On Tuesday, we headed west with our first destination being the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic NP. This is a coniferous rainforest rather than a tropical rain forest, so it looks different from what we tend to see on tv. The Hoh Rainforest gets 12 feet of rain per year, and thankfully none of it fell on the day we were there. Our first view was a group of elk's butts, but after that . . . what a gorgeous place, with ferns, moss, and water beneath the large douglas firs and hemlock trees. With the exception of the path we were walking, everything had something growing on it. The competition for soil is so fierce, that trees often grow on top of downed tree trunks. The trail did take us out to the Hoh river, a glacial river fed in part by the Blue glacier.
We learned that there is a hike from the Hoh Rainforest up to Blue glacier that lies just below the summit of Mt. Olympus. The hike is 18 miles with numerous backcountry campsites, and is very popular. It is now on our wish list, as it is not a technical hike unless you want to go onto the glacier (we don't). Would be a fun four of five day backcountry hike.
If there are any Twilight (vampire/werewolf trilogy) fans out there the entrance to Hoh is just south of Forks, WA, where the books took place. I believe much of the movies were filmed here too. Every other business in the area had some reference to Twilight in it name.
~Enjoy
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