2 Aug - 6 Aug 2008
Overall impression: Upper Thunder Basin is an amazing, magical place.
2 Aug 2008
Pre-hike: I arrived at the visitor center to have my trip itinerary totally re-arranged due to high levels of snowpack. The ranger station and backcountry office were wonderful in providing suggestions for re-planning my trip. They provided free bear canister loans. I borrowed a size "small," as I would be able to hang my food for the first few days of my trip.
Pre-trip hike: .5 mile loop - Gorge Overlook Trail. this trail overlooks the lake and hydroelectric dam.
Day 1 hiking: 6.9 miles to McAllister camp. The hike is easy, and only took about 2 3/4 hours. This was the only camp I stayed at that had seperate kitchen and sleeping areas.
Day 2: McAllister camp to Upper Thunder Basin Camp - 11.6 miles, 7 hours. The first 7.3 miles in 4 hours, 4 miles in 3 hours through "The Meadows of Despare," downed trees, and snowfields. This was the day I adjusted my trip itenerary, as I reached my intended campsite (Skagit Queen) before 2pm, and found it to be buggy and not really a place I wanted to spend my afternoon. While changing itinerary mid-trip is frowned upon, I knew this was a little used area of the park. Additionally, I was still in the same area of the park, just doing a 6 day trip in 5 days. I was also concerned about food and water purification capabilities for six full days, based on my food and water intake over the first two days. Upper Thunder Basin is an amazing location. It is surrounded by glaciers and was a valley full of wildflowers in full bloom when I was there. It is a little piece of paradise perched in the mountains.
Day 3: Upper Thunder Basin to Skagit Queen Camp (possibly Horse Camp.) 4.5 miles of backpacking plus additional "day hike" up at Upper Thunder Basin. I did a morning "day hike" up to the pass above Upper Thunder Basin, then packed up camp to head down to Skagit Queen Camp. This site is one I would avoid in the future - It lacks flat spaces, has plentiful mosquitoes, and requires a bit of a walk to get to a water source.
Day 4: Skagit Queen Camp to McAllister Camp, with Meadow Cabin Trail included Milage: ?
The Meadow Cabin Trail is a steep side trail that drops down to an old cabin. One cabin was in the middle of being restored, one was unrestored. I was able to explore the restored cagin, which had lots of supplies and a guest book. I weighed my pack on a spring scale there, which said it was about 30 lbs. The hike out was hot, long, and straight up.
At some point that day I saw people for the first time since the man who provided guidance - about 43 hours without seeing another human.
Day 5: McAllister Camp to Trailhead. Milage: 6.9 miles. Time: 2 3/4 hrs
My return to "civilization" went faster than I wanted. People seemed odd and foreign. There is a pay phone in Newell, WA (in the park), which is where I called out to let the world (or at least Libby) know that I had safety returned.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Mt. Rainier National Park - Trip Details
30 June - 4 July 2008
Pictures from the Trip!
I left Seattle uncertain of exactly where I would go and what I would do, as there is an unusual amount of snow this late in the season all over the Pacific Northwest. My general plan was to enter the park from the SW side and leave through the NE, seeing what I could see and camping wherever I could, be it frontcountry or backcountry.
The drive in was uneventful, and included a brief stop at the "Little White Church" in Elbe, Washington, which is on the National Historical Site register. It is a tiny church that was built by the town so that they could have their own place of worship; the priest arrived by train and bicycle for the monthly church service.
Upon entering Rainier I stopped at Longmire to talk to the backcountry rangers about the conditions of backcountry sites. They were very helpful, providing lots of information. Unsure as to how crowded the campground would be, I drove 2 miles up the road to it, got a site, and then biked back down to Longmire to explore the trails, check out the museum, and get a backcountry permit for the following night.
The short interpretive trail in the Longmire area goes around the Longmire meadow and through the mineral springs baths that were originally set up in the area by the Longmire family when they ran a resort in the area. The springs were interesting, but I think I'm a bit jaded from Yellowstone. It was nice to get out and walk through the woods, although I had trouble remembering that not much higher up everything was snowcovered.
That night I went to the evening ranger program at the campground. I was very impressed with it; usually I already have a solid background in whatever the ranger is talking about. That particular evening the talk was on the "5 senses... no the other ones," which turned out to be Adventure, Wonder, Honor, Ownership, and Place. He presented well, and I really feel like he got to the heart of what OEE and interpretation is all about. He did a great job of starting with the familiar 5 senses and drawing from there, and overall I was incredibly impressed with the content and the presentation.
I spent most of Tuesday exploring the Paradise area and the main visitor center there. They still officially had 11 feet of snow on the ground, which did put a damper on the wildflower ranger walk I went on, however we did find some wildflowers at the edges of walkways, where the snow had already melted out.
My "major hike" of the day didn't cover much mileage, but I went up about 1,600 feet to 5,800 feet over the course of just over a mile & 1/2, and all of it was on snow. I'd forgotten how much hiking up snow sucks. Thankfully going back down was a lot easier, and a few short sections I was able to glissade down (kind of like skiing, but without skis... basically sliding down on your feet in the snow... the trick is to not fall over!) Upon returning to Paradise I went on another ranger walk - this time focused on the geology of the area. We walked the Nisqually overlook trail, which leads to an overlook where you can see the terminus of the Nisqually glacier. This also gave me a good view of my earlier hike, and verified that I had been looking down at the glacier; it was just covered in snow. Upon my return to Pardise I wandered about the visitor center and then headed off to my first night in the backcountry at Nickel Creek backcountry site.
The hike in to Nickel Creek, while only about a mile, was snowy for the last 1/3, despite the "snow free" map having indicated otherwise. I successfully reached my campsite despite all the snow, however I only knew I was there because I found the pit-toilet. All in all I had a good night - my tent did fine being pitched on snow and my little soda-can stove that I built didn't seem to melt down at all (it was on a thin metal piece), which kind of surprised me. I spent a solid hour working on setting up a bear bag, as trees that shed snow well aren't too conducive to holding up ropes.
Wednesday's highlight was by far the Grove of the Patriarchs, and old-growth area with 1,000 year old trees. I can't even begin to describe how amazing the old, giant trees are. Their presence can be felt throughout the grove of trees.
While I was unsure of the snow conditions I'd find up at my 2nd backcountry camp, at lower Crystal Lake, I was pleasantly surprised to find very little snow, despite the fact that I was up at 5,400 feet (Nickel creek was only at 3,400). I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon exploring the area, however my night was filled with thunderstorms. While I was in quite a safe area, it is hard to sleep amidst massive pyrotechnics going on all around.
Thursday marked the opening day of the road to Sunrise, and I migrated upwards. While I had planned on staying in the frontcountry campsite, there was a question of water quality and no one was sure if it would actually open or not. I opted to get another backcountry permit to spend the night out at Sunrise walk-in site, just over a mile from the Sunrise visitor center. I spent most of my time at and around the visitor center learning about glaciers. I went on yet another ranger walk, as well as a ranger talk on glaciers. The walk was led by someone who spent the winter working in outdoor environmental ed with someone who I used to work with down in California, yet again proving that the world of OEE is a small one.
