We spent a beautiful four days backpacking in the heart of Olympic National Park. The 36 mile hike from the Hoh Ranger Station to the Blue Glacier has been on my bucket list for a long time and we sure hit the rainforest at the height of its beauty.
It was quite the adventure. The log crossings made things interesting, and the rope ladder between Elk Lake and Glacier Meadows was… a thrill. We descended the hundred foot ladder into the washout around 2am, and the beams of our headlamps didn’t even reach the bottom.
The lower Blue Glacier looked like it was in fantastic early season shape, but the scree slope to get down to it. That was something else. My husband likes rock. I like snow. At one point he commented, “We’re climbing it like mountain goats!” I replied, as rocks kept giving out, “I’m climbing it more like a sailor!”
The number of species of fern and understory growth really drove home the value of these ancient and beautiful trees. I expect to return again and again.
