Olympic National Park
We drove for three hours yesterday, and ended up in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I have always wanted to see the Pacific Northwest, especially after Michael went here in 2010 and spent a semester with NOLS backpacking and sailing. He told me that the trees were incredible here, and I didn’t quite understand what he meant until I saw it:
This part of the world is a temperate rain forest, and it is truly spectacular to walk through these jungles. Almost every tree has moss hanging off of each branch like some sort of coat to protect them from the cold. Of course, I started wondering if the moss was actually helping the tree, or if it is hurting them. I imagine there must be some symbiotic relationship between the two, but I should probably do some research before emptying my mind on here.
Anyways, the trees were a sight to remember. No wonder he loves trees so much, I kept thinking. I kept thinking about Michael while I was here, as this was the place he went to for 4 months and all I did was imagine the things he was seeing. Now, I had the chance to see them, and I was amazed. This country is full of incredible sights. Just this past year, I’ve seen Zion, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Glenn Canyon, Yellowstone, the National Seashore on Cape Cod, and now the Olympic National Park. What a diverse array of landscapes. I’m really lucky.
Last night, we camped somewhere in a National Forest. We arrived just before dark, and were pretty tired. We cooked Ramen and the leftover pasta from the night before.
This morning, we got back in the car, and drove all the way around the Park. There is a road that loops around the park, and it took about 4 hours to drive all around it. We got to Forks, WA, and decided to drive out to the coast. Part of the park runs along the coast, in addition to the inland area where there are mountains.
It was incredible. We hiked about 20 minutes through the jungle to reach this beautiful beach. It was completely wonderful! I haven’t smelled the ocean in months, and it was so nice to get a wiff of it.
We spent hours on that beach. It was the first time Ray had ever seen the Pacific Ocean, and the first time Sole had been to Olympic National Park. So it was an exciting event for everyone.
I went off on my own, and tried to cross over a sandbar to get to some rocks a bit off the shoreline. The tide came in and covered my feet and shins with freezing cold water. I was sort of relieved, because it meant I could drop the balancing from rock to rock act, and just start running through the water. Which is what I did. I ran across the water over to some rocks that were beckoning me. And look what I found:
Look at these amazing little things!
Perhaps I shouldn’t have, but I touched the little tentacles on these guys, and it was the strangest feeling ever. They were shockingly sticky, and reactive to my touch. As soon as I made contact, they retracted inwards, but only after I had to pull my fingertip off it’s sticky clasp.
I felt like I always do when I’m at the ocean: a marine explorer. I always get sucked into gazing at the little creatures in tidepools, or the mussels on the rocks. I could gaze at these for hours. I find myself doing this quite often at the ocean, and I wonder if it was the influence of my experience on the Maine Coast, learning about marine biology that has me hooked on these little creatures. I love them!
We must have stayed at the beach for 2 or 3 hours. We climbed up onto a high rock, and sat there listening to the waves and the water crashing upon the cliffs. It was so peaceful and quiet there. Just as I was thinking about how pleasant it was that there were no seagulls around, I lifted my hand to find a little surprise, left by yours truly, a seagull.
Excellent.
But it barely fazed me. This day couldn’t be any better. I can help but feel like I’m the luckiest person I know.