During the glacier talk I learned a lot of cool things. In particular, there are ice worms that live in the glaciers on Rainier, as well as on glaciers in other mountains in the cascade range, up north through Alaska. They aren't found anywhere else in the world (as far as is known), and they can only survive at 32 degrees Farenheight. Above or below that they die. They regulate their body temperature by moving up and down in the glaciers through the small spaces between the ice crystals. They feed on the bacteria & algae that grow in the glaciers, and will occasionally travel into snow, but will not venture far from the glaciers. Very little is known about how they reproduce or repopulate areas. However, they have repopulated Mt. St. Helens post-eruption and now live in the new glaciers that have formed there. It is suspected that they may travel via birds which frequent both areas and eat the worms. However, due to their specific temperature needs no one knows how this would actually occur.
My last night in Rainier was by far the best. The hike out was quite enjoyable, I managed to find enough snowless ground to pitch my tent, despite the fact that the area was largely covered by snow, I had a relatively easy time setting up my bear bag, and went for a nice post-dinner walk. I also slept like a rock with near-perfect sleeping conditions.
Friday the rest of life called me back to Seattle to prepare for my next trip - 3 weeks in Costa Rica.
Pictures from the Trip!
I left Seattle uncertain of exactly where I would go and what I would do, as there is an unusual amount of snow this late in the season all over the Pacific Northwest. My general plan was to enter the park from the SW side and leave through the NE, seeing what I could see and camping wherever I could, be it frontcountry or backcountry.
The drive in was uneventful, and included a brief stop at the "Little White Church" in Elbe, Washington, which is on the National Historical Site register. It is a tiny church that was built by the town so that they could have their own place of worship; the priest arrived by train and bicycle for the monthly church service.
Upon entering Rainier I stopped at Longmire to talk to the backcountry rangers about the conditions of backcountry sites. They were very helpful, providing lots of information. Unsure as to how crowded the campground would be, I drove 2 miles up the road to it, got a site, and then biked back down to Longmire to explore the trails, check out the museum, and get a backcountry permit for the following night.
The short interpretive trail in the Longmire area goes around the Longmire meadow and through the mineral springs baths that were originally set up in the area by the Longmire family when they ran a resort in the area. The springs were interesting, but I think I'm a bit jaded from Yellowstone. It was nice to get out and walk through the woods, although I had trouble remembering that not much higher up everything was snowcovered.
That night I went to the evening ranger program at the campground. I was very impressed with it; usually I already have a solid background in whatever the ranger is talking about. That particular evening the talk was on the "5 senses... no the other ones," which turned out to be Adventure, Wonder, Honor, Ownership, and Place. He presented well, and I really feel like he got to the heart of what OEE and interpretation is all about. He did a great job of starting with the familiar 5 senses and drawing from there, and overall I was incredibly impressed with the content and the presentation.
I spent most of Tuesday exploring the Paradise area and the main visitor center there. They still officially had 11 feet of snow on the ground, which did put a damper on the wildflower ranger walk I went on, however we did find some wildflowers at the edges of walkways, where the snow had already melted out.
My "major hike" of the day didn't cover much mileage, but I went up about 1,600 feet to 5,800 feet over the course of just over a mile & 1/2, and all of it was on snow. I'd forgotten how much hiking up snow sucks. Thankfully going back down was a lot easier, and a few short sections I was able to glissade down (kind of like skiing, but without skis... basically sliding down on your feet in the snow... the trick is to not fall over!) Upon returning to Paradise I went on another ranger walk - this time focused on the geology of the area. We walked the Nisqually overlook trail, which leads to an overlook where you can see the terminus of the Nisqually glacier. This also gave me a good view of my earlier hike, and verified that I had been looking down at the glacier; it was just covered in snow. Upon my return to Pardise I wandered about the visitor center and then headed off to my first night in the backcountry at Nickel Creek backcountry site.
The hike in to Nickel Creek, while only about a mile, was snowy for the last 1/3, despite the "snow free" map having indicated otherwise. I successfully reached my campsite despite all the snow, however I only knew I was there because I found the pit-toilet. All in all I had a good night - my tent did fine being pitched on snow and my little soda-can stove that I built didn't seem to melt down at all (it was on a thin metal piece), which kind of surprised me. I spent a solid hour working on setting up a bear bag, as trees that shed snow well aren't too conducive to holding up ropes.
Wednesday's highlight was by far the Grove of the Patriarchs, and old-growth area with 1,000 year old trees. I can't even begin to describe how amazing the old, giant trees are. Their presence can be felt throughout the grove of trees.
While I was unsure of the snow conditions I'd find up at my 2nd backcountry camp, at lower Crystal Lake, I was pleasantly surprised to find very little snow, despite the fact that I was up at 5,400 feet (Nickel creek was only at 3,400). I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon exploring the area, however my night was filled with thunderstorms. While I was in quite a safe area, it is hard to sleep amidst massive pyrotechnics going on all around.
Thursday marked the opening day of the road to Sunrise, and I migrated upwards. While I had planned on staying in the frontcountry campsite, there was a question of water quality and no one was sure if it would actually open or not. I opted to get another backcountry permit to spend the night out at Sunrise walk-in site, just over a mile from the Sunrise visitor center. I spent most of my time at and around the visitor center learning about glaciers. I went on yet another ranger walk, as well as a ranger talk on glaciers. The walk was led by someone who spent the winter working in outdoor environmental ed with someone who I used to work with down in California, yet again proving that the world of OEE is a small one.
During the glacier talk I learned a lot of cool things. In particular, there are ice worms that live in the glaciers on Rainier, as well as on glaciers in other mountains in the cascade range, up north through Alaska. They aren't found anywhere else in the world (as far as is known), and they can only survive at 32 degrees Farenheight. Above or below that they die. They regulate their body temperature by moving up and down in the glaciers through the small spaces between the ice crystals. They feed on the bacteria & algae that grow in the glaciers, and will occasionally travel into snow, but will not venture far from the glaciers. Very little is known about how they reproduce or repopulate areas. However, they have repopulated Mt. St. Helens post-eruption and now live in the new glaciers that have formed there. It is suspected that they may travel via birds which frequent both areas and eat the worms. However, due to their specific temperature needs no one knows how this would actually occur.
My last night in Rainier was by far the best. The hike out was quite enjoyable, I managed to find enough snowless ground to pitch my tent, despite the fact that the area was largely covered by snow, I had a relatively easy time setting up my bear bag, and went for a nice post-dinner walk. I also slept like a rock with near-perfect sleeping conditions.
Friday the rest of life called me back to Seattle to prepare for my next trip - 3 weeks in Costa Rica.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Mt. Rainier National Park - Vital Stats
5 day trip to Mt. Rainier National Park
30 June - 4 July 2008
Click on heading to read details.
