At the end of my last post, we’d just arrived in Sequim, Washington, which was to be our “base camp” while visiting Olympic National Park (ONP).
The cool thing about ONP is that it encompasses three distinct ecosystems: sub-alpine forest, temperate rainforest, and the rugged ocean coast. On the way to Sequim, we’d stopped and experienced a bit of rain forest AND rocky shore. On this day, it was up to Hurricane Ridge to see that sub-alpine forest and wildflower meadow for ourselves.
After a quick stop at the Visitor Center just inside the park entrance (near sea level), we got back into the car. That’s when I heard Yves exclaim something like, “What? Look is that?”
He’d mis-read a sign outside of the center. Not because he can’t read English well, he absolutely can, but I guess because he’d read it too quickly.
Those of you not used to visiting national parks in bear country may not realize that backpackers and campers are required to store all food in bear-proof canisters, aka “bear cans,” to keep the bears at bay.
We spent a few hours exploring the Hurricane Ridge area. It was lovely. But we still had more to see. We’d also planned on seeing a couple other areas within ONP, which is HUGE. So off we went.
Pics from that afternoon will be in my next installment.
TRIP Re-cap
Installment 1: In the Beginning (Friday, August 30 – Monday, Sept 2)
Installment 2: Portland Morning (Tuesday, Sept 3)
Installment 3: Exploring the City of Portland (morning of Tuesday, Sept 3)
Installment 4: Beyond Portland (afternoon of Tuesday, Sept 3)
Installment 5: Olympic Peninsula, Here We Come!
Installment 6: First Rain Forest Hike & Another Gorgeous Beach