Pony Bridge Trail, Olympic National Park, July 2, 2013

It took almost an hour of driving from our cabin on the northern shore of Lake Quinault on a windy, mostly one-lane, partly paved road to reach the trail head.  At one point, a bear cub ran along the road and into the forest.  In contrast to Hurricane Ridge that abounded with wild life, the cub was the only large animal we encountered.

The hike was 2 miles to Pony Bridge and from there leads to Enchanted Forest.  We met a number of backpackers on their way out, praising the wonders of Enchanted Forest: high cliffs, numerous sparkling waterfalls, and green meadows.

We didn't make it to Enchanted Forest but were happily surprised by the fairy wonderland setting of Pony Bridge with its rushing glacier mineral-laden waters, ferns, mosses and gigantic trees.

Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, July 1, 2013

From the Visitor Center, we explored several short trails. 

Mosses and ferns competing for space.

The Hoh river starts at the Mound Olympus glacier and runs for 50 miles, descending 7000 feet into the Pacific Ocean. The water looks greyish and pale blue because of all the dissolved minerals from the glacier.

Sorry for the sideways pictures.  My point was to illustrate the incredible height of the trees.

Second Beach, Olympic National Park, July 1, 2013

This was a day with two short hikes and lots of driving, from Port Angeles down to Quinault Lake via the scenic route to La Push and Second Beach.  Some of you may remember La Push from the Twilight movies. It was the main setting of the second book in the trilogy.
Second beach is reached after a short hike (3/4 mile) through lush and very humid rain forest. It reminded us of our Hawaii jungle hikes.

It was overcast, cold and windy.  It looks like the beach was deserted but I had a hard time taking pictures devoid of beachcombers.

Sea stacks called Quillayute needles.

No further description necessary.  I loved walking in the surf and sea spray.

Hurricane Hill, Olympic National Park, June 30, 2013

We set out for Hurricane Ridge from Port Angeles, on the northern coast of the Olympic peninsula.   Just the road trip to the park entrance was worth the trip. We stopped for breathtaking views and the wild life.  At one point, we stopped just to let a fawn go by.  It was racing along side the road as if getting away from the our car. I felt we were wearing it out, so we stopped. It promptly disappeared in the bushes.

Hurricane Ridge gets its name from the 75-mile per hour winds that shape it and the 30-35 inches of snow that lingers well into summer.

Although the trail is only 1.6 miles, mostly paved and very crowded, we selected it with the promise of panoramic views.  We were not disappointed.  Mount Olympus above.

Even more fun that the views was the abundant wild life. 

Marmot

Definitely one of our top 10 hikes of the year!