Monday
30 June
Seattle to Cougar Rock Campground, Mt. Rainier National Park
Park Entrance Fee - $15 (good for 7 days, or "America the Beatuiful Parks pass"
Camping Fee - $15
Drove: 105 miles
Hiked: 3/4 mile - Longmire interpretive trail
Biked: ~4 miles, from Campground, down to Longmire, and back up to the Campground
I got lots of good info from the backcountry ranger station in Longmire, including a backcountry permit to camp at Nickel Creek the following night. There is no charge for backcountry permits, but you must register with the park to spend the night in the backcountry. They had a map of highlighted trails where snow was known to have melted out, which was quite useful.
Cougar Rock Campground is your standard National Park frontcountry campground, including evening ranger programs. However the layout was such that some of the sites were quite far from the bathrooms; I cut through an unused site that was behind mine to shorten my hike.
Tuesday
1 July 2008
Cougar Rock Campground to Nickel Creek backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 21 miles
Hiked: about 5+ miles
Hike in from road to site: Slightly less than a mile, took about 1/2 hour each way due to snow and swampy areas.
Nickel Creek backcountry campsite is along the wonderland trail, about 1 mile from the box canyon parking area, just east of a short tunnel on the road. There are two box canyon parking areas, however the eastern one is directly across from the trailhead. The hike is fairly easy, gaining most of its 400 foot gain early on. About the last 1/3 of the trail was snow covered, and the bridge across Nickel creek (which was about 20 feet wide and running fast) was missing a handrail, which I had been warned about. It was still a fairly easy crossing, but the bridge was only about 2 feet wide. With snowmelt full-on upstream (despite having 2-3 feet of snow on the ground) I had to do some route-finding to get past a very marshy area and up onto dry land. The toilet for the site was easily visible, and my only indication that I was actually there. The bear pole had probably fallen over and was under snow.
I spent most of the day at Paradise, hiking upwards on snow and learning things in ranger programs. I hiked up to near Panorama point, up to around 6800 ft, gaining something like 1,600 feet over just over 1.5 miles. Thankfully going down on the somewhat wet snow was much easier than going up.
Wednesday
2 July 2008
Nickel Creek backcountry site to Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 19.7 miles
Distance from road to campsite: 2.3 or 2.5 miles to lower crystal lake, 3 miles to upper crystal lake. 1 hr 20 minutes to lower crystal lake, about another 15-20 minutes to upper crystal lake (Includes time to stop & check out lower crystal lake campsites.) The hike down took just under an hour.
Hiked: 7+ miles
Lower Crystal Lake campsite is near the NE border of the park on crystal mountain. When chatting with a ranger my first night I was warned that the parking area is one of the few places that they have had theft problems, as it is on the main highway (and by theft problems its been about 2 "smash & go" situations of small valuables over the course of about 5 years.) Hiking up I passed several dayhikers on their way down, as well as two backpackers who were going without a permit, and who didn't seem prepared for how hard the hike would be, possibly due to elevation.
The hike is fairly continually up, with an elevation of 1,900 feet (up to 5,400 feet) over 2.3-2.5 (signs & maps dissagree) to lower crystal lake, and a total of 2,300 feet over about 3 miles to upper crystal lake. The trail was almost completely snow free, which was a nice change from all my snowy hiking earlier in the trip. I went all the way to upper crystal lake, but decided to head back down to lower for more solitude (and thats where my permit was actually for, although I basically was told by the ranger I got it from that it didn't really matter.) I was glad of my choice overnight when massive thunderstorms rolled through, as the sites at lower crystal lake are a bit more protected than the ones at upper crystal lake.
On my way I stopped at the Grove of the Patriarchs, which is a 1.5 miles fairly flat trail that leads to a suspension bridge across the Ohenapacosh river onto a small island with 1,000 year old trees. The grove is amazing and I spent quite a bit of time there.
Ohenapacosh proper, one of the 4 visitor centers in the park (Longmire, Paradise, Ohenapacosh, and Sunrise) was a bit disappointing, as was the small guided trail there. I'm sure if I had just entered the park I would have enjoyed it more. The visitor center is quite small and in the midst of the campground there.
Thursday
3 July 2008
Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site to Sunrise walk-in backcountry site
Camping fee- free, backcountry permit required
Distance to campsite - 1.3 miles, -100 feet of elevation from parking lot. It took me around 30 minutes to go each way, with snow slowing down sections of the trail.
Drove: 26 miles
Hiked: ~5.5 miles
I slept in quite late due to lack of sleep from the massive thunderstorms overnight. I arguably chose either a really good or really bad night to test out a few things in how my tent was set up. I am continually impressed with how well it does in wet weather, even when not set up quite right (It is the Tarptent Contrail). It does MUCH better than the "standard" tents I've slept in under inclement weather, is super light weight, and was relatively inexpensive.
I spent the afternoon wandering about paradise and checking out ranger programs. I learned a lot of cool things about glaciers, including that there are ice worms that live in the glaciers in the cascade range. I got a lot of good info as far as finding my campsite for the night from one of the rangers.
A good portion of the trail out was snow free, and I managed to find a space just big enough to squeeze my tent into that was snow free in one of the campsites. I did the 1.3 mile hike in about a half hour. However, most of the ground in and around the campsite was covered in about 2 feet of snow.
Friday
4 July 2008
Sunrise walk-in backcountry site back to Seattle
Drove: 107 miles
Hiked: 1.3 miles
The hike back and drive back were both uneventful. There is NPR reception from Seattle for the entire drive back, and there are several forest service land campsites just to the north of the park, some of which are free.
30 June - 4 July 2008
Click on heading to read details.
Monday
30 June
Seattle to Cougar Rock Campground, Mt. Rainier National Park
Park Entrance Fee - $15 (good for 7 days, or "America the Beatuiful Parks pass"
Camping Fee - $15
Drove: 105 miles
Hiked: 3/4 mile - Longmire interpretive trail
Biked: ~4 miles, from Campground, down to Longmire, and back up to the Campground
I got lots of good info from the backcountry ranger station in Longmire, including a backcountry permit to camp at Nickel Creek the following night. There is no charge for backcountry permits, but you must register with the park to spend the night in the backcountry. They had a map of highlighted trails where snow was known to have melted out, which was quite useful.
Cougar Rock Campground is your standard National Park frontcountry campground, including evening ranger programs. However the layout was such that some of the sites were quite far from the bathrooms; I cut through an unused site that was behind mine to shorten my hike.
Tuesday
1 July 2008
Cougar Rock Campground to Nickel Creek backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 21 miles
Hiked: about 5+ miles
Hike in from road to site: Slightly less than a mile, took about 1/2 hour each way due to snow and swampy areas.
