FRIDAY - We packed up and left around 10:30AM knowing we were heading back up the road 5-miles to the Thrifty Mart because we forgot to buy drinking water when we were there yesterday.
We're down to just 1 of our 3-gallon bottles of clean drinking water, and while that might be enough for 4-days, this area of Forks, WA is expecting to shatter a 38-year old record high temperature on Sunday.
We figured better safe than sorry and purchased 9-1 gallon bottles of drinking water for $1.99 each, when we're used to paying around 50¢ a gallon to refill our own 3-gallon bottles.
TRAVEL DAY PHOTOS
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This morning, as we were packing up to leave, we had a visitor come strolling into the site. CAN YOU SPOT THEM IN THIS PHOTO?
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Banana Slugs can grow up to 10" long. This one's not quite there, but getting close!
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Tricia took a 30-second long video of the slug, but it didn"t look any different than this photo.
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That might possibly be the snow-capped summit of Mount Olympus (7,980 feet) up ahead.
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We've turned off of US-101 now and heading up into the Hoh Rainforest by following the river.
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Now that's what a rain forest is supposed to look like.
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We've finally made it back inside of Olympic National Park.
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Just like we had someone saying goodbye this morning, we had someone anxiously awaiting our arrival at this new site.
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Pull-through sites are not our favorite layout, but they sure are easy to get into.
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Of the 72 campsites here only 7 are large enough for us to fit and they are all pull-throughs.
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This campground is open all year round, but today is the 1st day since September 6th of last year that they accept reservations and all 72 sites are reserved.
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A few hours later we were surprised by a deer foraging in the empty campsite next to us.
SATURDAY - By 8:00AM we were out of THE POD and driving ROVER over to the parking lot in front of the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center.
When we arrived at the parking lot it was already full, but we luckily saw someone leaving early, so we were able to quickly grab their parking spot. We'll be back here for another hike, only next time it'll have to be even earlier.
SPRUCE NATURE TRAIL (A 1.2-mile loop trail)
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From the start of the trail I could tell there were going to see many large Sitka Spruce trees.
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This bridge crosses over the crystal clear spring-fed waters of Taft Creek.
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The angle of the early morning sunshine gave the rainforest some eerie shadows.
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Take away the sunshine and it goes from eerie to spooky very quick.
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You have to pay attention when hiking this trail or the trees will reach out and trip you.
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In some of the muddier spots they created these rock filled steps to keep your shoes clean.
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These Bigleaf Maple leaves were as large as your face.
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The trail came to a clearing where we could walk out to the shore of the Hoh River.
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Here I am standing at the base of a fallen Sitka Spruce tree.
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Notice how at the top of the root ball new full grown trees have emerged.
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Even on the trunk new trees have sprouted.
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This tree trunk took a 90° turn towards the sky.
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When you see trees all lined up in a perfect row it is almost always because there is an older fallen tree trunk underneath them all. The fallen tree offers an elevated platform, shade, and vital nutrients to act as a "nurse log" for new generations of trees to grow above the dense competition of the forest floor.
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The rocks you clearly see on the bottom of Taft Creek are actually 2' underwater.
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This turned out to be a natual bridge over Taft Creek.
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There sure is a lot of hanging moss in a rainforest.
SUNDAY - We've got one more hike I'd like to do here before we leave and since today is still the weekend and going to be HOT I decided to save it for tomorrow.
Tricia had other ideas, so around 6:45AM she went out for a little walk and made a new slimy friend. (SEE STORY BELOW)
We've been seeing the native "Banana Slug" all over the Pacific Northwest, first in Northern California and now in Northern Washington.
The "Licorice Slug" that Trica befriended this morning however is a non-native slug from Europe.
They both perform a vital role in the health of the rainforest. Think of them as the janitors of the rainforest floor, eating all the decaying leaves, fungi, carrion, and occasionally other insects or worms found there. While they may be welcome in a forest, gardeners tend to eradicate them at first sight before they can do any damage to their plants.
Now don't go thinking that means you can now litter while on your hike. They don't eat aluminum beer cans, plastic bottles or all other non-biodegradable items that we occasionally see while on our hikes.
OLYMPIC SLUGS
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WHICH ONE DO YOU BELIEVE WOULD TASTE BETTER? BANANA OR LICORICE
After her early morning walk Tricia returned to THE POD so she could get a phone call out to her girlfriend in Jacksonville using our Starlink connection.
