Washington's Olympic Peninsula is easily my favorite adventure destination in the Pacific Northwest. With its virgin rain forests, craggy peaks, and undeveloped Pacific shores, our corner of the country is wrought with rejuvenating energy and endless discovery.
Of all the places we've visited on the peninsula, Shi Shi Beach remains one of my all-time favorites. This summer, friends: Matt, Ian, Michael, Justin, Juan, and Will joined Dusty and I on a weekend adventure to Point of the Arches (at the south end of Shi Shi's 5 mile shore). In this video, Matt captures yet another breathtaking rendition of our trip.
The Olympic Mountains are clearly visible looking west across Puget Sound from downtown Seattle. The rugged peaks retain their snow through mid-summer and most of the high elevation trails are inaccessible until late in the camping season.
Garet and I, along with three very eager friends (Will, Juan and Keith) hopped on a weekend ferry for an up-close look at this impressive mountain range. We camped outside of Port Angeles Friday night and briefly stopped off at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center Saturday morning. An 8-mile drive out to Obstruction Point brought us to the trailhead.
The first leg of our hike traversed Grand Ridge at 6100 feet.The unhindered view from up there seemed like the backdoor to Heaven. It was a pleasant stroll with a modest incline across Grand Ridge.
The vegetation consisted of sparse Juniper trees and alpine shrubs. Icy blue patches of snow appeared to be a combination of seasonal snow pack mixed with freshly exposed, shrinking glaciers.
Just over the crest of the ridge, before our decent into Grand Valley, we spotted Grand Lake - an awesome view of that beautiful mountain lake. As we dropped in elevation, the lake drew closer and the flowers grew more abundant.
Deer foraged between the forest patches and open wildflower meadows. They acquainted themselves with our group and grew accustomed to our visit.
The lake was perfectly clear; we had no trouble seeing clear to the bottom a few hundred feet from shore. Trout splashed, insects swarmed, and boys explored the afternoon away.
Sunday morning we gobbled down some breakfast and began our hike back out. This leg was considerably harder than the day before.The trail took us deeper in to the forest, then came the steep climb through the sub-alpine, then across some high mountain meadows and finally another steep climb up a shale deposit to the trailhead.
Slow going and exhausting – luckily those frequent stops offered numerous view points of the surrounding scenery.
It was a gorgeous eight mile loop hike.Plenty of animals, spectacular views, endless wild flowers and a crystal-green Grand Lake all made this trip a success!
We’re already excited to post next week’s video. Another one of Matthew Brown’s cinematic masterpieces – this time from Garet’s favorite place in Washington: Shi Shi Beach!See you back soon.
The last leg of our 3-day journey across Mount St. Helens started early Friday morning. We first hiked southeast along Smith Creek Trail and then turned southwest at Lava Canyon, completing the full loop.
The entire valley floor of the Smith Creek Trail had been wiped clean by lahars. The way through the creek beds lacked any trail markings. We wound our way down the canyon knowing we were headed the right way, but at this point had completely lost the trail.
Before crossing the creek another time, we pulled out the map and compass and determined the trail must run along the west side of the creek. We waded through the fast current and slippery rocks to the west shore and ascended a tree left by the lahar to find the trail once again. What a relief!
At the south end of Smith Creek Trail we met up with the Lava Canyon Trail, just 2.3 miles from the car. It started fairly level, but quickly climbed and drew ever closer to Lava Canyon Creek. A recent storm and/or high waters have heavily eroded this canyon floor. The trail was completely washed out in several places. As we gained altitude, the trees grew thicker and harder to climb through. It was slow going, painful, and sweltering hot. Now that's the stuff character is made from! :D
At last the debris field cleared and we met back up with the well maintained trail. From here on we climbed an even steeper path. In stark contrast to the obstacle course we'd just climbed through, this part of the trail was like something from a fairy tale story. We hopped up stair cases of pebbles nestled in moss covered, trickling brooks and streams.
Between the glistening pillows of clover, the birds chirping and dancing around us, and the cool showers trickling down from overhanging rocks, we felt refreshed and rejuvenated. Plenty of energy to climb a 30' ladder with packs on. In my opinion, saying you're not afraid of heights is no different than saying you're an idiot. Of course it's scary!
In the last mile we passed half a dozen waterfalls as we climbed hand-over-foot up some very unstable cliffs. Again it seemed this trail had not been maintained in quite a while, and I was surprised it was even designated on the map. With our final steps, we climbed over a chain and sign that (from the opposite side) read: Area Behind This Sign CLOSED To Public Entry.
Ah, that... would explain so much! But why wasn't there a sign at the other end - THAT would have been useful information. Nonetheless we survived and were stronger for having accomplished this hike. Each time we attempt these extended trips, we get a little better and discover things about ourselves we didn't know we could do. To test your boundaries is to know your self, let the horizons be your boundaries.