Nickel Creek backcountry campsite is along the wonderland trail, about 1 mile from the box canyon parking area, just east of a short tunnel on the road. There are two box canyon parking areas, however the eastern one is directly across from the trailhead. The hike is fairly easy, gaining most of its 400 foot gain early on. About the last 1/3 of the trail was snow covered, and the bridge across Nickel creek (which was about 20 feet wide and running fast) was missing a handrail, which I had been warned about. It was still a fairly easy crossing, but the bridge was only about 2 feet wide. With snowmelt full-on upstream (despite having 2-3 feet of snow on the ground) I had to do some route-finding to get past a very marshy area and up onto dry land. The toilet for the site was easily visible, and my only indication that I was actually there. The bear pole had probably fallen over and was under snow.
I spent most of the day at Paradise, hiking upwards on snow and learning things in ranger programs. I hiked up to near Panorama point, up to around 6800 ft, gaining something like 1,600 feet over just over 1.5 miles. Thankfully going down on the somewhat wet snow was much easier than going up.
Wednesday
2 July 2008
Nickel Creek backcountry site to Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site
Camping fee - none (free permit required)
Drove: 19.7 miles
Distance from road to campsite: 2.3 or 2.5 miles to lower crystal lake, 3 miles to upper crystal lake. 1 hr 20 minutes to lower crystal lake, about another 15-20 minutes to upper crystal lake (Includes time to stop & check out lower crystal lake campsites.) The hike down took just under an hour.
Hiked: 7+ miles
Lower Crystal Lake campsite is near the NE border of the park on crystal mountain. When chatting with a ranger my first night I was warned that the parking area is one of the few places that they have had theft problems, as it is on the main highway (and by theft problems its been about 2 "smash & go" situations of small valuables over the course of about 5 years.) Hiking up I passed several dayhikers on their way down, as well as two backpackers who were going without a permit, and who didn't seem prepared for how hard the hike would be, possibly due to elevation.
The hike is fairly continually up, with an elevation of 1,900 feet (up to 5,400 feet) over 2.3-2.5 (signs & maps dissagree) to lower crystal lake, and a total of 2,300 feet over about 3 miles to upper crystal lake. The trail was almost completely snow free, which was a nice change from all my snowy hiking earlier in the trip. I went all the way to upper crystal lake, but decided to head back down to lower for more solitude (and thats where my permit was actually for, although I basically was told by the ranger I got it from that it didn't really matter.) I was glad of my choice overnight when massive thunderstorms rolled through, as the sites at lower crystal lake are a bit more protected than the ones at upper crystal lake.
On my way I stopped at the Grove of the Patriarchs, which is a 1.5 miles fairly flat trail that leads to a suspension bridge across the Ohenapacosh river onto a small island with 1,000 year old trees. The grove is amazing and I spent quite a bit of time there.
Ohenapacosh proper, one of the 4 visitor centers in the park (Longmire, Paradise, Ohenapacosh, and Sunrise) was a bit disappointing, as was the small guided trail there. I'm sure if I had just entered the park I would have enjoyed it more. The visitor center is quite small and in the midst of the campground there.
Thursday
3 July 2008
Lower Crystal Lake backcountry site to Sunrise walk-in backcountry site
Camping fee- free, backcountry permit required
Distance to campsite - 1.3 miles, -100 feet of elevation from parking lot. It took me around 30 minutes to go each way, with snow slowing down sections of the trail.
Drove: 26 miles
Hiked: ~5.5 miles
I slept in quite late due to lack of sleep from the massive thunderstorms overnight. I arguably chose either a really good or really bad night to test out a few things in how my tent was set up. I am continually impressed with how well it does in wet weather, even when not set up quite right (It is the Tarptent Contrail). It does MUCH better than the "standard" tents I've slept in under inclement weather, is super light weight, and was relatively inexpensive.
I spent the afternoon wandering about paradise and checking out ranger programs. I learned a lot of cool things about glaciers, including that there are ice worms that live in the glaciers in the cascade range. I got a lot of good info as far as finding my campsite for the night from one of the rangers.
A good portion of the trail out was snow free, and I managed to find a space just big enough to squeeze my tent into that was snow free in one of the campsites. I did the 1.3 mile hike in about a half hour. However, most of the ground in and around the campsite was covered in about 2 feet of snow.
Friday
4 July 2008
Sunrise walk-in backcountry site back to Seattle
Drove: 107 miles
Hiked: 1.3 miles
The hike back and drive back were both uneventful. There is NPR reception from Seattle for the entire drive back, and there are several forest service land campsites just to the north of the park, some of which are free.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Vancouver Island Bike Trip - Vital Stats
Sunday June 15 - Wednesday June 18th
Bike trip to Vancouver Island from Orcas Island
Click header to read full post
Sunday
27 miles
Start: Camp Orkila, Orcas Island
End: Island View Campground, Vancouver Island
Cost of Camping: $25
Trail Notes: Sections of the trail are difficult to follow through residential areas. Watch carefully for the Lochside street signs and trail signs. About 5 miles south of Sidney (roughly), at Mt. something crossroad make sure to re-find the trail near the Esso station & pedestrian overpass across the highway. The signs for the trail are confusing and appear to point you onto the highway, which you do not want. Going through customs is very easy by bike.
High Points: Seeing Orcas Island from Vancouver Island
Monday
23 miles
Start: Island View Campground, Vancouver Island
End: Thetis Lake Campground, Vancouver Island
Cost of Camping: $18 for a tiny hiker/biker camp site surrounded by RVs
Trail Notes: Sinage of trail is generally better while weaving through the sprawl around Victoria.
High Points: Saanich Historical Artifact Society
Tuesday
12 miles
Start: Thetis Lake Campground, Vancouver Island
End: Sam's apartment in Victoria, Vancouver Island
Cost of Camping: N/A
Trail Notes: Cars in Victoria are generally considerate to bikers. The Abkhazi Gardens give you a dollar off admission for showing up on a bike (or by bus or foot).
High Points: Abkhazi Gardens, Beacon Hill Park
Wednesday
35 miles
Start: Sam's apartment in Victoria, Vancouver Island
End: Camp Orkila, Orcas Island
Trail Notes: Rails-to-Trails bike trails are awesome for covering mileage quickly. Customs are again easy via bike, however you go through checkpoints in both Canada and the US. We arrived about 30 minutes early for the ferry, and we would have been fine if we arrived a little later.
High Points: Seeing a house being moved up from Seattle while on the ferry, which we had seen on the news earlier that morning; riding down hills on Orcas.
Bike trip to Vancouver Island from Orcas Island
Click header to read full post
27 miles
Start: Camp Orkila, Orcas Island
End: Island View Campground, Vancouver Island
Cost of Camping: $25
Trail Notes: Sections of the trail are difficult to follow through residential areas. Watch carefully for the Lochside street signs and trail signs. About 5 miles south of Sidney (roughly), at Mt. something crossroad make sure to re-find the trail near the Esso station & pedestrian overpass across the highway. The signs for the trail are confusing and appear to point you onto the highway, which you do not want. Going through customs is very easy by bike.
High Points: Seeing Orcas Island from Vancouver Island
23 miles
Start: Island View Campground, Vancouver Island
End: Thetis Lake Campground, Vancouver Island
Cost of Camping: $18 for a tiny hiker/biker camp site surrounded by RVs
Trail Notes: Sinage of trail is generally better while weaving through the sprawl around Victoria.
