Our First Steps in the Olympics!

Friday we made our first trek to the Olympics. We took a quick ferry over to the peninsula with car. From there we drove about a half hour or so to the forest road we needed. But a mere 14 miles to go. Unfortunately, what we have learned from our time here is that the last few miles are usually the longest. The road is uphill, mostly dirt or gravel, and windy. The miles are slow right when you want to get there the most... and of course have to pee! You hold it and hold it and hold it and hey I'm a former teacher, trust me, I can hold it.

We did eventually make it to the trailhead and I didn't have to turn around and go home for a change in undergarments. phew what a relief, literally!

So up we went. Up and up (20% grade most of the way!) and out to a meadow about a third the way. It had endless switchbacks but beautiful wildflowers and incredible views of Mt Rainier, the Cascades, and eventually Mt Baker. Chris even spotted smoke billow straight in the sky south of Mt. Rainier, we're thinking maybe Mt. St. Helens. Once done with the meadow we arrived at a series of erosion steps that were about the very last thing in the world I wanted to see. Did I mention it was sunny (not a cloud in the sky) and in the 80s? What are you going to do? turn around? stairs it is. Well, we did make it to the top and here are some photos to prove it. From the top you see all of above mentioned plus the Juan de Fuca Strait, the San Juan Islands, and supposedly into Canada. This demonstrates just why we wanted to live here.
All in a day and I get to sleep in my own bed.


Tomorrow morning we head to hike Surprise Lake. hmmm wonder what the surprise is? When I was a kid my dad would always make hot dog surprise, pieces of hot dog hidden in pillsbury dough biscuits. I remember teasing him and saying, "Why call them that? It ruins the surprise."