As we moved on towards Lake Crescent, we passed another of Olympic’s famous beaches, Rialto Beach. This beach was not sandy at all; its shoreline was covered with round smooth stones. Most of the stones were a blue-gray color, but some were shades of brown, green, and red. We decided to hike to the sea stack called “Hole in the Wall”. The hike was about 3 miles round trip. But it was worth the effort. On the way to the “Hole in the Wall”, we saw seals playing in the breakers. We also saw another river otter scamper out of the trees into the ocean and a bald eagle soar overhead. Once we reached the sea stack and took lots of photos we explored the tidal pools around the sea stacks. They where filled with more sea stars and sea anemones.
After leaving the beach, we reached Lake Crescent. The lake was formed by a glacier and at its deepest point it is over 600 feet deep. But the waters are a clear turquoise blue; it almost looks unnatural. We spent most of the afternoon setting up camp and doing laundry.
The next morning, we had two hikes planned. The first hike was up to Marymere Falls. This hike took us back through the old growth forest similar to the Hoh rainforest. The waterfall was beautiful. It was about 90 feet high and collected in a small pool at the bottom of the fall.
From the waterfall, we headed into Port Angeles. Port Angeles is a city on the Strait of Juan de Fuca which separates the Washington state from Canada. We ate lunch on the pier at a delicious restaurant called Downriggers. I know we seem to talk about food on our blog a lot but we do appreciate good food. We started with crab dip and asparagus tempura (Washington is the nation’s leading producer of asparagus). Mom had grilled salmon, Kate, Trey, and Jim had a shrimp and crab melt, Meg and Andy had fried halibut. It was glorious! For dessert we stopped at a local produce stand and picked up 2 lbs of cherries. Both pounds were eaten in less than 2 days! They were tasty!
After our hearty lunch, we headed up the long, twisting road to Hurricane Ridge. We decided to take the hike called Hurricane Hill. I think calling it a “hill” was a bit of an understatement. We started at 5000 feet and climbed 600 feet. The trail was 1.6 miles one way- but the way up was definitely the most difficult part. When we were almost to the top Megan said, “How do we get down?”. Mom replied, “The same way we came up.” To which Megan said, “Are you freakin’ kidding me?” The trail was pretty steep but it was also gorgeous. The wildflowers were in full bloom so while we were all sucking in gasps of oxygen at least those gasps were the scent of fresh mountain air with lupine and evergreen mixed in. The ranger at the vistor center had told us that there were some spots that were still covered with snow. We all envisioned some light patches here and there. We did not expect to find entire section (some at least 100 yrds long) still completely cover with snow that was several feet deep. Once we all arrived at the top (which was at varied increments of time), we were greeted with a 360 degree view of Hurricane Ridge. It was one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen. This hike was full of unexpected wildlife encounters as well. There were black tail deer everywhere. They were not really scared of us. In fact, it was usually us that were backing away from the deer as oppose to the other way around. Megan spotted a black bear on the mountainside next to use. This was the first wild bear encounter for Megan and Trey. We also saw several Olympic marmots (this is the only place in the world where they survive) and a mother grouse with her two babies. On the drive down off the mountain, Megan spotted another black bear. This one was close enough for us to get some photos. All in the group agreed that the hike was well worth it and that we were glad we had decided to do it.
After our hike our stomachs were growling. We decided to hit up Port Angeles again. We were pleased with our choice of WestSide Pizza. And we pick up 3 more chocolate bars at the convenience store since it was Meg and Trey’s last night with us; we had to roast the last of the marshmallows. We have perfected the art of marshmallow roasting. Some of us even go as far placing our graham crackers and chocolate bars on a warm rock to heat the chocolate while our marshmallow roast. I highly recommend this technique.
By the time the marshmallow roasting was over, the moon was high in the sky and sparkling off the smooth surface of Lake Crescent. We all said reluctant good nights knowing that tomorrow would bring some temporary good-byes.
In the morning Megan and Trey headed home via the Seattle airport. And the rest of us packed our tents back into the Suburban and made the turn back east. We still have a lot of miles to go. Washington state is a long way from Concord, NC. But we have one more stop along the way. We are going to spend a day in Rocky Mountain National Park, and who knows what other adventures we will find along the way.
Kate and Andy
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