High Points: Saanich Historical Artifact Society
12 miles
Start: Thetis Lake Campground, Vancouver Island
End: Sam's apartment in Victoria, Vancouver Island
Cost of Camping: N/A
Trail Notes: Cars in Victoria are generally considerate to bikers. The Abkhazi Gardens give you a dollar off admission for showing up on a bike (or by bus or foot).
High Points: Abkhazi Gardens, Beacon Hill Park
35 miles
Start: Sam's apartment in Victoria, Vancouver Island
End: Camp Orkila, Orcas Island
Trail Notes: Rails-to-Trails bike trails are awesome for covering mileage quickly. Customs are again easy via bike, however you go through checkpoints in both Canada and the US. We arrived about 30 minutes early for the ferry, and we would have been fine if we arrived a little later.
High Points: Seeing a house being moved up from Seattle while on the ferry, which we had seen on the news earlier that morning; riding down hills on Orcas.
Vancouver Island Bike Trip - All the Details
Pictures from the trip
We headed off on our adventure Sunday morning around 7, leaving plenty of time to bike to the ferry. Despite being weighted down with all of our gear, we made good time to the ferry and biked the hilly 10 miles in just under an hour.
After a few hours on the ferry we arrived in Sidney and easily went through customs. We spent a few hours exploring, generally discovering that most of the interesting things to do were ones that we easily had access to at Orkila, and really had no interest in paying to do things that were similar to classes we taught. We did have lunch at Maria's Souvlaki, a really great Greek restaurant which had been recommended to us.
Our original plan for the day was to camp at MacDonald campground, which is part of the Gulf Island National Park Reserve. However, we discovered that this section of the park was limited to a campground surrounded by roads, and bordered by the highway on one side. The one upside was that it was cheapest campground we found throughout our trip, at only $13.70CA. Instead of staying we headed south to put more millage under our belts and to stay at Island View Campground.
We biked along the Lochside trail, an Rails-to-Trails bike path that is part of the trail system on Vancouver Island. It is great, however the signage along certain sections that wind through residential areas could be improved. Thankfully the people we ran into were very helpful, and we discovered that if we stood around for a few minutes looking at a map someone who was knowledgeable about the area would point us in the correct direction.
Close to the campground we stopped at Michell's farm's store, which was full of locally grown produce, although unfortunately out of strawberries. We talked to the people there were all very friendly. From them we found out that Orcas was visible from shore, and comiserated about picking up the wrong country's cell phone signal from living so close to the border.
Upon reaching the campground & regional park, we discovered that camping was a ridiculous $25CA a night. While sitting on the beach & pondering what to do we met up with Aaron, another cyclist who was trying to figure out what to do for the night. We decided to share a site for a night, since splitting it three ways got the cost down to something somewhat reasonable. The campground was more focused RVs, which had the beach view, than tents, and the tenting area felt like an overly manicured lawn trying to look natural. It also had all sorts of amenities that we didn't care about, such as showers and laundry.
We all slept out under the stars that night, and we even stayed awake long enough to see a few of them while waiting for it to get dark enough to fall asleep. This close to the summer solstice means very little actual night this far north.
Monday Libby and I enjoyed a nice slow start and headed just a bit north on the bike trail up to the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society where we spent about 5 hours exploring only a part of the history of the area packed into various buildings. Highlights included lots of old farm equipment and a boathouse that is a memorial to two brothers who lived nearby on a farm which they ran virtually unchanged from how it was run by their parents at the turn of the last century.
While wandering around we both noted that the island culture of the area was much more pervasive than anything else; it felt just like we were on another one if the islands instead of in Canada. And historically, the area is much more connected to Washington and the other islands than to eastern Canada. We ran into several people who, upon hearing we were from Orcas, followed up by asking if it was Canadian or US.
As the afternoon drew on we headed down the Lochside Trail to the junction with the Galloping Goose trail and turned west towards Thetis Lake Regional Park. After various adventures in getting lost trying to follow directions to somewhere we could cash a traveler's check, we successfully acquired more Canadian money and managed to get to the campgrounds before sunset, which is much less of an accomplishment when sunset occurs so late.
In the morning we briefly checked out Thetis lake, which we were unimpressed with. After living on the ocean, the lake seemed odd, and we both found the concrete walkway into the water unsettling; the whole area was structured as if water levels were absolutely constant. The lake lacked dead trees leaning from the bank into the water, and other subtle signs of the natural world. After spending 20 minutes criticizing the area for feeling unnatural and unsettling we headed off for a short ride to Victoria, where we explore the Abkhazi gardens. We both really enjoyed wandering around looking at plants and trying to figure out what a lot of them were. The garden is run in a very "green" manner, with a big focus on being as environmentally friendly as possible, which even includes mowing the lawns with a push mower.
We then met up with my friend Sam, wandered about Beacon Hill Park and generally hung out. While walking around we passed the BC Natural History Museum, which looked like it would be a great place to spend a day exploring.
Wednesday was our big long travel day back. We biked about 35 miles in total, and spent most of the day biking or on ferries. Customs were easy to get through, and we had about 45 minutes to wander about Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, as we waited for a different ferry to take us all the way back to Orcas.
We headed off on our adventure Sunday morning around 7, leaving plenty of time to bike to the ferry. Despite being weighted down with all of our gear, we made good time to the ferry and biked the hilly 10 miles in just under an hour.
After a few hours on the ferry we arrived in Sidney and easily went through customs. We spent a few hours exploring, generally discovering that most of the interesting things to do were ones that we easily had access to at Orkila, and really had no interest in paying to do things that were similar to classes we taught. We did have lunch at Maria's Souvlaki, a really great Greek restaurant which had been recommended to us.
Our original plan for the day was to camp at MacDonald campground, which is part of the Gulf Island National Park Reserve. However, we discovered that this section of the park was limited to a campground surrounded by roads, and bordered by the highway on one side. The one upside was that it was cheapest campground we found throughout our trip, at only $13.70CA. Instead of staying we headed south to put more millage under our belts and to stay at Island View Campground.
We biked along the Lochside trail, an Rails-to-Trails bike path that is part of the trail system on Vancouver Island. It is great, however the signage along certain sections that wind through residential areas could be improved. Thankfully the people we ran into were very helpful, and we discovered that if we stood around for a few minutes looking at a map someone who was knowledgeable about the area would point us in the correct direction.
Close to the campground we stopped at Michell's farm's store, which was full of locally grown produce, although unfortunately out of strawberries. We talked to the people there were all very friendly. From them we found out that Orcas was visible from shore, and comiserated about picking up the wrong country's cell phone signal from living so close to the border.
Upon reaching the campground & regional park, we discovered that camping was a ridiculous $25CA a night. While sitting on the beach & pondering what to do we met up with Aaron, another cyclist who was trying to figure out what to do for the night. We decided to share a site for a night, since splitting it three ways got the cost down to something somewhat reasonable. The campground was more focused RVs, which had the beach view, than tents, and the tenting area felt like an overly manicured lawn trying to look natural. It also had all sorts of amenities that we didn't care about, such as showers and laundry.
