Olympic National Park & Peninsula, Washington - Hiking & Nature
July 18-25, 2010 - Trip Report

Sunday, July 18 - Seattle to Sequim
We gathered at the Radisson near the airport. Roberta and Peg were continuing their Washington adventure having enjoyed the Washington Cascades Sampler trip and now were headed out to hike. As we drove out via the Narrows Bridge, we noticed lots of traffic heading back to Seattle; the Lavender Festival was just winding up and by the looks of traffic it must have been a grand success! We stopped briefly at the John Wayne Marina to try to find Rhinocerous Auklets, which were there but quite far from shore. We and then continued on to Sequim in wonderful sunshine, mesmerized by the green canopy of trees that cloaked the highway. We stopped at a roadside stand to buy fresh cherries, where an enthusiastic young girl with Kool aid stand was happy to make a sale; we were just as happy to stretch our legs and enjoy just-picked Washington cherries. Our first dinner at Three Crabs, at the edge of the Straits of San de Fuca presented us with wonderful fresh seafood choices and we got to see the hiking destination for the next day of Dungeness Spit. Back at our hotel, some went up to the roof for dessert of chocolate and the 360 degree view. We were reminded we were north, as it was quite cold up there on the roof! 

Monday, July 19 - Dungeness Spit
We had breakfast at the Sequim hotel, drove to Dungeness Spit, and began our first hike. The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1915, is an Important Bird Area and one of the world's longest natural sand spits. We descended the hill from the parking lot to the beach in light fog, and we could just see the lighthouse from the  overview. Carol, Cecelia and Roberta had slightly shorter hikes, stopping for photo opportunities of  large driftwood and other sights. Peg and Dave made it out to the lighthouse for their picnic lunch. Pat lunched along the way and continued to also reach the lighthouse (5 miles) when a volunteer from the refuge encouraged her to go on, telling her “its just another 20 minutes”. The historic lighthouse is open for tours, thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers, that actually stay for one and two week shifts in the adjacent Lighthouse Keeper’s quarters.

We saw the first of many Bald Eagles of the week, never imaging this magnificent creature to become a “common” bird.  Other sights were Chestnut-backed Chickadees, big trees, Sword Ferns, pretty colored stones and driftwood, Pigeon Guillemots, Glaucous-winged Gulls posing, Pelagic Cormorants. We had two hikes in one, foggy, then sunny. The fog cleared just as we got to the lighthouse, so the return hike was an all new experience, with impressive views back to the Olympic Mountains. We thoroughly enjoyed watching seals were playing near the lighthouse; a volunteer said those young seals played there day after day. Feeling our muscles, we drove on to Lake Crescent. 

The lake was calm as we checked into historic Roosevelt cabins, situated with a great view of the mountains and lake. Peg and Pat had a double ancient tree outside their cabin with a diameter of 4-5 feet! Dinner was  in the lodge where we feasted on salmon, halibut and crab risotto.  

Tuesday, July 20 - Top of the World
After breakfast at Lake Crescent Lodge, we and picked up our picnic lunch, and drove up to Hurricane Ridge. Carol, who has traveled the world, thought the scenery was some of the finest she had ever seen – the Olympic Mountains, snowcapped in the distance, with a foreground of wildflowers in fields all around, was magnificent! Our lunch was at the top of the trail with gorgeous panoramic views in every direction. The peninsula is know for its endemic plants and several endemic mammals. Peg carried her big camera on the hike hoping to see the Olympic marmot and on our descent, she was able to photograph one who posed and posed for her and other photographers. Another endemic, the Olympic Chipmunk, came to beg during lunch.  We saw other mammals as well as a Black-tailed Deer munched right on the side of the trail and we caught a quick peek at a Black Bear in a meadow below us. Inspired, Carol sent photos to husband Howard and friend Barbara back home, from one of the fine viewpoints of the way down. We drove to another trail head where Peg knew of a carnivorous plant; and Roberta had special time with a deer up close and personal. This trail held a lush hanging garden and  was a memorable place. Happy, we returned to dine once again in the lovely dining room, with time to try delicious dinners others had raved about the night before.

 

Wednesday, July 21 - Makah Journeys, Neah Bay
We drove towards the most Northwest point of the park in the fog, stopping at Clallum Bay in dense fog in the company of Belted Kingfishers. The fog cleared up as we reached Neah Bay, where Dave spotted a Bald Eagle just out of town. We then saw three adults chirping and flying, two bringing sticks into a nest they were attending just above the Makah Museum. We were in Neah Bay the same time as a large inter-tribal festival that had culminated with the arrivals of massive, decorated ocean-going canoes in the bay.  We toured the museum and saw acres of tents from the visiting tribes;  Peg and Dave photographed some of the canoes. We hiked to Cape Flattery, where Cecelia and Peg viewed Tufted Puffins, Rhinocerous Auklets from the last wooden structure where we could see across to Tatoosh Island. There were Steller’s Sea Lions hauled out on the rocky outcroppings. 

