Olympic Peninsula trip report

“SUNDAY DEC. 2

After spending the night with a relative in the Seattle area, I stopped at the REI flagship store in Seattle to pick up some gear. That place is something else. Three levels with its own parking garage, tons of every kind of gear, and tons of people. Never have I seen so many likeminded outdoor enthusiasts in one spot. Where I live, our outfitters may have 3 people at any one time. REI has hundreds at a time, scooping up tons of all kinds of gear. You feel like a kid in a candy store just being there. Probably similar to Campmor’s big store in NJ.

After leaving REI, took the ferry across Puget Sound toward the Olympic Peninsula. Halfway across the sound I looked ahead and saw these huge, jagged, snowy mountains sticking up. Was almost surreal, the way they appeared out of the fog and clouds. Took Hwy. 101 around to the west side of the peninsula and arrived in the Hoh Rain Forest near dark. Rented a bear cannister from the ranger station (hated carrying the heavy sucker, which is required), gave them my itinerary, and set up camp near the Hoh trailhead.

MONDAY DEC. 3

Next morning I started on the Hoh River trail. The area is awesome. Huge, towering trees. A rare temperate rain forest, it receives between 140 and 200 inches of precipitation a year. It’s also largely a virgin forest which was protected before the loggers could get to it. I don’t know just how big those trees were but many of them seemed to rival the redwoods and sequoia of California.

I sloshed down the trail but contrary to the warnings, wasn’t swallowed by the mud holes. Most were fairly shallow or I could walk around. There were a few wide and deep ones, but only once or twice did the mud and water come over my boot tops. My boots got wet inside but weren’t miserably sloshy.

A few miles along the trail I saw some impressive waterfalls. These are not well-behaved falls with well-worn paths leading to them like in the East, but wild things shooting out abruptly from the mountains rising above.

HEAVY SNOW, WINTER WONDERLAND, AND FROZEN CAMERA

My plan for the Hoh River trail was to hike through the rain forest and up to the snowline. Little did I know that the snowline would come to me. I reached Happy Four campsite, about six miles in, about an hour before dark and set up camp. Cevento loaned me her Eureka Glossmer and I set it up under my tarp, ate, and turned in just as rain mixed with light snow was beginning to fall. I didn’t think it would snow much because I was still under 1,000 feet.

For awhile I lay reading and enjoyed the steady beat of the rain on the tarp, then it stopped (so I thought) and was disappointed. An hour or two later I heard a THUD on my tent/tarp as if someone threw a clump of wet leaves at it, and wondered what the hell it was. Figured the wind was knocking some soggy clumps of debris or dead branches from the trees. Then a few minutes later another THUD, and another, all through the night. Eventually I realized it was snowing when it started sliding down the tarp/tent and building up around the edges.

TUESDAY DEC. 4

Next morning I awoke to find my tarp had collapsed all around the Eureka Glossmer and was pinned down on all sides under almost a foot of snow. The Glossmer however had held fast and kept me from being buried in my sleep (thanx Cevento!) The snow-pinned tarp blocked my exit and I had to bust my way out. When I did, I saw everything covered in white. Even the trees. Awesome and beautiful.

Looking up I realized what caused the THUDS – clumps of snow accumulated in tree branches until they got loose and came down with a THUD. And the snow around the clumps was cascading down in showers of white. The snow was everywhere. Like out of a postcard, the snow covered the big fir trees, up the mountains on both sides of the Hoh River, still falling from the sky in big flakes. It was like a Winter or Christmas postcard, only much, much more beautiful. Being from the deep south, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. I’ve seen snow but nothing like this. Beyond description.

So I took my camera out of my pack and pressed the “on” button to take some pics of this wonderland, but nothing happened. Damn! Pressed it again, still nothing. Figured it was frozen and put it in my vest pocket to warm up, then went about breaking camp. Several more times over the next half hour I pressed the “on” button but it still didn’t come on. Then hit the rewind button to see if the camera had any life at all, and it rewound the film. No big deal, I’ll just put a new roll of film in. But I couldn’t find the ziplock bag with the other rolls of film. Damn!!! Figured they were buried under the snow and after poking around gave them up for lost, along with a few other things I’d left on the ground the night before. So folks, no snow pics. You gotta go and see it yourself!

Since it snowed pretty heavy and more was forecast, I decided not to continue up to the higher elevations. I have no serious snow/ice experience, and thought I might lose the unblazed trail if it continued to snow or get into a serious snow/ice situation up higher that I wasn’t prepared to handle. So I headed out.

