I am so far behind on my adventures...and for good reason. I had a vacation in Mexico and then relocated to the coast for a new gig, so things have been a bit hectic. I apologize for documenting my long weekend trip to Olympic National Park more than 4 months after the fact...we visited in August.
The great thing about Olympic is that you can visit very different geographical areas that are located super close to each other. The HOH Rainforest, the beach, the mountains, etc. On the first day we drove from PDX and stayed at the only campground on the coast that allows you to make reservations. Kalaloch campground is right down the road from Ruby Beach, which is where we were able to watch the sunset on our first night in Olympic.
The campgrounds fill up quickly in these parts. Ours was tiny but well secluded and right next to the beach. Early the next morning we had to make an impromptu visit to Forks which is inundated with vampire crap. Then onto Crescent Lake. Have you heard the story of the Lady of the Lake?
There was a woman that went missing. This is a true story. Her husband ended up marrying one of her BFFs and they moved to California some years later. One day, a woman's body was removed from the lake. Now, due to the weather and the conditions of the lake, the outer layers of the woman's body had turned to soap. They later identified her as the missing woman. And, get this, the husband was charged and later convicted of her murder. That is a story to be told around the campfire, is it not? I waited until my boyfriend had been soaking his feet in the crystal clear water for a bit before telling him that story.
We stayed at the campground at Lake Crescent. The forest staff were really great. Make sure you bring cash or a check. The spots are first-come-first-served and I had to stay and claim our area while my fella drove down the road to get money, because who carries cash or checks these days? An hour and a half later he returned from a wild goose chase. Machines were down, and driving around the lake and through the area takes about 10 times longer than you expect because it is windy and you can't really go faster than 25 mph. We ended up driving to the nearest town...and there of course was a parade blocking access to the only store within 100 miles with a working cash machine. So, we were in a parade. We chose to walk through to get to the general store and were sandwiched between a logging truck and a paramedic.
The next morning we explored Hurricane Ridge.
Standing and watching the mountains the fog cleared and the landscape changed every minute. There were a ton of deer that did not seem afraid of people. I became pretty concerned when a couple let their toddler run around and scream at an adolescent male with his mother. Listen, sure they are used to peeps, but you get up in their face screaming and you can end up gorged. Pretty dumb. Luckily, the deer was not too threatened. Idiots though. Seriously. But aren't his little fuzzy horns supes adorbs? I was a bit worried because he seemed to have experienced an injury to his left eye.
The area has some hikes but they are not dog-friendly. Dogs are allowed in the park, but you can't take them on most of the trails which was a big bummer.
They have an observatory and gift shop near the top of that's your thing. A ranger is available for questions and does regularly scheduled lectures.
I didn't know how yeti-crazy folks could be in these parts. So, I guess the Olympic peninsula is a land of magical creatures...vampires on the coast and Harry and his Sasquatch homies in the mountains and rainforest? Speaking of rainforest...
The HOH is unbelievable. Your choice for hikes is either short or long...there really isn't anything inbetween. Since the dog had to wait in the car, we just got to do a couple of shorter hikes and plan to come back in the Spring to backpack up to the glacier.
The trees are big and mossy y'all. I wish we had more time to explore the rainforest, but it just means that we have to go back. Tips: Give yourself at least 4 days or you will feel rushed. And hit camp grounds early in the morning if you want a spot. Watch out for Big Foot. Don't get killed and thrown in a lake.