We all slept out under the stars that night, and we even stayed awake long enough to see a few of them while waiting for it to get dark enough to fall asleep. This close to the summer solstice means very little actual night this far north.
Monday Libby and I enjoyed a nice slow start and headed just a bit north on the bike trail up to the Saanich Historical Artifacts Society where we spent about 5 hours exploring only a part of the history of the area packed into various buildings. Highlights included lots of old farm equipment and a boathouse that is a memorial to two brothers who lived nearby on a farm which they ran virtually unchanged from how it was run by their parents at the turn of the last century.
While wandering around we both noted that the island culture of the area was much more pervasive than anything else; it felt just like we were on another one if the islands instead of in Canada. And historically, the area is much more connected to Washington and the other islands than to eastern Canada. We ran into several people who, upon hearing we were from Orcas, followed up by asking if it was Canadian or US.
As the afternoon drew on we headed down the Lochside Trail to the junction with the Galloping Goose trail and turned west towards Thetis Lake Regional Park. After various adventures in getting lost trying to follow directions to somewhere we could cash a traveler's check, we successfully acquired more Canadian money and managed to get to the campgrounds before sunset, which is much less of an accomplishment when sunset occurs so late.
In the morning we briefly checked out Thetis lake, which we were unimpressed with. After living on the ocean, the lake seemed odd, and we both found the concrete walkway into the water unsettling; the whole area was structured as if water levels were absolutely constant. The lake lacked dead trees leaning from the bank into the water, and other subtle signs of the natural world. After spending 20 minutes criticizing the area for feeling unnatural and unsettling we headed off for a short ride to Victoria, where we explore the Abkhazi gardens. We both really enjoyed wandering around looking at plants and trying to figure out what a lot of them were. The garden is run in a very "green" manner, with a big focus on being as environmentally friendly as possible, which even includes mowing the lawns with a push mower.
We then met up with my friend Sam, wandered about Beacon Hill Park and generally hung out. While walking around we passed the BC Natural History Museum, which looked like it would be a great place to spend a day exploring.
Wednesday was our big long travel day back. We biked about 35 miles in total, and spent most of the day biking or on ferries. Customs were easy to get through, and we had about 45 minutes to wander about Friday Harbor, on San Juan Island, as we waited for a different ferry to take us all the way back to Orcas.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Moran State Park Backpack - Vital Stats
3 day "backpack" in Moran State Park
May 2008
Click header for full post
Saturday
Milage: 2.5 miles
Trails Taken: Mountain lake parking lot to Orkila campsite on Twin Lake
Notes: I started in the evening after working a full day.
Suday
Milage: About 17 Miles
Trails/Route
*Twin Lakes to West Boundary Trail - 2.2 miles
*Wrong turn onto Access Trail to private land ~2 miles
*Section of North Trail (down to intersection and back up to west boundary turn off) - 2 miles
*West Boundary Trail - 2.5 miles
Cold spring trail from cascade lake to summit - 4.3 miles
*From trail Jct. of cold spring trail & pwarking lot to south summit & back - 2.2 miles
*Mt. Constitution summit to twin lakes 1.5 miles
*Milage from campsite to trail juction (both ways) 0.6
Total approximate milage - 17.3 miles
Monday - Total milage about 8 miles
Twin Lakes campsite to trial - .3 miles
South along trail to Mt. ?
Along hiker-only trail
down to southern trail junction of Mountain lake.
From southern point of Mountain lake counterclockwise around lake back to mountain lake parking lot.
May 2008
Click header for full post
Saturday
Milage: 2.5 miles
Trails Taken: Mountain lake parking lot to Orkila campsite on Twin Lake
Notes: I started in the evening after working a full day.
Suday
Milage: About 17 Miles
Trails/Route
*Twin Lakes to West Boundary Trail - 2.2 miles
*Wrong turn onto Access Trail to private land ~2 miles
*Section of North Trail (down to intersection and back up to west boundary turn off) - 2 miles
*West Boundary Trail - 2.5 miles
Cold spring trail from cascade lake to summit - 4.3 miles
*From trail Jct. of cold spring trail & pwarking lot to south summit & back - 2.2 miles
*Mt. Constitution summit to twin lakes 1.5 miles
*Milage from campsite to trail juction (both ways) 0.6
Total approximate milage - 17.3 miles
Monday - Total milage about 8 miles
Twin Lakes campsite to trial - .3 miles
South along trail to Mt. ?
Along hiker-only trail
down to southern trail junction of Mountain lake.
From southern point of Mountain lake counterclockwise around lake back to mountain lake parking lot.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Olympic National Park - Vital Stats
Olympic National Park
April 13 - 18th 2008
Click on header for details
Note: we used my parks pass to get in, and therefore didn't have to deal with the park entrance fee.
Sunday April 13th
Start: Camp Orkila, Orcas Island
End: Elwa Campground, Olympic National Park - $12 per site
Travel Notes: After ferry hopping we stopped into the Backcountry office in Port Angeles, where we got our backcountry permits and borrowed bear cannisters. Permits cost $5 for the group, plus $2 per person; bear cannisters are free to borrow. The people in the backcountry office were very helpful in suggesting routes for our trip when I said we wanted to do an x night trip covering y miles per day.
Monday April 14th
Start: Elwa Campground, Olympic National Park, Drove to 3rd beach
Backpack start: 3rd beach trailhead off LaPush road
Backpack End: Toleak Point
Backpacking Mileage: 6 miles
Trail Notes: The trail alternates between beach hiking and crossing headlands to navigate around steep rocky precipices. Headland trails were very muddy. Most of the rope ascents on this section aren't too bad, however just down the beach from Toleak point is a much more difficult rope & ladder ascent. If it was wetter out some of the sections would have been very difficult to ascend/descend. The Toleak point area is amazingly beautiful and I highly recomend it for camping.
Tuesday April 15th
Start: Toleak Point
End: Scott's Bluff
Mileage: 3 miles
Trail Notes: Today was super mellow and we explored the beach around Toleak point before heading back north to Scott's Bluff. As far as camping goes, we camped up on the headland, but apparently there are also some sites closer to the freshwater source and the beach. This area isn't nearly as nice to camp at as Toleak Point, although one of its downfalls was the distance we had to walk to get water.
Wednesday April 16th
Backpack Start: Scott's Bluff
Backpack End: 3rd Beach Trailhead
Day End: Hoh Rainforest Campground - $12
Backpacking mileage: 3 miles
Frontcountry trails hiked in Hoh:Hall of Mosses trail (1 mile)
Trail Notes: Hall of Mosses Trail - Winds amazingly through the rain forest, a great easy hike that feels like you suddenly were dumped on another planet. Total milage is more like 2 miles because of the distance required to get to the trail head.
