The Pacific Northwest is a beguiling place… it is truly home to the unexpected.
For instance, flying goats! (Seriously, read on)

Few places in the world harbor rugged coastlines, foggy temperate rainforests, steaming hot springs, and snowy mountain peaks all in one locale. Perched on an isolated peninsula jutting from Washington state, Olympic National Park exhibits the best features four parks…all in one.

The lush, verdant Hoh Rainforest receives an average of 12 to 14 feet of precipitation each year…. making it one of the rainiest places in the world. A luxuriant carpet of mosses and lichens coat the tree limbs, noticeably dampening the sound. One particular area of this hushed forest is even considered to be the quietest place in the continental U.S., according to an Emmy-awarded “acoustic ecologist.” 

Early mariners were so enthralled with this land that they named the tallest glacier-capped peak Mount Olympus, after the mythical home of the Greek Gods.  Endangered species like humpback whales, blue whales, and short-tailed albatross depend on the deep marine sanctuary waters that hug the park’s shoreline. 

MISSION: G.O.A.T.

When we arrived, the national park service had just finished a two year campaign to relocate Olympic’s troublesome mountain goat population. They used helicopters to airlift 326 goats to better habitat in the North Cascades region. Why this elaborate procedure?

The mountain goats had developed an obsessive thirst for human urine and were ravaging forests to get their fix. The Olympic Peninsula is not the goat’s native habitat, and lacking the naturally-occurring deposits of the salts and minerals that the mammals need to be healthy, they were resorting to creative means to procure it. Their aggressive behavior convinced the NPS to take action. (I swear this is a true story!)

EXPLORING OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK-

We were so excited to have our sister join our explorations of Olympic National Park! We enjoyed gawking at the giant 191-foot tall Quinault Sitka spruce, hiking along the mountains of Hurricane Ridge, and hunting for slugs in the mossy depressions of the Hoh Rainforest. We enthusiastically competed to see which of us could spot the greatest number of the elusive banana slugs. Growing up to 1/4 lb, Pacific Banana slugs are the second largest slugs in the world!

In total, we found 23 yellow and brown slugs slimeing along the forest floor, performing their decomposer duties. The silent and otherworldly green rainforest felt like it was straight out of a fairy tale. Towards dusk, we even spotted a beautiful herd of Roosevelt elk. 

Rugged Beaches and Tide Pools

While we thoroughly enjoyed the old-growth rainforests and mountains, our favorite days were spent on Olympic’s rocky beaches. We foolishly forgot to check the tidal charts before hiking the Rialto Beach Hole-in-the-Wall trail, so we ended up doing the 3.3 mile route at high tide. The surf swallowed most of the pebbled beach, so we had to scramble over and across large tracts of driftwood to keep our hiking boots dry. When I say large… I mean MASSIVE piles of debris. The beach was littered with bleached logs as long as telephone poles, with colossal trunks that were up to 10 feet in diameter. Smaller branches were entwined with bigger ones in the world’s greatest jungle gym. We hopped from log to log to avoid the pounding waves, which occasionally crested and crashed over lower-lying tree trucks. 

Climbing over miles of gargantuan hunks of driftwood was the most unusual hike I’ve ever done! Pretty much the best nature parkour ever!! When we at last made it to the scraggy Hole-in-the-Wall scenic overlook, we soaked in the bird’s-eye views of the coastline. On the return journey, I gave-up on keeping my feet dry…. surrendering to the cold salty water that rhythmically lapped up to my knees. 

After this, we got with the program and monitored the tide charts before tide-pooling at Ruby Beach. The shallow rocky bowls that litter the Pacific Coast are just teeming with life! We peered at hundreds of bright purple and orange ochre starfish clinging to the pools in colorful clumps. Vivid green sea anemones, bumpy barnacles, stubborn mussels, shy snails, and industrious crabs crowded the rocks. Based on the density of intertidal organisms competing for space in these precious crevices, the Zillow real estate prices must be off the charts. We carefully picked our way around the boulders, looking for bare rocks to clamber over to avoid disrupting the delicate harmony of tide pool living.

A Surprise Encounter!

 After two hours of delightful exploration, I noticed a slender dark object bobbing in the surf. The brown shape surfaced closer to the shore… revealing itself to be a large furry sea otter!

We gasped and watched the animated creature frolic with his friend in the waves for a few moments. Spotting two sea otters playing in the Pacific Ocean is officially my favorite wildlife encounter on the whole trip! 

Ever since I did a book report on sea otters back in middle school, I have been dying to see one of these inquisitive mammals. Sadly, sea otter sightings can be rare since this keystone species is a federally-listed threatened species.

Populations of the northern sea otter (which inhabits Washington’s coastline) appear to be slowly rebounding… but there are less than 3,000 southern sea otters in the wild today.

Oil spills, commercial fishing, overhunting, and habitat degradation are commonly known threats to this species.

But strangely, one of the biggest killers of sea otters is actually a deadly brain parasite carried by improperly disposed kitty litter. So mind your litter box… the delicate web of life that unites us all is interconnected in crazy ways. 

OUR FAVORITE PLACES-

#1: Ruby Beach (pebbled beach with freshwater streams flowing into the ocean; popular location for tidepooling at low tide)

#2: Hole-in-the-Wall at Rialto Beach (beachfront trail to sea stacks and an iconic archway; path is defined by colossal piles of sun-dried driftwood)

#3: Hall of Mosses & Spruce Nature Trail (quiet, perpetually moist temperate rainforest trails cloaked in fog and green mosses; features many old growth trees)

#4: Hurricane Ridge (attractive, blustery views of the glaciated Olympic Mountain range)

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OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK STATS:

Established: June 1938      /      Size: 922,561 acres

Annual Visitors: 3.2 million     /       Location: Washington

~Safe Travels, Nathalie

TRIVIA -

Another oddity of the Olympic Peninsula:
Forks, WA was thrust into the spotlight when author Stephanie Meyer chose this particular town (the rainiest town in America) as her setting for the Twilight books. Some enterprising residents in this little hamlet of 3,800 people capitalized on fan tourism by posting vampire movie posters and affiliated merchandise in their storefront windows.

5,500 miles traveled and 10 national parks explored