The next day I found my extra film – in between the thick garbage bag lining my backpack and the pack itself, at the bottom.

Hiked out and spent that night at the trailhead again, then the next day headed into town for a burger and on toward the Coast trail.

WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY, DEC. 5 and 6

I arrived at the Third Beach trailhead after dark during a cold miserable rain and hunkered down until morning. At daybreak, which doesn’t come until 8:00 a.m. in December in Washington State, I headed down the Third Beach trail and arrived at the mighty Pacific about an hour later. The coast trail alternates between beach and overland trail where the points are too dangerous to cross on foot. So you have to watch the tide tables very closely and plan your hike so you can get to your destination before the high tides cut you off.

I had a tide table with me and hiked in the driving rain and briefly sleet (yes, it was sleet alright for a few minutes) from Third Beach around Taylor Point and on to Scott’s Bluff. At Scott’s Bluff I found a nice camp site in the woods right next to the beach and set up camp early in the afternoon. To my amazement, that afternoon turned partially sunny. After setting up camp I drank some red wine, walked along the beach before the high tide returned then made coffee as the ocean closed in on the beach. Rarely has coffee tasted so good.

The wind was whipping stiffly into my camp and rain started approaching again from the ocean as the afternoon wore on, so I set up my tent with the tarp lashed very low over it. Then got in my bag and hunkered down. Surprisingly however, the wind eased up after dark and stars came out.

FRIDAY DEC. 7

The last day I spent hiking below Scott’s Bluff toward Strawberry Point. Then headed back and camped my final night at Taylor Point. Headed back to Seattle the next day.

SUMMARY

The Olympic rainforest and Coast is a pristine, wild area largely untouched by civilization. I just barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer, and will return several more times. Maybe we can organize a TT trip there – in the late fall or winter or early spring, not the summer! Will post pics when I get them developed.

And I nominate the mighty Hoh River to be our newest TT trail ho!”

“Great trip post steve!! You turnin' into a reglar ole travlin' man huh!?”

“Awesome! Looking forward to pictures. Steve, if the camera quits, take the batteries out and warm them up (armpits work well). I got 10 extra shots on dead batteries that way in the Sierras.”

“Nice report Steve. It sounds like you had a great time, lucky dog..

BTW - I always like Southerners' reaction to snow... good description!”

“Fantastic trip report. I hope you got some good pics and I look forward to seeing them!”

“Hey Steve, I'm glad to hear the Gossamer held up in some bad weather I was wondering how it would be in real cold.”

“Great trip report. Can't say I wish I had been with you!!! Sounds cold and wet.”

“Hey steve, you didn't bring any gaiters with ya? You are a southern boy! And leavin' all that trash buried in the snow?

"Figured they were buried under the snow and after poking around gave them up for lost, along with a few other things I’d left on the ground the night before. "

Were there any PBR cans in there?”

“Good report SH. Would liked to have been there.”

“A quote from me re: your question Last Minute Advice? on 11/28/01: "Be prepared for a little of everything (except sun)."

But NOOOOO! You wouldn't listen!

Sun? Yeah right! Glad you enjoyed the trip and thanks for the nice report.”

“I had gaiters but they sure didn't stop the water from coming in my boots. They were a knee high, zip-up variety called Threshold that I got on sale from Campmor. I assume the water came right through the zipper, or from underneath.

What are PBR cans? The bear can I rented from the ranger station was a Garcia cannister. Heavy SOB.

As to the trash, I didn't lose a lot under the snow. Lost a stuff sack and coil of rope, but not much else. Eventually found the film.

Will post pics soon.”

“Nice post, Steve.

I hiked a bunch of the Hoh River Trail this summer and got pinned down by a big herd of elk. The moms had kids and weren't happy. Luckily, the herd moved forward a bit and allowed us to pass - must have been 40 elk. Nice place, though.”

“PBR = Pabst Blue Ribbon = pee you!”

“Nah, didn't bring any Pabst with me. But if it hadn't been for that damn bear can I woulda brought a beer can instead. HAAAARRHAAR!!!”

“Awesome report Stevehiker. I fell in love with this place when I went there. There was only snow on the glaciers in Sep. though not on the trail. Sounds like a wet, wild trip.”

“cool report”

“Steve, The pix that Phil's page link towere taken on the ridgeline that creates the North wall of the Hoh valley - just in case you're curious about what was inside the clouds around you.

