Into the Hoh

The car had some trouble on the Oregon coast, the struts went, and unable to fix them in Newport, we lost a day in Portland.  My dad also put new tires on it which was really nice of him. Thanks Dad!!!

We picked him up from the Portland airport and had a fun time exploring Cascade Locks, a town we will be passing through on the Pacific Crest Trail in early August.  We also went to Multunomah Falls which was a huge tourist trap.

Then we drove far north.  My dad is alot of fun we've been having a crazy time, he's loud, boisterous and happy no matter the circumstances.  Having 3 of us living in this small space has been no problem. One of us will ride in the back of the king cab or laying down in the bed and we all switch off.

We made it to the town of Quinault, Washington where I foud a piano to play in an old historic lodge and then we drove far up a dirt road.  We found ourselves in the Olympic rainforest, the wettest spot on the continent.  Its very green and lush. They have ferns everywhere, and enormous Sitka Spruce trees and Hemlock trees, very similar to the redwoods.

We found a spot to camp towards the top of a forested mountain, the road switchbacked up and up.  The trees and ferns were closing in as we drove up and finally the road became completely unpassable.  That's where we stopped to camp.  It was a rather lousy spot.

The next day we hiked into the Hoh Rainforest.  "Into the HO!" We kept saying.  "We brought no bearspray so we're going into the Hoh with no protection!!!"

What a place it was, we prepared our gear and in we went.  It wasn't raining but everything was slightly wet.  The moss dripped from the trees with the look like it was raining, moss pouring down from everything, the foliage of the hemlock trees look like they are melting.

The brown green moss blanketed everything in sight, clover and ferns popping out of them.  The place was so vibrantly colored, the green so stiriking, we wandered slowly, finding something new to marvel at around each corner.

We passed a couple nice waterfalls and then we eventually got into hiking mode.  It started raining on us and everything was soaked.  We hiked 11 miles to Lewis Meadow and setup camp under a mossy tree.  I made a fire in the rain with just wet material I had and my lighter, and cooked our food no problem in the wettest spot on the continent.  We slept pretty well that night and stayed very dry.

The hike back kicked our asses a little bit, my dad hasn't hiked these long distances in a while, but it was all very enjoyable.

We drove through the vampire infested town of Forks, WA, where the Twilight series takes place and had a great time joking about that.  And we drove up to Cape Flattery at the northwest corner of the Olympic peninsula.  It was staying light out till 10 o'clock now.  We found ourselves on a beaten up Indian reservation, but with nice welcoming people, and made our way to a campgrounds through a thick dark blue fog and mist, wrapping around the coastal rocks.  There were free showers at the campgrounds and they were amazing!

We were immediately greeted by about 8 young people from Seattle who talked to us for over an hour.  They were full of joy and partying on the misty beach, and we were welcomed as if we were old friends.  It was most likely the best camp spot we've ever found.  We fell asleep to the relaxing sound of crashing waves. 

The next day after a fantastic small town breakfast we went over to the Hurricane Ridge.  On the other side of Olympic, the clouds crash into these mountains from the southwest, they then create a rain shadow on all the land behind it making Seattle actually alot drier then the outer coast.  We drove up to the most beautiful spot, among the fantasmal clouds.  Like a scene from heaven, the clouds swayed and moved.  They clung to the mountains and wrapped around them.  We did a short hike there and saw some mountain goats and it was a very enchanting place.  It was like watching a grand show, watching the movement of the clouds around the snow capped mountains.

  We're having a great time, and finally after a long while in the Pacific Northwest, we saw sasquatch.

Exploring Canada...

Dad's here and we're having fun. Im really behind on writing! We start the PCT in 5 days. Also we're in Canada and have no internet. Ill write more soon!!

My birthday in the Redwoods

We spent the next couple days exploring the woods and beaches of Northern California.

We passed through the seaside town of Fort Bragg and continued North, on winding back roads, to Shelter Cove.

We didn't do much that day except drive around and take short walks on the beach or in the woods. We set up camp early and sat around a fire and cooked. We were way out in the woods on a dirt road that winded along the mountainside, lost somewhere out on the Lost Coast. They have big steep mountain in this part of the California coast that come right up to the ocean and all the roads are incredibly steep, winding, switchbacking things.

 The next day we drove to Eureka. A small metropolis with a couple suburbs way out in the woods. Our friend Matt recently moved to Arcata, just north of Eureka. He was my roommate in Glacier. Him and his girlfriend Audrey decided to try to spend the summer in this area. They found a cheap place and have been out here looking for jobs for 3 weeks. So we decided to visit!

Audrey was out of town but Matt was very excited to see us. He's living in a beautiful little house with 6 roommates, and only one of the seven has a job! They are all really nice people though and he only has to pay 150 a month for rent. We went to Oyster fest in Arcata, it was a big party in the town center. We tried some oysters and we all did NOT like them! We've listened to music and drink beer as we caught up.

Later Matt showed us around the redwood grove by his house. He made us some fantastic sushi and we planned a backpacking trip. That night we got to sleep in a nice bed in the loft of his house. Northern California is so nice, they have plums growing plentifully in the backyard, some of the most delicious I've ever had, and blueberries, blackberries and lots of wild berries as well. The weather is perfect, 65 degrees every day and usually sunny, sometimes a light mist will blow in from the ocean.

The following day the three of us hiked into Redwoods National Park. We went to the end of an 8 mile trail that followed a stream. It was an easy hike for us, it didn't challenge any one of us but it was very beautiful and relaxing. Moss clung to the trees, all towering high above us. Ferns blanketed the ground, sometimes they were taller than us too. It was the land of the giants and we found we were constantly craning our necks upward to look towards the canopy.

The Redwoods were massive, when we got to the tall trees grow we were in all. We felt privileged to be in the presence of such giants, and slowly we wandered through them.

We camped on a gravel sandbar on the river banks, with an awesome view towards the tall trees.

The stream was warm enough to swim in and I did. Ferns and Foxglove bloomed out of the hill side where we built our fire and sat on comfortable mossy logs. We cooked a huge delicious meal over the fire and eventually turn in for bed.

The next day was June 16th, my birthday! I slept marvelously and woke up still looking at the tall trees.

Had a great morning floating down the stream and then hiking. We saw a black bear on the trail and ate blackberries. Then we said goodbye to Matt and the Eureka area and drove onward north again. after many days exploring the California coast, we finally arrived in Oregon!

We took a walk on a nice beach, with big rocks thrusting dramatically upwards from the ocean, the style of Oregon. Maggie bought me an incredible pizza in the town of Gold Beach and then we drove up some dirt road.

Up and up we went, past wild flowers and some nice sweeping ocean views. The coastal mountain roads incredibly steep and winding, also totally deserted, we found the perfect spot to camp. A large and hidden pull out on the side of a cliff with a very nice view. The sun is setting later and later, and we spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the truck as always!