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Hoh Rain Forest
and Mount Olympus
Click on photos to enlarge
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| Upper Hoh Road to the Rain Forest. |
Continues from Sol Duc Hot Springs.
Drive Hwy 101 south from the Sol Duc Hot Springs.
By late afternoon, arrive at the Upper Hoh Road.
It's one of those rare sunny springtime days, and from the
distance we get a small glimpse of Mount Olympus.
We stop at the Peak 6 Tours store, and the owner tells us
about a great place to get a closer view of Mt. Olympus.
So we turn around, head back north a couple of miles on
Hwy 101, and turn east on Forest Road H3200 up
Willoughby Ridge. It's a rock-strewn dirt road with
sections of steep climbs. The westy climbs up smoothly,
sometimes with the auto tranny shifted in first gear.
From the top of the ridge, there are stunning panoramic
views of the Olympics, with Mt. Olympus dominating,
and a view of the Hoh River winding its way
through the valley.
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| Mount Olympus, typically deluged by 200 inches of precipitation annually. |
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| Hoh River winding its way through the Rain Forest. |
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| Panoramic view of Olympic range from Willoughby ridge. |
Back down on the way to the Hoh Rain Forest, we see a
sign saying "Campground Full".
Being persistent, we continue driving the 18 miles to
the park entrance.
Ask the ranger, "Any overflow camping available?"
He says, "There are a half dozen sites still available,
on a first come, first serve basis".
He explains that they always put up the "Camp Full" sign
as the campground gets fairly close to capacity, so folks
don't drive the 18 miles needlessly (and complain to him).
Find a beautiful spot under a especially mossy tree,
cook dinner, and go for an evening walk.
Next day hike the famous Hall of Mosses trail through the
Rain Forest, which receives 140 inches of annual rainfall.
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Moss covered Maples. |
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| Nurse log, old tree trunk providing nourishment for new growth. | |
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Water-logged moss can weigh thousands of pounds. |
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Tree with a moss beard by the creek. |
On the way back home, a short stop by the Hoh River.
Later a picnic by Ruby Beach off Hwy 101.
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| Sea stacks by Ruby Beach off Hwy 101. |
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