Our journey back into the wilderness began at the REI flagship store ("the mothership"). We had to make a dent in our budget by buying all kinds of stuff (bear canisters, bug repellent, cool new sunglasses.... you know, the essentials- haha). The store is hard to describe (gigantic), it more like something you just have to experience (if you are ever any where near Seattle, I highly recommend experiencing it for yourself). Even the entrance of the store is an oasis of green in the middle of a city, with waterfalls and bike testing trails. Then, inside it wasn't just the overwhelming selections of brands and goodies but the atmosphere of feeling invited to join into the displays and play (literally, there is even a playground for kids in the childrenswear section)! They even have an old Westfalia in the middle of the store to help inspire.
As we browsed the REI gloriousness, we ran into multiple other Anderson Award recipients doing the same exact thing (great minds think alike, right?) Conversations were had about where everyone was off to next, whether it be going home to their own stores/telling us to stop by to say "HI" if we ended up in their neck of the woods. Several others were extending their stay in the Pacific Northwest after the Anderson event and were heading in the same direction/asking if we wanted to join...Well, we aren't ones to pass up on an opportunity to have an adventure while hanging out with REI people so, next destination = Olympic National Park! And that means OUR 1st FERRY RIDE! Is it weird that we were both really excited and nervous about our first ferry experience? When Karl pulled up to the pay booth at the dock, and admitted that were were ferry virgins/asked what to do we got a curt "just follow everyone else" in response. And that was it, we pulled Ele (our Honda Element has a name) into line and waited for all of 5 minutes. Seriously, Seattle natives probably would have been jealous of our good luck of perfect timing because as soon as we turned off the engine to wait, we were told to pull forward onto the ferry, and OFF we went. There is no lag when getting those vehicles on the ferry, they are super efficient and on time!
Once we were parked on the floating traffic jam, I hesitated to leave the car (no one else around us got out of the car... and we were told to "follow everyone else") but my need to pee and tourist curiosity won out and we went up to the public deck to enjoy the cold wind and start of the rain while watching Seattle recede. We landed on Bianbridge and after a few hours driving through the rain and being detoured due to road closures, we found ourselves in a little town called Forks which is known for being the set of some teen girl vampire movies.
But, Team Edward or Jacob aside, we were able to stake a claim at the beautiful Mora campsite for the night. While waiting for our fellow adventurers, we made pizza mountain pies for dinner (yum) and watched the dappled sunlight fall through the mossy covered tree branches. And, as beautiful as that might sound, the best part of the evening was still to come... the sunset on Rialto Beach.
I am not even going to attempt to find the right words to describe the waves crashing on a rocky beach that is covered with massive weathered downed trees while the sky changes colors with the setting sun. My pictures can't even begin to capture the full splendor of the scene, but it was worth a try...
The following morning, we wandered on the same beach, exploring tidal pools and running amok in the mist. We found snails, starfish, anemones, hermit crabs, mussels, and barnacles. Oh, and there were a few bald eagles hunting freedom in the early morning air.
We said our good-byes as the rest of the guys (and gals) were off to start a hike in the Hoh rainforest to one of the terminal glaciers of Mt. Olympus. As much as we wanted to do that, a 2pm start to an 12-mile hike was beyond us that day...
But not the following day! The hike sounded so cool that we geared up to hit the glacier on our own. 18 miles up and back, split over 3 days isn't too bad. Throw in constant rain and you've got yourself a wonderful birthday hike for Karl.
It was rough going the second day as we went from constant rain, to sleet, to snow with 4000' of gain over 5 miles. And Karl forgot the stove, so lunch was a handful of granola (I told him I wasn't mad about that lil error, just hangry). But we made it, up and down. Plus, it was just exciting to actually need our ice axes (they are no longer decorative items inside the Element)!
The next day was a soggy march back to the car, a triumphant dinner, and a night at the nearest parking lot. We needed some respite, and a wash, so Sol Duc hot springs was on the agenda. We soaked for a few hours, enjoyed a beer, and then headed into town for some chow. Hurricane ridge followed lunch, and then we planned to crash at the Walmart that night. A conversation with the ranger swayed us to a NP camp when he told us that Deer Park Road was open. Deer Park campground sits just under the summit of Blue mountain at 5400'. The road up is single track rubble, and turned to snow for the last mile. Visibility was terrible when we arrived, so we set up the 'camper' and threw snowballs at the emboldened deer. *Seriously, stop feeding wildlife people.* These deer followed us at about 10' pretty much the whole time we were there waiting for handouts. About 30 minutes later the clouds broke into quite a view, so we headed up to the summit for a looksee. Wow, what a night, what a campground.
Since we did not have a good opportunity to explore the Seattle area together during the awards, we booked some nights in a hostel in Fremont, and headed back clean up. One last stop on the way back to civilization, the Northwesterly most point in the contiguous US: Cape Flattery. Look, Canada!
Onto showers, laundry, burgers, and beer!
<3 S
&
-K
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