Olympic National Park

The next day in Washington dawned bright and clear, a massive departure from the stereotypically cold and rainy mornings we had experienced in the state thus far.

We drove out of Port Ludlow early in the morning, stopping in Port Angeles, the gateway to Olympic National Park, for brunch. We ate at a little cafe in town called Chestnut Cottage, before driving on to the visitor's center.

Hurricane Ridge

Olympic National Park, encompassing nearly a million acres of wilderness in Washington's northwest, is one of the country's most ecologically diverse parks.

Originally designated as Mount Olympus National Monument by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1909, Olympic officially became the nation's 23rd national park in 1938, and has since been recognized as both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve.

We picked up a map at the visitor's center and added the park stamps to our national park passports, then got back in the car to drive up into the mountains. As we drove higher up the winding road, the air cleared and thinned. As we broke through the thick cloud cover, jagged snowcapped peaks and blankets of evergreen trees emerged against the bright blue sky.

We had arrived at Hurricane Ridge, a mountainous region of the park popular for hiking, skiing, and snowboarding. At 6,772 ft above sea level, the Hurricane Ridge parking lot has an elevation higher than that of Denver, Colorado, the "Mile-High City".

It was springtime, and weather on the ground was in the 60s and 70s Fahrenheit, but it was still hovering around freezing up at Hurricane Ridge, and snow from the previous winter still rose around 10 feet above the plowed parking lot.

Even the snow was piled up high above our heads, we had come here to hike, and that's what we were going to do! We put on our boots, grabbed our water packs and trekking poles, and set off to the nearby trailhead.

Trekking through the snow wasn't easy, especially as it was partially melted. With every step we took, our feet sunk down through the soft, powdery snow, making each step a trudge.

We walked for an admirable distance through the snow, but eventually, we had to turn around and head back to the car.

It was crazy to see the top of pine trees sticking out of the snow nearby, and it was a reminder that this trail, which was over ten feet below us as we walked, was actually paved... not that we could see it!

It would be fascinating to visit Hurricane Ridge in the summertime when the snow is gone. I'd love to see the difference. 

Lake Angeles Trail

Back on the ground, we had a picnic lunch then headed on to the Lake Angeles Trailhead, which offered a totally different ecological experience than Hurricane Ridge had.

Down here, the park was home to North America's largest temperate rainforest. It was cool, damp, fecund, verdant, and very rich in life. 

It would be hard to imagine two more different landscapes than upper and lower Olympic National Park, though the two areas are only twenty minutes apart by car.

Olympic National Park is home to the Hoh Rainforest, the largest temperate rainforest in the United States. The Hoh Rainforest visitor's center was unfortunately closed when we visited, but we still got to explore this really unique ecosystem.

Temperate rainforests like Hoh are characterized by their mild temperatures, lush vegetation, humidity, and dense old-growth canopy.

As we walked along the trail, we admired all of the huge logs, paper-soft from decades of rot and covered in mushrooms and lichen, all around us. The cool, damp rainforest has got to have some of the healthiest natural compost in the world.

We walked down the trail for a little way, but it suddenly became too quiet and started to feel a little spooky. We were the only ones out on the trail, and a warning sign at the trailhead indicating a recent mountain lion encounter had put us a bit on edge. After a while, we turned around and headed back to the car.

I'm fine encountering a black bear in the wild, but mountain lions are among the last things I'd like to meet in the woods.

Port Angeles

That afternoon, after leaving the park, we drove into Port Angeles to explore the town.

Port Angeles is a charming little city located on the Olympic Peninsula with a rich history, dating back to its founding in 1791, when Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza named the harbor Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Port of Our Lady of the Angels).

Today, it's known as a port of disembarkation for cruises and as the gateway to various outdoor activities, mostly centering around Olympic National Park.

We hung out at the pier for a while. We spent the afternoon browsing gift shops and art galleries and sat down for a cup of coffee while looking out across the water.

It was a beautiful afternoon, and we couldn't have gotten luckier with the weather for our first full day at the parks.