Thanksgiving 2014: Olympic National Park

Revisiting Olympic

November 25, 2014

Soundtrack:

• David Bowie -- The Next Day
• Arcade Fire -- Reflektor

I spent Tuesday at Olympic National Park revisiting a lot of the same places I went last year.  I had hoped to be able to get out on foot and explore a bit more, but the rain kept coming so I wasn't able to do much other than drive from place to place and get out on short walks for pictures.  That's OK, it was still an enjoyable day.

Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

The first stop was Ruby Beach.  It's shores are lined with rocks rather than sand, more like a river in that sense.  A river doesn't have the sort of driftwood deposits that Ruby Beach has, though.  I'd love to explore the beach heading North but that direction is blocked by a large creek this time of year.  I was talking to a woman on the beach and she said there's some interesting sights in that direction.  Perhaps I'll be here at some point when the creek isn't so strong and I'll be able to explore a bit more.

Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

Ruby Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

Next, I drove up into the Hoh Rainforest.  The rainforest is about twenty miles inland from Highway 101.  It's a beautiful drive, much of it following the bank of the Hoh River.  I really like that drive and would love to take a kayak trip down the river.  Another something for another day.

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, WA

I mentioned clear cutting in an earlier post, and I'll mention it here to because the impact here is potentially devastating.  Most of the drive into the rainforest takes place on land that isn't protected by the National Park.  The picture above, for instance, isn't actually in the park, but on the road leading into the central park of the park.  Olympic National Park isn't one contiguous parcel of land, it's made up of a few pieces, the largest being the center of the Olympic Peninsula.  The border of the Park is ten miles or so from Highway 101, which runs along the border of the coastal portion of the park.  Sections of the forest between 101 and the park are eligible for logging, and in fact less than a mile from where I took the photo above a large section has been clear cut.  It saddens me to think that a forest this scenic is being destroyed for the sake of plywood and two-by-fours.  I'd love to see this land between the coast and interior regions annexed into the park.  This place is special and deserves our protection.  The problem, of course, is that I'm sure it would displace some people, or at least alter the lifestyles of the people that already live there.  There are never easy answers, are there?

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, WA

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, WA

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, WA

Hoh River, Olympic National Park, WA

My next stop was at Rialto Beach, which is evidently deep in the heart of Twilight country.  There are even signs warning of the dangers of vampires in the forest.  Kind of fun, if you ask me.  I've seen a couple of the movies, they're not so great, but they do show an appreciation for the beauty of this part of the country, so I wouldn't say they're worthless by any stretch.

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

Rialto Beach has an even more impressive assortment of driftwood than Ruby Beach.  There are some truly immense tree trunks lining the shores of this beach.  I even saw a couple of logs in the surf on this particular visit.  The power of the ocean is quite evident here, making this a particularly dramatic place to visit.

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, WA

Colombian Black-tailed Deer

My final stop before finding a campsite was at Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.  I didn't see a whole lot of wildlife there aside from a few pacific wrens, a northern harrier and a couple of deer.  It turns out most of the interesting wildlife is two to six miles out on a sand spit in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  I didn't have time to hike out there, unfortunately, having arrived at the refuge with about an hour of light left.  Yet another thing I'll have to chalk up for another day.  I really need to spend a week or so out here on the peninsula.

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, WA

I camped for the night at the Elwha Campground near the bank of the Elwha River.  Much like the previous night, there were only a couple of other campers around.  It didn't rain as much that night, though, so I was able to relax outside by the fire in the evening with whisky and a cigar.  That was a nice end to a wet but enjoyable day.

Elwha Campground, Olympic National Park, WA