Camping and Hiking in Olympic National Park, Washington
We’re in Sol Duc campground for one more day ($7 dollars with the NP senior pass). Will leave tomorrow some time in the morning. It is beautiful, green and very wet here.
Yesterday we hiked from the Sol Duc campgrounds and headed for Sol Duc Falls. We’d heard the Sol Duc Falls were beautiful. We never made it there. The trail from the camp ground was filled with water in many places but when we were only .3 miles from the falls we encountered water so deep and the pool expansive across the trail. In order to cross we would have had to either wade in ice water about a foot deep or climb on surrounding elevated areas that looked too treacherous. So we turned around and headed back. Even though we had hiked a total of five miles it felt like and unsuccessful hike. So, today we decided to see the Sol Duc Falls and took the easy way. The road passed the campground and further into the park ends at an easy, passable trail to the Falls. While hiking we met a fellow camper on the trail. Jason is a serious hiker and told us to see the Sol Duc Falls but to continue hiking on the “Lovers Trail” and that we would come to another spectacular falls. Oh, he was so right! The second falls were not as huge but it was equally spectacular. So our hike today came to three miles total and really it was an easy “walk in the park”. We met quite a few folks on this hike, both young and older like us. There was a couple from Japan, a family from Virginia, Jason from Michigan and folks from various other places.
When we started the hike. It was pouring rain and there was snow still on the ground so we knew we (mainly me) would be cold if we didn’t dress for the weather on this hike. So I had on my long johns, a couple of sweaters, a down jacket and a rain jacket over everything and I was still cold! The rain stopped as soon as we got a little down the trail and did not start again until we were almost done with our hike so that was helpful. By the time we got inside the Lazy Daze, it was pouring again. It has been raining hard off and on all afternoon. Temp this morning was 41 degrees F. and now the outside temp has jumped right up to 45 degrees F
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