Taking A Stroll to the Sol Duc Falls

"Many people just sit behind their steering wheel, scared to venture into the wilderness." - Keith Foskett

There is something to be said on trips like these when you get to head to bed one night knowing that you don't have to rush off to some other place. Getting into the Sol Duc Campground Wednesday evening, setting up camp, and going to bed with that feeling made for something magical.

Getting an opportunity to sleep in a dense forest with all of the sights and sounds that come along with it is something that I wish more people would seek.

That Wednesday night was one of the coolest nights we'd had in quite a few days. And considering the intense heat we'd been experiencing as hikers, it was a welcome relief. A sleeping pad and sleeping bag paired well with the owl hoots that seemed to dart from one area of the forest to the other in a moment's notice. With extreme exhaustion levels, listening to the silent wildlife provided the perfect white noise for a solid night's rest.

Sometime between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m., we stirred, ate breakfast, and began thinking about the day ahead. We needed some ice for the cooler, so we got in the car and drove half of a mile to the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. Ice was necessary, but there were ulterior motives as we wanted to see what the springs were all about. It might be a place we'd find ourselves near later that day. The overpowering stench of eggs told us we were there.

We inspected the resort and checked out prices before deciding to head back to camp to change for the day. Soon, we made lunches and choose to take things easy by hiking only five miles roundtrip to the Sol Duc Falls from our campground.

Hiking Up the Klahhane Ridge

Note: Back in Seattle and with some internet access means I can get some updates going again. You'll want to read this story through to the end. This was a crazy day!

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"Mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery." - John Ruskin

On Wednesday, the four of us slept in a bit and took our time packing up our camp at Lake Cushman. We ate some breakfast and took a walk to and along the lake before packing up the vehicle for our next stop in the northern section of Olympic National Park.

The agenda for today was to drive up to and then hike Hurrican Ridge Trail, a beautiful and scenic path along the ridge of some mountains.

Our drive took us into Port Angeles East and then to the Olympic National Park Visitor Center at the bottom of Hurrican Ridge. When we got there, we got some bad news. The Hurrican Ridge Trail was closed, starting that day, for trail maintenance. It wouldn't be open to the public for another three or four days.

Needless to say, that bummed us all out, and we felt like we hit our first snag in this park. We didn't have a backup plan, so we frantically began looking up different hikes that we could do. Some we thought of looked good until we saw the difficulty level. Eventually, it was off to one of the park rangers to get some advice on what we could do.

We did want to drive up Hurrican Ridge somewhat, and the ranger recommended the Switchback Trail. The trail isn't heavily trafficked and would offer up views just as stunning as those on Hurrican Ridge Trail. That said, before we ventured off, the ranger did warn us of the non-native mountain goats. They like to follow people (to lick the salt of their skin) and will get aggressive if humans get too close to them. The ranger said the best advice is to pick up some rocks and throw them toward the goats if they get to close. Although we laughed a bit about that, we figured we'd do it if the time came.

Ascending Hurrican Ridge Road, we soon found the trailhead for Switchback Trail and saw the warning signs about the goats.

Our First Taste of the Olympic Peninsula

A little bit of a note to get started: I'm without service and definitely don't have wifi here in Olympic National Park, so posts will be somewhat infrequent and missing most photos. I'll do my best to update and show you all what we've been up to. There is a solid chance this will be my last post until Friday.

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"The beauty and charm of the wilderness are his for the asking, for the edges of the wilderness lie close beside the beaten roads of the present travel." - Theodore Roosevelt

Tuesday morning, we woke up in Rockport and had the van packed by 8:15 a.m. We ended up running into a solid amount of traffic getting into Seattle but were able to drop off Jesse and Maria in the city by about 11.

We said our goodbyes and wished them a fun day in Seattle before setting our focus on Olympic National Park. It ended up taking us roughly two hours to get to our campsite for the night, Skokomish Park at Lake Cushman.

It's a gorgeous and deep lake nestled in the mountains of the Olympic peninsula and only seven miles from Olympic National Park.

We immediately went to our site, unloaded and set up our tents, and took in a few views from our site. Only a short walk away from our site is the edge of the of the lake that gets very deep quickly. In the background of the lake are the mountains, some loaded with pines while others just shoot sharp rocks into the sky. We knew we had a lakefront site, but we didn't know it would also be so breathtaking.

Boatin' Around Ross Lake

"Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life." - Jack Kerouac

After our insane hike yesterday, you'd be right to assume that we were all a little sore and tired Monday morning. What was supposed to be a 7:30 a.m. start to the day ended up being more like an 8:00 or 8:15 start. There's no shame in that because, after all, our day was just as wild as the day prior.

We started off heading out of Rockport and onto the Cascade Highway, passing through Marblemount and then Newhalem. Just outside of Newhalem is the Gorge Overlook, which, as you may suspect, overlooks the Gorge Lake.

It was a cute, well-manicured trail just off the main road. We didn't get far, honestly, just enough to snag a few of the photographs above. It's beauty wasn't hard to miss, but it wasn't exactly what we had planned. So after about 15 or 20 minutes, we were back in the van and on our way to Ross Lake.

