take a hike

Here is the hodgepodge summary of our trip to Olympic National Park. We drove around the entire peninsula in our sea-foam green Prius with two stinky dogs in the backseat. Overall, it was a great trip and I wish we had more time to explore and backpack, unfortunately we have these annoying things called jobs.

Our first stop was at the Dungeness Spit, we arrived around 4:00PM and the park closes at 5:00, so we were unable to hike the 11 mile journey to the New Dungeness Spit Lighthouse. Maybe next year. (Side note, dogs are not allowed anywhere in the Olympic National Park, which we did not know, so Rita & Lola spent most of the time in the car.) Dungeness Spit is a sliver of sand that stretches out into the Strait of Juan De Fuca, definitely worth a visit.

The following day we got up early and drove to Hurricane Ridge. Our goal was to hike Hurricane Hill, again...we were surprised to learn no dogs were allowed on the trail so Mike and I took some nice vista shots at the top and turned around and headed to Crescent Lake where we were told Rita & Lola would be welcomed. Hurricane Ridge is normally a ski resort in the winter and spring months, however the Pacific Northwest is experiencing another unusually dry and warm winter. As a result, the 8-12 feet of snow we should of encountered was more or less a parking lot filled with sunbathing tourists.

We then ventured to Crescent Lake to tackle the Spruce Railroad Trail, a 4 mile trail that mimics the shoreline of the lake. We enjoyed the views, Lola got in a brief swim, Mike found an abandoned mine shaft and we hit our 10,000 steps-a-day goal. Hurricane Ridge was more our cup of tea, but living in the Northwest you get spoiled and it seems snobbish of me to complain that I did not get a mountain hike in and had to compromise with a lake view. (Boo hoo for you Tory.)

Our final day concluded at the Hoh Rainforest, it was about a 2.5 hour drive from Port Angeles, through everyone's favorite Twilight town, Forks, WA. The trees and moss are breathtaking, something out of a movie. We were on a tight schedule to get back to Portland, but we did squeeze in the Hall of the Mosses trail which is short (.8 miles) but a must see. The trees, the Hoh river...it's remarkable. Our goal is to come back in a year or so and backpack from the Hoh River Trail to Glacier Meadows. Enjoy!

And we had to make two last stops, one at a sign that said "largest cedar tree" and another at Beach # 3 off highway 101.

Located on the Washington side of the Gorge, Table Mountain is a must-do hike for all viewpoint enthusiasts. I admit, I tend to pick hikes with big views, which usually entails some serious elevation gain. Table Mountain is no exception. We opted to start this hike at the Aldrich Butte Trailhead, it's a little tricky to find, but it shaves some miles off the overall trip. The trail is predominately uphill for 4 miles, there is very little opportunity for a forgiving level walk. I highly recommend bringing a trail book or detailed map if you are a first timer, there are many unmarked turns which are easily overlooked.

The highlight of the 8 mile hike is the summit, you will see views of Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood, not to mention the Columbia River stretching for miles. The part of the hike which I would like to forget but never will, is the Heartbreak Ridge portion of the trail. This is a more direct way to the summit, but it literally (and I mean literally) is straight up. You will likely be swearing and cursing me for suggesting this hike, but the view is well worth the suffering. Not far past Heartbreak Ridge is another portion of a rock scramble. This part of the hike is not so much difficult, rather it's slow moving. And dogs hate it. Essentially, you climb up and over a rock slide to the marked path, there will be the occasional red flag trail marker to remind you to keep on trucking.

I could keep rambling but as I always say, I will let the pictures convince you. 3,350ft of elevation gain makes for a great selfie!