My July trip to the upper left Pacific northwest in the state of Washington, USA was to include a short stay in Port Angeles then a 4-day backpacking trip through the Hoh Rain Forest of Olympic National Park!
I chose the Dungeness/Greyhound bus to travel from Seattle to Port Angeles, about four hours with stops along the way. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the bus was boarding a ferry! Bus passengers got out to enjoy the view on the deck for the 20 minute Bainbridge Island Ferry ride, which, as it turns out, is the shortest route from Seattle to Olympic National Park.
Port Angeles…Day 1-Charmingly and Welcomingly Delightful!
My stay at the Quality Inn in Port Angeles was very nice. There was a multitude of steps leading up a high hill to the motel, which was located in a quiet and charming neighborhood: I saw a little deer each morning and evening from my window, as well as a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains; church bells rang out gently from time to time; there was a Safeway grocery store a block down; and the wharf of Puget Sound was three minutes away!
The first evening I was there, I wandered around the wharf and shoreline, and through the pretty little town. I decided on pizza at “Barhop” which was a great decision! The pizza was very good, and it was peaceful sitting on the patio, watching and listening to the seagulls and looking out at the ocean inlet that is Puget Sound.
Port Angeles…Day 2-Whale Watching and a Glimpse of the Canadian Border
The whale-watching tour was fun! We saw humpback whales and killer whales. I also liked that I got to see the Canadian shoreline up close! (Does this mean I can say I’ve been to Canada?) The pre-ordered sandwiches on the boat were delicious and huge. We got tons of information throughout about whales, and opportunities to ask any and all questions. I highly recommend this half-day (4 hour) tour!
Into the Rainforest…4 Days, 32 miles, 2600 ft. Elevation Gain…
HOH RIVER TRAIL TO ELK LAKE, OUT AND BACK
Our hiking group included six hikers of varying ages, and two guides from the Olympic Hiking Company. I had booked the hike well in advance, and our group had already become acquainted via a Zoom meeting, then had met up the evening before to pack backpacks, learn a few essential skills (like setting up the tent, and how to pack a backpack, for those of us who were new to backpacking) and make lunches. I can’t say enough great things about the Olympic Hiking Company. I went on this trip with the desire to learn all I could, and guides Casey and Amy were wonderful educators throughout the trip! The hike, considered “hard” by AllTrails; “difficult” by GAIA GPS, was yes, demanding, but definitively worth it!
Day 1: Moss-covered Trees and a Glacier-fed River
9.1 miles, 375 ft. elevation gain
The Hoh Rainforest is a temperate rainforest, meaning it has a milder, cooler climate than the tropical rainforests which are the more prevalent rainforests worldwide. Incredible and wondrous are the huge moss covered trees; the other-worldly twining together of ferns and vines; and gigantic nurse logs (a nurse log being a fallen tree trunk that acts as a nursery for new plant growth). On our first day, we saw a large herd of Roosevelt elk including adults and calves, getting a drink across the river. The Hoh River, because it is fed by Mount Olympus’ Blue Glacier, is a unique milky grayish-blue color from a distance; and sparklingly clear up close. It is also, because of being fed by the glacier, numbingly, icily cold, as I found out on our two river crossings the first day! Our guides pointed out salmon berries and huckleberries, which I happily sampled along the way.
Day 2…Going Up-Up-Up and a Splendorous View From a Bridge
6 miles, 1652 ft. elevation gain
Snow-capped mountains; slender tall white trees among the big mossy ones; entwined ferns and vines; the pretty, uniquely creamy-blue water…river crossings including jutting splintery logs; rocks; and a big fat log…and always up, up, up! Over cliff-like terrain and boulders and logs and big steps of rock and dirt…continuing up, up, up…
and our reward? the astonishing view from the High Hoh Bridge, which is over 100 feet above the river! Looking down in awe from the High Hoh Bride, you see the High Hoh Gorge—with the Hoh river rollicking down the river bed, surrounded by the Hoh’s forest life reaching up from far below to beyond the small humans looking at that narrow gorge in wonder from the bridge.
“It is a worthy destination in and of itself,” says OregonHikers.org of the High Hoh Bridge; and I agree!
Day 3…Let’s Talk Food! + Views of the Sky
4.6 miles, 1573 ft. elevation loss
Our meals were from Backpacker’s Pantry and Mountain House, dehydrated meals to which we added boiling water—glacier water from the Hoh, filtered, then heated using a small camp burner. The meals were very tasty, and filling! My choices were peanut butter and banana oatmeal for breakfasts; and chicken fettuccini alfredo for dinners—and always, coffee (which was Starbucks Columbian instant). Snacks included trail mix; granola and Cliff bars; fruit, date, nut bars; and electrolyte drinks, as well as energy chews (small gummy-type chewables with electrolytes). Lunches were pre-made sandwiches, mine being peanut butter with banana chips.
I opted to leave the outer liner off my tent on this our last night, to be able to see up into the tall trees reaching into the twilit sky, from my sleeping bag. Nice!
Day 4…Out of the Rain Forest and Goodbye to New Friends
10.5 miles, 454 ft. elevation loss
With heat and mosquitos combined with tired muscles and dreams of a shower and pizza, it was a somewhat brutal long hike out of the rainforest…goodbye to the beauty, mysticism, and rareness of the biosphere that is the Hoh Rain Forest; and goodbye to new friends and comrades who encouraged, supported, shared, and sweated alongside me on this truly awesome adventure…
Gayla's Blog 