When you were at Scotts Bluff - was the back country shelter still there, on the South side of the bluff? It was still standing when I was out there last Feb, but the ocean was getting pretty close....

Glad you had a good trip.”

“I'm not sure if the camp I found at Scott's Bluff is the shelter you're referring to. It was on the south side of Scott's Bluff, and was a campsite with a couple of level areas, a fire ring and couple of benches.

However it's not a shelter like we think of in the East, it didn't have a lean-to or any other type of building/shelter. It was right on the beach at the edge of the woods, and the beach logs were thrown up against the trees, practically into camp. So it's probably the same one. And there's another smaller area with a fire ring about 20 yards south of it.

Was a welcome surprise and liked it.”

“YO Steve!
Sounds like a real Hoot of a time ya had. Lookin foward to the pictures. Shame ya didn't get any shots of the snow.”

“So you had to bust out of the snowy tomb!!!! LMAO that is too funny. I 've had similiar experiences like that.... Great report!!! That is one Beautiful Place if you ask me. Is Hurricane Ridge open this time of year?”

“I think Hurricane Ridge is closed for the season. At least the road up there.”

“People ski and snowshoe up on Hurricane Ridge all winter.”

“WOW!
Nice description!
Those trees in the Hoh Rainforest can be 50 meters/165 feet tall.
And they are off limits to the timber thieves!

What's wrong with summer there?

August was wonderful.”

“Brings back memories of when I used to live in Bremerton.

Beautiful place year round”

“HPM - Unfortunately, I work in Bremerton.

Steve hiker and Strider - I have camped at that exact campsite many times. Beautiful spot! If stevehiker didn't see the shelter, it must not be there anymore. You would have a hard time missing that one.”

“Funny you should mention that the trees there are off-limits to timber thieves, Tom...

Ancient trees falling victim to illegal drugs

OLYMPIC NATIONAL FOREST - The tree was massive, 7 feet across where the chainsaw bit. The western red cedar had survived wind and wildfire and the appraising squint of timber-hungry settlers for perhaps 400 years.

Greed and a modern addiction dropped it in minutes, one of more than 40 ancient trees illegally chopped up for drug money and sold to make roofing shakes or musical instruments, according to authorities.

Link to the whole article”

“glad you had fun, steve!

kleetn, i just read that article...YIKES! weirdness.”

“Switchback it's been 20+ years since I was there. Has it gotten that bad?”

“Ouch!
The trees may be off limits......but the poachers are workin' it!

That's the kind of wood used in guitar and violin(family)tops....cedar, sitka spruce....especially clear old growth stuff.
Bastards!!!

It would make sense to try to satisfy the instrument maker's market with windfall material.

I suppose those Forest Service cops are some of Clinton's jackbooted thugs?!?!?
Bastards!!!”

“humanpackmule, was it ever good? Most of the downtown area is parking lots now. The shipyard is still going strong. But businesses and growth move outward after ravaging it's resources like a bad disease leaving filth and poverty in it's wake. It's not a pretty town at all. But apart from Bremerton, The Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas are the most beautiful places on earth.”

“Hmmm....I was pretty small when I lived there. I remember the woods more than the town. Rose colored glasses and all that crap ya-know.”

“Hey Steve Hiker - I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip, up here to the PNW. I had been wondering how you were getting along, in the weather we'd been having.

BTW it hasn't improved any, since you left. And another week of non-stop rain/ snow is upon us! Our ski areas already have 'late season' snow depths.

Sorry to hear that the 'big garbage bag' idea, hid your film. I always like the 'snow pics'. It's like you can see a familiar old place looking totaly diferent”

“I love the story about the trip; I must make a date to check that out sometime. As for Bremerton, it's a nasty town. I worked there in the early 90's while in the Navy. This town has absolutely no qualities what-so-ever; unless, of course, your looking for an incredible selection of seedy taverns,”

“LMAO Whiskey Lake! That is so true. It is only an hour from the Olympics, does that count as a good quality?”

“sounds cool steve hiker. i've awakened to snow like that in the past. it's pretty neat.”

“Cool story Steve Hiker. I'm going to be up in that area (Port Orchard) Sun-Tue compliments of PSNS. Anybody have any hints/tips for a new guy in town?”

“Markar,

If you get some free time, head on over the Hood Canal Bridge toward the Olympic Peninsula. Lots of cool stuff there...Dungeness Spit, Hood Canal, Hurricane Ridge. Or check out the seedy taverns in Bremerton, it's just across Sinclair Inlet!”