When the call was over it was still early enough that Tricia went on another walk, more like a hike this time, along the Hoh River Trail. I was glad when she returned before the late morning temperatures reached 80°F on their way to 95°F.
HOH RIVER TRAIL (The first 1.8-miles of the 17.5-mile trail)
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Looks like someone has been busy doing recent trail maintenence here.
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It only makes sense that the Hoh River Trail would offer views of the Hoh River.
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Here's some more of that mid-morning sun shining through the trees.
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Another view of the glacier fed Hoh River.
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The water has that turquoise blue color thanks to the glacier silt carried downstream.
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There's one shortcut I don't think Tricia would take.
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Notice anything different about the top of the main trunk on this tree?
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It has broken off and a new main trunk has been started 100' off the ground.
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The new trunk grew out of a burl that developed on the side of the tree.
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We all know that "a rolling stone gathers no moss", but a downed tree sure does.
With the temperatures reaching 90+°F today, we twice put on our bathing suits and walked just across the street from our campsite and down to the Hoh River. I know what 70°F water feels like from all the springs in central Florida, let me tell you this glacier melt water was a lot lower than that.
If Google can be believed, the water temp was 53.6°F today, while the air temp reached 95°F. The previous high temperature for this day, June 14th, was 86°F in Forks, WA set way in 1988. I'm so glad we were here to experience breaking that 38-year old record, NOT!
MONDAY - As usual, we've saved the most popular, and supposedly the best, trail for last.
This morning we were already at the trailhead at 7:15AM. Thankfully there were only a few others there at that time.
The entire time we were on the trail we only saw about a dozen other people, but when we got back to the parking lot it was full and there were many people preparing to begin their hike.
I'd say we timed it perfectly today.
HALL OF MOSSES TRAIL (A .8-mile loop trail)
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If you're visiting Hoh Rainforest and only have time to hike one trail, I would highly suggest that you make it this one.
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The orange cone on the bridge over Taft Creek warns of a mother elk and her calf that frequently visit this stream and that she is VERY protective of her calf.
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The elk come to this stream to drink the clear spring water.
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Just on the other side of this downed tree is the beginning of the loop portion of the trail.
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After climbing several dozen feet in elevation we begin to see maple trees.
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The extra moisture from nearly 10' of rain each year is what makes all this moss possible.
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There is a short spur trail along the route and I insist you don't skip it.
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It leads to this little open cul-de-sac with longer range views of the trees. The next three photos are all taken from the exact same spot.
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Back on the main trail is this odd looking tree with a 90° bend it the trunk. That bend is probably what weakened the tree to the point that it snapped off.
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Like I said the scenes along this trail are just magical.
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Don't let your attention be completely on the mosses hanging over your head,...
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...or these tricky tree roots will trip you up or break an ankle.
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At the top of the loop it was time to once again gain a little elevation.
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These are just as good as a bench when it's time for a rest.
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These trees looked like giant soldiers all lined up in perfect formation.
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We see this all the time. A tree falls to the ground, a new tree begins to grow on top of it, the original tree decays and crumbles leaving the new tree to stand on its own.
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Here's another fine example of a nurse log.
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The nurse log that provided the habitat for these trees to grow is almost consumed.
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Here you can almost see where the original nurse log came though the roots.
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Not sure why but this tree was covered with mushrooms.
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A photo just can't tell the story of how long this downed tree is, but a video can!
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This is one of the tallest Sitka Spruce trees we saw along the trail today.
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Seeing these crossed trees again means we're almost at the end of the trail.
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There are truly some giant trees to see here in the Hoh Rain Forest.
TUESDAY - Last night I had the blogpost already to post and then this morning we had several new arrivals in the campground that I felt deserved to be included in this post.
Anyway, here's the cast in order of their appearance between 6:15AM and 7:00AM.
OUR MORNING VISITORS
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First up was this little fellow, always keeping an eye out on where mama is.
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She of course was snacking on the grass just 10' from our rear window.
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Then the big girls just came walking out of the woods across the street from our campsite.
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There were a total of four of them, but never all in one spot.
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That look says, "I'm watching you, don't do anything stupid"!
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Last one to the party was this guy, also right out of back window.
Looking for our Visited States Map and Data? How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List? If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.
