Olympic National Park

Today we left North Cascades and headed towards the Olympic Peninsula to visit Olympic National Park.  One of Lea’s favorite things in the world is a ferry boat, so we made sure to arrange our path to utilize the Washington State Ferry System.  We had a 2-hour drive to the ferry and based on some loose information we could gather while driving, there was a ferry boat at 1:30pm. We pulled into the ferry dock just before noon and there was a boat loading.  We didn’t make that boat, we were two cars shy, but the next boat left at 12:30 so we didn’t have to wait long. 

While on the ferry we caught glimpses of Harbor Porpoises and lots of Pigeon Guillemots.  We pulled into Port Townsend and followed signage directing us to Port Angeles and eventually to Olympic National Park.  Our first stop when in Olympic was Hurricane Ridge Road.  This road drives up the side of a mountain to an overlook of the Olympic Mountain Range and has amazing views of the snow-capped peaks.  When descending it is possible to see the Straight of Juan de Fuca and the Puget Sound. 

We again had campsite reservations in Olympic at the Sol Duc Campground.  Olympic, like North Cascades and Yellowstone, is extremely spread out and time between points of interest is measured in hours of driving.  Olympic is also unique in that it one of the few temperate rainforests on the planet.  The different habitats in Olympic allow a visitor to experience such great variety; for our trip, we narrowed our visiting locations to the Ozette and Hoh Rainforest regions. 

Ozette is in the absolute northwest of the park and was an hour and a half drive from Sol Duc.  At this location, there was a nine-mile hike which took us through older growth forests and eventually a three-mile stretch on the beach.  We had planned this hike to occur close to low tide which happened at 8:30 in the morning so we were on the road by 7:00 to get there.  When we eventually reached the trailhead and hiked the three miles into the forest to reach the beach we were able to inspect the rocky intertidal zones which is home to many different species of crab, starfish, and sea urchin. 

Another very interesting site, along these beach region, is petroglyphs.  These ancient carvings in the rocks were left behind by American Indian civilizations to tell stories and identify unique happenings.  We found multiple different carvings but my favorite was the one of the orcas.  

One of the discouraging sights along the hike is the litter left behind, not by visitors but by the commercial fishing industry.  Many buoys and pounds of fishing line and rope are all washed up on the shoreline.  There are also larger pieces of debris like metal doors and destroyed boats.  With concerted efforts, the shoreline could get a nice make-over but for the time being it is a reminder of how potentially destructive some practices are. 

We finished our hike along the beach under cloudy conditions and then proceeded back on a 3-mile trail where we hiked through sunny skies.  We arrived back at our car around 2:00 and really wanted to see the Hoh Rainforest so we immediately headed down there.  We had to backtrack an hour’s drive from Ozette to the 101, then drive an hour down the 101 to the Hoh.  In driving to Hoh Rainforest we passed through Forks, WA, of Twilight fame.  In pulling into Hoh it is remarkable how big some of the Sitka Spruce and Red Cedar trees can get.  Some of the trunks measured an easy ten feet in diameter.  The largest tree in the area was marked on the map and as we were driving in we planned to stop to view it.  We pulled off the road and saw the remnants of the trunk as the tree had fallen within the past year. 

Hoh is a magical place of bountiful mosses, ferns, and lichens.  It is remarkable what an abundant amount of precipitation can do to stimulate vegetative growth.  The trees all grow straight and they are lush and full of chlorophyll.  The ground is alive and every inch that isn’t trampled by humans is covered by some plant.  It is no wonder the myths of Bigfoot spawn from these regions.  It is difficult, if not impossible to see more than 30 yards off into the forest. 

We drove back to the campsite and arrived pretty late.  One quick stop at an aspen grove for some pictures and then into the campground to make some dinner.  Aspens are an interesting plant in that when they grow in clusters they are often the same plant connected with a root system.  The largest singular organism (as far as biomass is concerned) is an aspen tree or grove of trees. 

Our next adventure will be to Mt. Rainier National Park, which is about four and a half hours away.  

North Cascades National Park

A relatively short drive (2.5 hours) and we transplanted ourselves from Seattle to North Cascades National Park.  North Cascades is a unique park in that it is very spread out and the entire region is actually the combination of three parks (North Cascades, Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, and Ross Lake National Recreation Area).  We pulled into the park and headed straight to the ranger station to find out more about the park.  We didn’t do too much research on the park, just heard it was a remote and beautiful location so we put it on our schedule. 

After talking with the rangers and identifying our hike for the next day (Cascade Pass and the Shahle Arm) we took the driving loop of the park.  We didn’t have to worry about a campsite in the park as we had reservations at the Newhalem Campground.  One of our intended stops along the way was at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center (run by the North Cascades Institute) which is their equivalent of PEEC.  Both are residential environmental education centers, both are non-profits operating within a National Park, and both serve similar clientele.  We walked in and chatted with a couple of the staff members about the differences and similarities of the two centers.  We also decided to hike a four-mile trail on their campus to a beautiful waterfall called Sourdough Falls.  It was very different to hike through the coniferous forests which were full of ferns and mosses and then arrive at the base of a waterfall.  The water was flowing over in such low volume that it was possible to see individual drops as they cascaded down the 50+ foot waterfall.  We hiked back to the center and decided to continue on the Cascade Loop which took us to some other great viewpoints.

