June 24th, 2006
Olympic National Park
Highlight of today was definitely the 10.8 mile hike along the Cape Alava-Sand Point loop. The hike started off in the lush coastal forest. We walked on a boardwalk under the thick richly scented canopy of moss covered pines and firs. Ferns around us reached more than 5 feet high. The skunk cabbage leaves were 3 feet long and about 1 foot wide. Unfortunatley, the abundant wild blueberries around us had not ripened yet. The tree trunks were massive, upto 7 feet in diameter. The 3.3 mile walk was pleasant, slight uphill climb in dim, muted path, when suddenly to the left, the tree thinned down and we had a clear view of the rugged and rocky coastline dotted with tower like structures which once must have been part of the peninsula. The next 3 miles was walking south on the shore. It wasn't as easy as we would have thought. It was a sensation overload for our feet. We drudged our way through deep soft sand which would allow no footing, foot deep bed of wet seeweed that sqelched under our feet, over the small, round boulders that forced us to hop from one to the other really fast. There was driftwood everywhere, not the mornal sticks and roots, but Douglas Firs - huge Douglas Firs. And quite a few of them were blocking our path, forcing us to climb over their 6-7 feet wide trunks.Ben decided to add some challange to the walk. One of the high tide detour involved using a rope to climb up and down a 50-feet high steep rock. There was no high tide, but hey - what the heck. I was cursing and sweating all the way through, but now in hind sight - it was OK!
We took an extra mile long detour to the Sand Point Beach and then started our 3 mile walk back though the coastal forest back to our car. The only wildlife that we saw on this hike were 4-6 inches long slugs & snail making their slimy trail across the paths.

Earlier that morning, we had gone to the Hurricane Ridge. It offered a sweeping vista of the glacier topped Olympic Mountain Range. It was a sight to behold. I heard most visitors mumbling something about God, beauty and things along those lines, except for one middle aged woman who stood on the short wall at the edge of the ravine singing "Hills are alive with teh sound of music" for the benefit of his camcorder lugging husband!!
The meadows were chock full of wildflowers - Lupine, violets, foxgloves, Vetch. The ridges at the low lying area were smothered by Foxgloves, Astilbe, Huckleberries & wildberries bushes.

Around 6:00 in the evening, we reached Hoh Rain Forest. What lay before us was beyond our imaginations. The growth in certain areas was so thick that it looked like a green wall. The 3/4 mile Hall of Mosses trail meandered through old growth Pine, Spruces & Firs - upto 300 feet high. It was a banquet for the senses. We walked over soft, spongy bed created by dropped needles, we breathed in moist and slightly fragrant air, we could hear water trickling in numerous rain fed creeks, and all around us was green. Green of the mosses and lichen covered every inch of the tree bark, green of the lacy club moss draped over the branches of the trees, green of the filtered light streaming thorugh the high canopy above. Every available inch had been taken over by plants - ferns, smaller trees.

We stayed in Forks this night in a cutely named motel - "Dew Drop Inn" - with its pink doors and comfortable room.