This morning, as we were packing up to leave, we had a visitor come strolling into the site.
Banana Slugs can grow up to 10" long. This one's not quite there, but getting close!
Tricia took a 30-second long video of the slug, but it didn"t look any different than this photo.
That might possibly be the snow-capped summit of Mount Olympus (7,980 feet) up ahead.
We've turned off of US-101 now and heading up into the Hoh Rainforest by following the river.
Now that's what a rain forest is supposed to look like.
We've finally made it back inside of Olympic National Park.
Just like we had someone saying goodbye this morning,
Pull-through sites are not our favorite layout, but they sure are easy to get into.
Of the 72 campsites here only 7 are large enough for us to fit and they are all pull-throughs.
This campground is open all year round, but today is the 1st day since September 6th
A few hours later we were surprised by a deer foraging in the empty campsite next to us.
From the start of the trail I could tell there were going to see many large Sitka Spruce trees.
This bridge crosses over the crystal clear spring-fed waters of Taft Creek.
The angle of the early morning sunshine gave the rainforest some eerie shadows.
Take away the sunshine and it goes from eerie to spooky very quick.
You have to pay attention when hiking this trail or the trees will reach out and trip you.
In some of the muddier spots they created these rock filled steps to keep your shoes clean.
These Bigleaf Maple leaves were as large as your face.
The trail came to a clearing where we could walk out to the shore of the Hoh River.
Here I am standing at the base of a fallen Sitka Spruce tree.
Notice how at the top of the root ball new full grown trees have emerged.
Even on the trunk new trees have sprouted.
This tree trunk took a 90° turn towards the sky.
When you see trees all lined up in a perfect row it is almost always because there is an older fallen tree trunk underneath them all. The fallen tree offers an elevated platform, shade, and vital nutrients to act as a "nurse log" for new generations of trees to grow above the dense competition of the forest floor.
The rocks you clearly see on the bottom of Taft Creek are actually 2' underwater.
This turned out to be a natual bridge over Taft Creek.
There sure is a lot of hanging moss in a rainforest.
Looks like someone has been busy doing recent trail maintenence here.
It only makes sense that the Hoh River Trail would offer views of the Hoh River.
Here's some more of that mid-morning sun shining through the trees.
Another view of the glacier fed Hoh River.
There's one shortcut I don't think Tricia would take.
Notice anything different about the top of the main trunk on this tree?
It has broken off and a new main trunk has been started 100' off the ground.
The new trunk grew out of a burl that developed on the side of the tree.
We all know that "a rolling stone gathers no moss", but a downed tree sure does.
If you're visiting Hoh Rainforest and only have time to hike one trail,
The orange cone on the bridge over Taft Creek warns of a mother elk and her calf that
The elk come to this stream to drink the clear spring water.
Just on the other side of this downed tree is the beginning of the loop portion of the trail.
After climbing several dozen feet in elevation we begin to see maple trees.
The extra moisture from nearly 10' of rain each year is what makes all this moss possible.
There is a short spur trail along the route and I insist you don't skip it.
It leads to this little open cul-de-sac with longer range views of the trees.
Back on the main trail is this odd looking tree with a 90° bend it the trunk.
Like I said the scenes along this trail are just magical.
Don't let your attention be completely on the mosses hanging over your head,...
...or these tricky tree roots will trip you up or break an ankle.
At the top of the loop it was time to once again gain a little elevation.
These are just as good as a bench when it's time for a rest.
These trees looked like giant soldiers all lined up in perfect formation.
We see this all the time. A tree falls to the ground, a new tree begins to grow on top of it, 
Here's another fine example of a nurse log.
The nurse log that provided the habitat for these trees to grow is almost consumed.
Here you can almost see where the original nurse log came though the roots.
Not sure why but this tree was covered with mushrooms.
A photo just can't tell the story of how long this downed tree is, but a video can!
This is one of the tallest Sitka Spruce trees we saw along the trail today.
Seeing these crossed trees again means we're almost at the end of the trail.
There are truly some giant trees to see here in the Hoh Rain Forest.
First up was this little fellow, always keeping an eye out on where mama is.
Then the big girls just came walking out of the woods across the street from our campsite.
There were a total of four of them, but never all in one spot.
That look says, "I'm watching you, don't do anything stupid"!
Last one to the party was this guy, also right out of back window.