We then drove to Sol Duc, an inland trailhead where hiked to a beautiful waterfall with hanging gardens, moss-lined rocks and a rainbow. At the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, we had a good soak and then dinner. It was a long, but a wonderful day.

     

Thursday, July 22 - Elwha Hike
We headed out for a hike recommended by Washington-based friends Don and Jan Allen, the Elwha River to Humes Homestead. We got our “last dam summer” pins from the visitor's center as the two dams on the river will be removed by next year in an effort to restore vital salmon runs. The hike was fascinating and varied. We saw turquoise water swirling through rocks in a gorge at the Goblin Gate, hiked past the old homestead and then a suspension bridge over the wide river, where we turned around. Roberta opted to go to Marymere Falls on a ranger-led at Lake Crescent and to enjoy the tranquility of the lake while we hiked this day. We saw Indian Pipes, which Carol spotted and other wonderful plants of the forest floor. This was another beautiful day in Olympic National Park where no two hikes are alike.

    

Friday, July 23 - Hoh Rain Forest
After our last breakfast at the lovely Lake Crescent Lodge, we packed up and headed for the Hoh Rain Forest, where every Olympic National Park visitor should go. The Hoh is quintessential temperate rain forest. Such forests are found only in Chile, New Zealand and in the U.S. in the Pacific Northwest. Here giant Western Hemlocks, Sitka Spruce and Douglas Firs dominate the landscape. They, as well as the forest floor, are dripping greenery. Ferns, lichens, mosses and more grow everywhere. Carol especially liked the large Big-toothed Maples which bear a ton of epiphytes, often causing the tree to bend -- or fall over! And no, we did not experience even a threat of rain. It was very dry for an area that gets about 12 feet of rain per year!

The five of us took various trails throughout the day. Some of us walked eight miles round trip on the main trail from the visitor center, while others took the shorter loop trails. Everyone was equally impressed with the area. The glacier fed Hoh River starts on Mt. Olympus and flows 58 miles west, exiting into the Pacific near Ruby Beach. Glacial flour colors the river a beautiful blue-gray. The nurse logs along the trail were a kick! Some had little trees sprouting up from the decaying logs, while other nurse logs, especially along the Hall of Mosses Trail, were almost fully decayed and had as many as ten giant Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlocks, all in a row, wrapping large roots around where the nurse log HAD been.

After a full day in the park, we headed to our new accommodations in Forks, home base of the current Twilight Saga craze. Dinner was at our leisure, but most of us ate together, continuing our struggle with the huge portions served in the land of lumberjacks.

Saturday, July 24 - Ozette/Cape Alava
What a fun day! We drove to the Ozette Ranger Station to begin our nine-mile loop on the Ozette Triangle Trail. Starting at the Ranger Station, we began our three mile walk out to Cape Alava. Sections of trail were on boardwalks and lots of aging skunk cabbage (stinky season over) lined the trail. We nervously arrived at Cape Alava, prepared to assess the situation, because that day we simply didn't have a way to avoid the high tide. The good news was that it wasn't a HIGH high tide, and we decided we could walk the three mile stretch of the wilderness beach without danger, but that we might have to spend an hour eating lunch somewhere high. It turned out that we had little problem walking the beach. Of course there were no tide pools and we had to crawl over and under some of the beach logs.

Cape Alava has many small, nearby islands that are covered with forests. A foggy morning provided lovely views of these seastacks. Clearing began around 1:00 PM, as we walked the three mile stretch of beach. A Makah village was once here, and we found several petroglyphs along the way. We lunched on the beach sitting on driftwood. Dave saw two Bald eagles on a rock outcropping and we all had a look through binoculars. After over-shooting our turning point, we found the inland Sand Point Trail which covered the last three miles back to the Ranger Station. This trail also contained a lot of boardwalk. It was a very lovely day with perfect temperatures for hiking. We ended our week long adventures with NO RAIN at all!  A Chinese restaurant in Forks provided our farewell dinner.

Sunday, July 25 - Departures
Alas, the trip was over. Dave left early, to begin driving back to Nebraska. Pat drove Cecelia and Roberta to the Seattle Airport, via the ferry, and Carol settled in to wait for her husband to join her for a second week of hiking in the area. Until the next adventure…

 

Photo Credits
Olympic Hikers on Hurricane Ridge, Gulls Posing, Olympic Marmot, Hoh Rainforest vegetation and Sooty Grouse, Carol Simon; Lake Crescent Lodge photos, Hurricane Ridge mountain view, Sol Duc rainbow, Humes Farm hike, Elwha River hike, Cape Flattery, Coastal scenic and Macaw canoes, Pat Owens; Totem detail, Dungeness Lighthouse, Marymere Falls, Peg Abbott.

 

Close This Window