Thursday April 17th
Start: Hoh Rainforest Campground
Day End: Deception Pass State Park - $18
Day Hikes from Hoh Rainforest Campground/Visitor Center: First ~3 miles of the Hoh river trail to the waterfall, Spruce Nature trail -1.2 miles (Note, again mileages are a bit deceiving because they start off of other short trails, not at the VC)
Trail Notes: I did the section of the Hoh River trail solo in the morning and I really would love to return and backpack up into the park. The waterfall I turned around at was wonderful, as was the whole experience of being in a rainforest. The trail itself is fairly easy terrain; I ran sections of it so I could get as far as I did and make my return time. The Spruce Nature trail is also something I highly recommend as an easy loop to get out into the rainforest. We stopped at the Backcountry office to return our bear cannisters. Even if you can't return while they're open they have an return area so you don't have to plan you trip around returning the cannisters.
Friday April 18th
Start: Deception Pass State Park
End: Camp Orkila, Orcas Island
Travel Notes: Today was mostly a travel day, with two of us starting work at 4 that afternoon. We briefly stopped at Deception pass itself to take pictures and be amazed at the narrow passage.
April 13 - 18th 2008
Click on header for details
Note: we used my parks pass to get in, and therefore didn't have to deal with the park entrance fee.
Sunday April 13th
Start: Camp Orkila, Orcas Island
End: Elwa Campground, Olympic National Park - $12 per site
Travel Notes: After ferry hopping we stopped into the Backcountry office in Port Angeles, where we got our backcountry permits and borrowed bear cannisters. Permits cost $5 for the group, plus $2 per person; bear cannisters are free to borrow. The people in the backcountry office were very helpful in suggesting routes for our trip when I said we wanted to do an x night trip covering y miles per day.
Monday April 14th
Start: Elwa Campground, Olympic National Park, Drove to 3rd beach
Backpack start: 3rd beach trailhead off LaPush road
Backpack End: Toleak Point
Backpacking Mileage: 6 miles
Trail Notes: The trail alternates between beach hiking and crossing headlands to navigate around steep rocky precipices. Headland trails were very muddy. Most of the rope ascents on this section aren't too bad, however just down the beach from Toleak point is a much more difficult rope & ladder ascent. If it was wetter out some of the sections would have been very difficult to ascend/descend. The Toleak point area is amazingly beautiful and I highly recomend it for camping.
Tuesday April 15th
Start: Toleak Point
End: Scott's Bluff
Mileage: 3 miles
Trail Notes: Today was super mellow and we explored the beach around Toleak point before heading back north to Scott's Bluff. As far as camping goes, we camped up on the headland, but apparently there are also some sites closer to the freshwater source and the beach. This area isn't nearly as nice to camp at as Toleak Point, although one of its downfalls was the distance we had to walk to get water.
Wednesday April 16th
Backpack Start: Scott's Bluff
Backpack End: 3rd Beach Trailhead
Day End: Hoh Rainforest Campground - $12
Backpacking mileage: 3 miles
Frontcountry trails hiked in Hoh:Hall of Mosses trail (1 mile)
Trail Notes: Hall of Mosses Trail - Winds amazingly through the rain forest, a great easy hike that feels like you suddenly were dumped on another planet. Total milage is more like 2 miles because of the distance required to get to the trail head.
Thursday April 17th
Start: Hoh Rainforest Campground
Day End: Deception Pass State Park - $18
Day Hikes from Hoh Rainforest Campground/Visitor Center: First ~3 miles of the Hoh river trail to the waterfall, Spruce Nature trail -1.2 miles (Note, again mileages are a bit deceiving because they start off of other short trails, not at the VC)
Trail Notes: I did the section of the Hoh River trail solo in the morning and I really would love to return and backpack up into the park. The waterfall I turned around at was wonderful, as was the whole experience of being in a rainforest. The trail itself is fairly easy terrain; I ran sections of it so I could get as far as I did and make my return time. The Spruce Nature trail is also something I highly recommend as an easy loop to get out into the rainforest. We stopped at the Backcountry office to return our bear cannisters. Even if you can't return while they're open they have an return area so you don't have to plan you trip around returning the cannisters.
Friday April 18th
Start: Deception Pass State Park
End: Camp Orkila, Orcas Island
Travel Notes: Today was mostly a travel day, with two of us starting work at 4 that afternoon. We briefly stopped at Deception pass itself to take pictures and be amazed at the narrow passage.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Olympic National Park - Article for Beta (Hampshire's Outdoor Magazine)
As we drive to the trailhead a mid-April snow squall blows through, starting to blanket the ground and dampening the mood as our excitement for 3 days in the backcountry of Olympic National Park wanes. While Libby, Monica, and I were full of enthusiasm for two nights in the backcountry when we got our permits at the park office on the previous
day, the weather makes us question our decisions.
Thankfully, at the trailhead snow has turned to intermittent rain and we muster together our fragmented motivation
and head out through vibrant green coastal rain forest. Over 1.5 miles of easy trail we slowly fall into the rhythm of hiking and adjust to our packs, allowing work and the civilized world to drop away behind us. I can feel myself fall into trip mode naturally, as the pungent dampness of the forest, intermittent bird calls, and rustling of abundant greenery seep into me.
More quickly than seems possible the trail drops elevation towards the beach, where we clamber over a pile of driftwood and are greeted by the sun peaking through the clouds and waves crashing on the beach. I feel like I have entered another world, and the snow-filled morning drive belong to some other plane of existence. In the distance large standing stones reach out of the breaking waves; our map tells us this is the “Giant’s Graveyard.”
I have never backpacked alongside
the ocean before, and am awed by the constant crashing of waves and the giant rocks which stand as sentinels,
guarding the coastline from some unknown sea monster. The beach is rocky and well packed, such that it is not unpleasant to hike on, and as the crashing waves drown out attempts at conversation, we fall into silence punctuation by exclamations as we discover rocks shaped like castles and huge driftwood sculptures
left on the beach by fierce waves and high tides.
Our wonder of the beach slowly turns to guessing at the exact location of our first ascent onto land to traverse across a section of rocky headland where the beach all but disappears into steep sea cliffs. When we reach our first circular black and red patterned sign of the trip, which indicates an overland trailhead, we are greeted by steep, loose banks with large rope ladders and rope hand rails. Our first ascent is easy, however, as we travel onwards and upwards the bank sections get steeper and the amount of protection gets spotty. In some easy areas there are ropes to assist,
in other, more difficult areas, sometimes we find nothing.
Despite these obstacles we head onwards across the land, traversing more quickly once we reach relatively flat ground. However, the flatness comes at the price of lots of mud, which we squish our way through, periodically stopping to remove the pounds of goo that adheres to our boots and pants, making each foot feel like a lead weight. While the rain is light and intermittent
as we hike, it is clear the coastal rainforest lives up to its name in near-constant rainfall.
Continuing onwards we descend down to another beach, which again fills us with wonder and awe, and traverse across another headland, complete with tricky rope ascents and descents, landing us on the beach with perfect timing, as it can only be crossed at low tide. While variable, today it falls mid-afternoon.
