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2 – October 2010 – Olympic National Park
Earlier that year, a few days of thrilling hiking in Big Bend National Park, Texas (see previous post : Big Bend National Park), opened a door to a whole new world: apparently it is not necessary to leave the trail, venture deeper into the unknown or face difficulties to find solitude, enter a wild area and finally discover yourself.
As October break is approaching, the USA map is quickly reduced only to its westerner part, then analyzed from north to south in search of what could be, at this season, a hidden jewel that could meet this need for nature and remoteness. Without really knowing why, Olympic National Park seems to be the chosen destination whereas statistics are quite discouraging: it is raining almost every day in October, annual precipitation ranges from 100-170 inches (2.5-4 meters) and it is one of the area of the 48 contiguous states that endure the greatest amount of rain per year.
One week off, early October, it is both a real luxury and a far too short window. Being able to enjoy this vacation in fall is the assurance of being an exclusive witness of the transition between autumn and winter, when nature reaches one of the most important and spectacular time of the year. But for the traveler who likes to take the time to fully appreciate and contemplate things, one week would not seem enough.
Thus, it is quite easy to imagine a trip to Washington state in which a couple of days would be spent visiting the city of Seattle. But, that way, it would be impossible to escape the modern and urban comfort while “sacrificing” some precious time. Therefore, some kind of routine has been slowly set for this kind of journey: getting off the plane, retrieving the big yellow duffel bag holding all the trekking equipment, picking up the rental car, stopping at the first organic supermarket (Wholefoods like) on the road, and, without looking back, reaching the trailhead. In the National Parks, a stop at the ranger’s office is often necessary in order to get a permit or to chat a bit with the rangers about the recent conditions and collect some advices. Once the precious paper in the pocket and the path well defined, the only things left are to park the vehicle and to be sure the backpack is ready with just the necessary items, nothing more… Then, it is just one step after the other. On the first day, the contrast is the most violent, but the most incredible as well: you wake up on the morning, at home, in town, and on the evening you sleep in a tent, in the cold and sometimes the humidity, in the wild.
Notes from the journal:
“There are those trips that make you forget everything about time and space. We then find ourselves living at a different pace, much closer to what is fundamental. Eating, sleeping, remaining warm, … and in my case, walking.”
This discovery of Olympic National Park should be quite busy : it is absolutely necessary to hike along those large rivers, to touch the mosses and the lichens in the temperate rainforest, to climb above timberline on the alpine meadow in order to catch a glimpse at the Olympic glaciers, and to wander on the pebble beaches… without going too fast, while taking the time to be part of the scenery, to fully appreciate every instant.
Hoh River trailhead. On the parking lot, the car door slams, the lights are blinking two or three times, closing this world for a few days. The first steps on this trail in the temperate rainforest are unforgettable as it looks like you are entering a fantastic universe where sumptuous green mosses cascade along branches from all sides.
Notes from the journal:
“I never ceased to be amazed by each tree, by those almost neon green mosses, not to mention those maples with yellow and orange leaves. […] It is already 3 pm and I still have to hike a bit more than 9 miles (15 km)… I’m slowly sinking in my own thoughts and contemplation, I’m entering the woods, deeper and deeper. I’m leaving this world that I want to forget for the whole week. After hiking for one hour, I end up absolutely alone, no more tourist or other hiker. Nobody. Hence, I’m quite surprised when I hear what I think is an emergency whistle… I stop, listen… It is whistling louder and louder. Would an unfortunate hiker have done the foolishness of venturing into the strong current of the river? I move a bit faster until I reach an opening in the trees as I’m overlooking the Hoh river. A hundred meters away, five female elks are crossing the powerful creek while a bull is following them, bugling, explaining this hiss I heard!”
It is raining, everything is damp, but this autumnal nature is welcoming and exhilarating. The slightest stream, the slightest leaf seem to have reached a precarious, but particularly aesthetic balance between summer and winter. The first bivouac is especially uncomfortable, in the middle of a small clearing, in some soaked grass. Elks are all around, almost ignoring my presence. A heavy and restful sleep ends this day in the Hoh River Valley.
During the 4 following days, the weather remains nice and dry. Every scenery is different, tinged with autumn lights and colors. When the path climbs, it crosses an alpine forest, leaving the rainforest down in the valley. Higher up some lakes are appearing, perfect links between the woods and the alpine meadows. Some grouses are running away on the trail, a wonderful bull elk is staring at me, vaguely concerned by a human presence at this time of the year. Meadows are colored by all the blue berries, full of sugar at this time of the year… and the black bears are stuffing themselves out of those! During the very solitary second hiking day, 8 bears are crossing the trail or are appearing on the other sides of some lakes. The lonely hiker sometimes gets a look, but the berries definitely get their full attention!
Notes from the journal:
“On the other side of the lake, a dark shape is moving, followed by a smaller one: a cub and his mom are having a feast, greedily eating all those very sweet berries. Another one appears a bit further. I stay here for a good hour, contemplating this lake that sometimes lights up when the clouds are moving away. I’m selfishly enjoying this rare and intense instant while the bears, totally at their feast, are ignoring my presence.”
They are everywhere indeed! Every day, at least one of them shows up, pretty close to the tent, or further, crossing an opening or a meadow. They are sometimes impressive, powerful, but not very worried. It is so enjoyable to just seat on a rock and admire those beasts, to let time go by as slowly as possible, and to imagine that this plantigrade, right here, maybe a hundred yards away, is just as curious.
Days are warm and pleasant, but the nights are cold. In the morning, the tent is icy, as well as the shore of the lakes or the small springs. The trail goes up and down, crosses dense primitive woods of Sitka spruce then rushes toward the ridges, going through wide colorful meadows. When a belvedere is reached, it overlooks what seems to be an infinite forest. It is easy to imagine the Pacific Ocean toward the West. North, it is possible to see Canada, and South, the Olympic glaciers are dominating everything. Down in the valley, the trail winds its way back through the mysterious mosses, the weather begins to get cloudy and the deafening sound of the Hoh river prevails over the whole.
Opening the door of the car symbolizes the end of the stroll, a comeback to a more comfortable world in which it is as easy as closing the door to shelter from a rain shower. However, while this magical hike is now completed, the week is not yet over, and the approaching storm should still give way to clear patches, at least enough to explore the coastal part of the National Park and its long and wild beaches.
Campgrounds are mostly desert, and the mind is a bit lost between see and mountains. The coast is not very populated, but it still clearly brings an intense contrast with the solitude of those days spent higher up, in the middle of the bears and elks. The storm is keeping away most of the visitors and the courageous one quickly ends up alone, wandering on the pebbles. The scenery becomes even more austere, sometimes enlivened and colored by these starfish, revealed at low tide. When the Ocean is coming back, it is time to go back, to close the curtain on this sumptuous place, this amazing Park, and extract myself from this contemplation that has already anchored its memory deep inside.
Not a regular day in Olympic National Park: blue sky and sunny weather !
