I could see from our dining room window that Blue Mountain was covered with a fresh coating of snow, all the way down to the foothills. Realizing that this might be the last opportunity this late winter season for a snowy hike with Skye, our 16-month-old Norwegian Elkhound, I said to my wife, Diane, "let's drive up Deer Park Road to mile post 9 in the Olympic National Forest where it is closed for winter and go for a hike in the snow. The elevation at the gate is over 2,000 ft. What I didn't say to Diane is that my goal was to hike up to at least 2,500 ft in altitude. I have no doubt that Skye would have kept climbing up Blue Mountain. And were I younger, so would have I.