The last stretches of beach before we make camp wind from point to cove, mirrored by the standing giants
that have dotted the coastline. When we reach our camping
beach we discover
why the ranger had encouraged us to push onwards and go 6 miles: we feel like we are on a deserted island displaced from any other kind of reality. The starkness of the rocky coast and constant crashing of waves fills me with a sense of otherworldliness.
A small freshwater stream provides water, and the giant standing stones outwards away in all directions.
As we set camp and prepare dinner a brief sun shower produces a brilliant double rainbow that looks as if it is growing out of one of the giants.
I have trouble believing that the rest of the world
exists as we eat sitting upon driftwood logs and discuss
everything under the sun, in the free flowing way that is apt to occur on such trips. We watch the sky darken and stars appear slowly, and gaze in wonder at the moonlight glinting off the crashing waves which lull us to sleep.
Upon rising I wander the beach by myself, discovering
new things about the rocks which stand guard. I feel more alive and connected to the universe than I have in a long time. Once we are all up and fed we gravitate towards yoga on the beach before hiking onwards and all comment on how much more real life feels when in the backcountry.
The hike back is filled with bald eagles, osprey, and dead beach creatures. We discover a mostly eaten stingray that is 3-4 feet across, and a beach later we come upon a seal carcass that is just beginning to be devoured eagles. We pass and are passed by several groups of day hikers speeding onwards, too wrapped up in mileage to notice their surroundings.
We spend our second night perched on a headland in a costal rainforest, I race the sun to sleep as my circadian rhythm further aligns with each day’s light cycle. Despite the foreboding weather we started with, I am grateful for the full day in the backcountry, a day without so many of the things we depend on daily, a day to remember how few of the things we consider necessities, such as running water, buildings, and electrical outlets, are truly necessary for survival.
Our last day all too quickly return
us to the world of automobiles, jolted back into civilization. To ease our transition from the backcountry we head to the Hoh rainforest, where we hike through moss and fern adorned trees, marvel at water droplets
on clovers, and spend the night camping in the front country. As if telling us our time is truly up in the peninsular paradise, in the morning a herd of elk push us out of our campsite by aggressively
grazing towards us. They remind us that on our trip we are simply borrowing their land, stepping briefly into their daily existence.
day, the weather makes us question our decisions.
Thankfully, at the trailhead snow has turned to intermittent rain and we muster together our fragmented motivation
and head out through vibrant green coastal rain forest. Over 1.5 miles of easy trail we slowly fall into the rhythm of hiking and adjust to our packs, allowing work and the civilized world to drop away behind us. I can feel myself fall into trip mode naturally, as the pungent dampness of the forest, intermittent bird calls, and rustling of abundant greenery seep into me.
More quickly than seems possible the trail drops elevation towards the beach, where we clamber over a pile of driftwood and are greeted by the sun peaking through the clouds and waves crashing on the beach. I feel like I have entered another world, and the snow-filled morning drive belong to some other plane of existence. In the distance large standing stones reach out of the breaking waves; our map tells us this is the “Giant’s Graveyard.”
I have never backpacked alongside
the ocean before, and am awed by the constant crashing of waves and the giant rocks which stand as sentinels,
guarding the coastline from some unknown sea monster. The beach is rocky and well packed, such that it is not unpleasant to hike on, and as the crashing waves drown out attempts at conversation, we fall into silence punctuation by exclamations as we discover rocks shaped like castles and huge driftwood sculptures
left on the beach by fierce waves and high tides.
Our wonder of the beach slowly turns to guessing at the exact location of our first ascent onto land to traverse across a section of rocky headland where the beach all but disappears into steep sea cliffs. When we reach our first circular black and red patterned sign of the trip, which indicates an overland trailhead, we are greeted by steep, loose banks with large rope ladders and rope hand rails. Our first ascent is easy, however, as we travel onwards and upwards the bank sections get steeper and the amount of protection gets spotty. In some easy areas there are ropes to assist,
in other, more difficult areas, sometimes we find nothing.
Despite these obstacles we head onwards across the land, traversing more quickly once we reach relatively flat ground. However, the flatness comes at the price of lots of mud, which we squish our way through, periodically stopping to remove the pounds of goo that adheres to our boots and pants, making each foot feel like a lead weight. While the rain is light and intermittent
as we hike, it is clear the coastal rainforest lives up to its name in near-constant rainfall.
Continuing onwards we descend down to another beach, which again fills us with wonder and awe, and traverse across another headland, complete with tricky rope ascents and descents, landing us on the beach with perfect timing, as it can only be crossed at low tide. While variable, today it falls mid-afternoon.
The last stretches of beach before we make camp wind from point to cove, mirrored by the standing giants
that have dotted the coastline. When we reach our camping
beach we discover
why the ranger had encouraged us to push onwards and go 6 miles: we feel like we are on a deserted island displaced from any other kind of reality. The starkness of the rocky coast and constant crashing of waves fills me with a sense of otherworldliness.
A small freshwater stream provides water, and the giant standing stones outwards away in all directions.
As we set camp and prepare dinner a brief sun shower produces a brilliant double rainbow that looks as if it is growing out of one of the giants.
I have trouble believing that the rest of the world
exists as we eat sitting upon driftwood logs and discuss
everything under the sun, in the free flowing way that is apt to occur on such trips. We watch the sky darken and stars appear slowly, and gaze in wonder at the moonlight glinting off the crashing waves which lull us to sleep.
Upon rising I wander the beach by myself, discovering
new things about the rocks which stand guard. I feel more alive and connected to the universe than I have in a long time. Once we are all up and fed we gravitate towards yoga on the beach before hiking onwards and all comment on how much more real life feels when in the backcountry.
The hike back is filled with bald eagles, osprey, and dead beach creatures. We discover a mostly eaten stingray that is 3-4 feet across, and a beach later we come upon a seal carcass that is just beginning to be devoured eagles. We pass and are passed by several groups of day hikers speeding onwards, too wrapped up in mileage to notice their surroundings.
We spend our second night perched on a headland in a costal rainforest, I race the sun to sleep as my circadian rhythm further aligns with each day’s light cycle. Despite the foreboding weather we started with, I am grateful for the full day in the backcountry, a day without so many of the things we depend on daily, a day to remember how few of the things we consider necessities, such as running water, buildings, and electrical outlets, are truly necessary for survival.
Our last day all too quickly return
us to the world of automobiles, jolted back into civilization. To ease our transition from the backcountry we head to the Hoh rainforest, where we hike through moss and fern adorned trees, marvel at water droplets
on clovers, and spend the night camping in the front country. As if telling us our time is truly up in the peninsular paradise, in the morning a herd of elk push us out of our campsite by aggressively
grazing towards us. They remind us that on our trip we are simply borrowing their land, stepping briefly into their daily existence.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Travel Blog - The Beginning
I created this blog to be a place for various friends & relatives to read about by various travels.
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