North Cascades is unique because in the heart of the park is a series of three hydroelectric dams which generate about 20% of Seattle’s electrical power.  These dams are relatively close together and create reservoirs behind them, used for recreational activities.  Like Glacier National Park the water had a unique turquoise color caused by glacial flour, or the pulverized rock from the glacial movements. 

The next morning we woke up early and headed out to the trailhead for Cascade Pass.  With this park being so large and expansive it took us over an hour to drive to the start of the trail, over 20 miles of unpaved road.   We pulled up into an amazing parking lot which had great views of multiple high peaks in the park and large cascading waterfalls pouring down.  Unfortunately, many of the tops of these mountains were obscured by clouds. 

We started out on the trail behind a couple different groups of overnight hikers with various targets for the evening.  We switch-backed up the mountain, eventually emerging from the coniferous forest and reaching the alpine zone.  We crossed a short (less than half-mile) stretch in the alpine zone and we were at the pass.  Cascade Pass afforded Bob Ross-esque views of the mountain range with clouds moving in and out.  We took a short break for a snack and proceeded up the arm to the Shahle (SA-HAL-LEE) Glacier.  The hike was strenuous but the stretch from the pass to the arm was intense.  Each step gained between six and eight inches and was a constant climb up.  We worked past Doubtful Lake and could just make out the base of the glacier, which was another mile of trail away.  We could see hikers on a ridgeline hiking down from the summit, then within five minutes a solid mass of clouds covered them and the views of the trail.  We decided that since our legs were tired, that we were hiking for the enjoyment and the views, and that the views wouldn’t be there, we weren’t going to go any further.  We turned around and headed back to the pass. 

When we arrived at the pass the views had gotten a little better as some of the clouds had broken.  We took a couple more minutes to enjoy it and headed back down the trail to the parking lot. The hike had taken us longer than we initially thought so we headed directly back to the campsite. We wanted to get a good night’s rest because tomorrow we head for Olympic National Park.  

Seattle

We left Palouse early in the morning, not bothering to take pictures in the morning because the light would have been coming from behind the waterfall and we felt comfortable that we had explored all that the area had to offer. 

We embarked for Seattle.  Our lodging while in Seattle would be with a friend of Lea’s, Mike.  Mike had graciously offered to let us camp in his backyard Saturday night and Sunday evening we would be able to crash on his guest bed. 

 When we first pulled into Seattle we drove past a few key locations (Pike’s Market, Space Needle, and Starbucks Headquarters) but our main focus was frequenting a few craft breweries in Seattle.  We parked the car out front of Mike’s house and walked around the brewery district of Seattle.  We hoped from brewery to brewery and eventually settled on some sushi for dinner where Mike met us after he had been out all day.  We headed back to his house and set up all of our equipment in the backyard.  Our next day was designed to be as touristy as possible. 

Early Sunday morning we woke up.  Lea surprised me this morning as she was up and moving about by 6:00am.  We decided that we should try to beat all the traffic and people and go to the major sights before they became too crowded.  This would allow us to get some pictures with the car in a few iconic locations.  By 7:15am we had visited Pike’s Place Market, Space Needle, Starbucks and our final stop would be Alki Beach as it was recommended because you could see anything in the water.  As we strolled along Alki beach we stumbled onto a Bald Eagle sitting 20 feet from photographers on the rocky beach.  It was a nice morning walk but we had agreed to take Mike out for brunch as a thank-you for hosting us so we had to head back.

We headed back and met up with Mike and we then departed for the Ballard Farmers Market and a nearby restaurant.  The market was a happening place with street performers and vendors selling everything from soap to doughnut peaches.  We had a nice brunch and headed back because Lea and I wanted to frequent some of our previous stops from the morning, this time as actual visitors, and not just photographers of a car. 

Our main stop was the combo of the Space Needle and Chihuly Glass.  We arrived to see the Seattle Center was having a huge festival, the “Bite of Seattle” which had hundreds of vendors including food trucks, handcrafted goods, and corporate booths.  The event also featured live bands on five stages.  We bought our tickets for the observation deck of the Space Needle and passes to tour the Chihuly museum.  We first toured the museum and saw some of the most awe-inspiring works of art we had ever observed.  The sheer size and magnitude of the glass sculptures and the ornate details of the projects was second to none. 

Between touring Chihuly and heading over to the Space Needle at our specific time we walked around the festival.  We tried some different foods and enjoyed some strawberry lemonades while watching the International Fountain at Seattle Center. It was nice to have a great distraction to allow the time to pass.  We then walked back to the Space Needle for our 4:00 tour. 

The views of Seattle from the Space Needle are amazing.  The 360-degree view while you walk around is breathtaking and allows a view of the city like none other.  At the time of our visit there had been over 58 million visitors to the Space Needle since it first opened in 1962. 

On our way home we decided to stop at another highly recommended brewery then proceeded to dinner.  We were in Seattle and we had to try some fresh seafood so we choose the Highliner Public House.  The food was delicious.  Finally, our evening concluded with us returning back to Mike’s to sleep and pack up for our next adventure.  Tomorrow we are heading to North Cascades National Park which is only a short drive from the Seattle.