They Call Them the American Alps for a Reason

"The mountains are calling and I must go." - John Muir

Yesterday was the big day. We were heading into the the park. We had a day planned that would have us all aching and sore by the end of the day, but completely thankful that we could spend the day getting to know the park and ourselves.

With us staying in Rockport, we wanted to be packed up and in the car for an 8:30 a.m. departure. That would get us into the visitor center (just past the Thornton Lake access road and trailhead) at about the time it opened at 9:00 a.m. That gave us an opportunity to check in with the rangers to make sure our planned hike seemed OK with them as well snag some swag from the gift shop.

But before you get to the visitor center, we had to stop and get this photo by the entrance sign. In an interesting side note, a group of people from Pennsylvania arrived just behind us and took our photo. I guess it is a small world afterall.

The two kids went to Penn State, so I offered up my sympathy to them, and we were on our way!

After getting confirmation that our hike was fine, it was time to drive up five miles and about 3,000 feet in elevation to get to the trailhead.

Just Checking Things Out Just Outside the North Cascades National Park

"It is good to realize that if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature’s gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever." - Jimmy Carter

There are 24 hours in a day. For most people, a third of that is spent in a bed getting rest. For us, it was spent on a transcontinental flight, driving to remote parts of the state of Washington, and then taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of the Cascade Mountains at sunset.

OK, so, maybe that didn't take 24 hours, but for most of us, we were up for about 21-22 straight hours on Saturday. We were all basically running on pure energy and adrenaline for this trip.

Our trip got a little bit of a later start than we originally planned because of Delta Airlines screwing over Katie multiple times trying to get to Seattle. Although she was scheduled to be the first person from the party in Seattle, multiple delays meant she didn't get in until about 3:30 or 4:00 p.m.

But that all worked out best for the rest of us because we were able to get some lunch at a nice seafood and sushi place called Sushi Today. From there, we found ourselves a grocery store and stocked up for the next few days of hiking.

We are staying in Rockport, Washington, which is roughly 2.5 hours (depending on traffic) outside of Seattle at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and a few miles outside the entrance to the North Cascades National Park.

By the time the van rolled into our Airbnb, it was about 7 in the evening. We took in the nicely renovated mountain house for a few minutes before dumping our gear off and unloading the groceries.

From there, it was go-time. With less than two hours before the sun set behind a mountain range, and with all of us not wanting to miss out on a day in the park, it was time to change up, grab some warmer clothes, and start driving up the mountain.

When talking with our Airbnb host, he mentioned a popular trail - the Saulk Mountain Trailhead - near his house and just outside the actual North Cascades National Park. AllTrails and other trail websites had this as a highly-rated expedition. The trail is only 2.5 miles, and it was on our itinerary until plane delays.

But we all decided that it would still be a nice way to end the day if we could drive to the top of Sauk Mountain, hangout near the trailhead, and watch the sun set over the mountain range.

So, that's what we decided to do.

Our research and the GPS definitely tipped us off to what kind of a hike this would be. Despite only being 9 miles away from our Airbnb, it would take about 40-45 minutes to reach the top of the mountain and the trailhead. You know what that means? Switchback after switchback after switchback. The van held on well, and it gave us our first glimpse into what is sure to be a breathtaking vacation into the woods.

That's a view of Sauk Mountain on this forest road. It's only wide enough for one and a half cars, and there are insanely steep dropoffs on the side.

Getting Back Out West

So, here we are. A group of six of us - myself with Cara, Dana, Katie, Jesse, and Maria - scattered across the United States, all converging on the Pacific Northwest for a week of hiking and friendship.

Unfortunately, no dog this time.

Lily was super confused and sad to see us head to the airport at 4:30 AM EST (1:30 AM PST).

The flight was pretty smooth, and that's coming from a guy who isn't the biggest fan of flying. I did snag these photos of the Cascades on our descent into Seattle:

Get a load of those beautifully snow-capped peaks!

Ithaca is Gorges

This past weekend was the annual Ithaca Festival, a staple for Cara's family and friends, but something that I had never enjoyed. It was also just my first time to Ithaca ever.

We stayed in cabins at the Robert H. Treman State Park just outside the city. Have a shelter like that proved beneficial the first night. Although it wasn't a heavy downpour or washout, the cabins gave us relief from a constant drizzle and mist.

That said, by the time we all woke up on Saturday, the rain stopped and the sun was doing its best to power through the clouds. Although not the most beautiful of days in terms of weather, the overcast skies and temperatures in the mid-60s made for perfect hiking weather.

After breakfast, we all decided to do a hike in the morning, possibly swim by the one waterfall near our cabins, and then head over to the festival in the afternoon.

When choosing a hike, it was a no-brainer. The Rim & Gorge Trail started less than 30 feet from our cabins.

The hike begins with an incline, climbing steps and following a path that takes you up and along the one gorge.

The early part of the hike takes you through some dense forests with some up and downs in terms of elevation. Throughout this section, you can often hear water crashing from waterfalls or running through rapids. When we got a chance to take a side path and venture toward some water, we did.

The dogs loved the chance to splash around and cool down in the water.