Olympic National Park

Note:  I've spent way too much time trying to get the layout of this blog just right, and I can't do it.  So I hope you can relate the photos to the text --  sorry.....

For nine years I lived in the Pacific Northwest, only a 3 hour drive from this park, but this is the first time I've been here. I decided to give it the full treatment, spending a whole week here. I had a list of things I wanted to be sure not to miss, and I've been going through them pretty systematically. 

These guys were fishing on the way to my first stop

The first on the list was Cape Flattery – the northwestern most point in the lower 48 states. It's been on my bucket list and, oh my, it did not disappoint! Getting there is a challenge – it's a short trail, only about ½ mile or so, but it's full of tree roots, rocks, and very big steps. Not recommended for someone with weak knees (mine are metal, and not the strongest!). The trail is on Native American land and local residents have thoughtfully made available a supply of walking sticks (very nicely decorated, although I forgot to take a photo).  For this trip, I purchased a pair of trekking poles, and I was SO glad I had them. The trip to the end of the trail is mostly downhill, which means that coming back is uphill.  Tough – when you want something bad enough, you make it happen!  The return trip is supposed to take 20-25 minutes.  I made it back in one hour!  But I made it!  The ocean here is incredibly blue, and the day was clear and sunny.  I couldn't have asked for anything better! 

Further down the coast are some National Park beaches, some beautifully smooth sand with lots of families having fun, and a few with rocky stacks partway out in the water. This was my goal; the best tide pooling is around the base of these stacks at low tide. I had printed out tide tables at home before I left, so I knew when to go.  Again, I wasn't disappointed – lots of starfish and anemones at the base of the largest stack, and some other interesting formations around other stacks. Unfortunately, the best critter viewing was on the other side of a very large, deep puddle.  Thus my dilemma, do I go barefoot and end up with shoes full of sand, or just wade on through in my shoes (and jeans, water almost up to my knees!).  I chose the latter, but wish I had chosen the former. It's now more than 24 hours later and my shoes are still wet through.  I'm down to hiking boots or sneakers without heels (I don't know what they are called, but I wear them all summer). 

The stacks

Critters, lots of them! 

The stacks up closer

The Hoh rain forest is a very famous part of the park, and I spent some time there in the morning, including a hike through the Hall of the Mosses. The trees are heavily draped with moss, making them look very old and kind of spooky.  The moss is not a parasite – it feeds on the air and rain (and there is a lot of rain here!).  But the walk was beautiful in it's own way. There is a stream running through it and one of the photos below shows how clear the water is.  It's a picture of what looks like sticks and grass, and the water is about a foot deep. 

Taken through about 12" of water

Moss in the trees. 

A tree fell across the trail.  It's really huge!!

Today I'm on the Strait of Juan de Fuca side of the park, Hurricane Ridge. I got another stamp in my National Parks Passport (that's 4 for this trip!), yesterday I did a short hike around the meadow at the visitor center, then went into town and got a shower at the Y (a badly needed one!!)  A good day indeed! 

Wildlife on Hurricane Ridge

View from the visitor center at Hurricane Ridge.