Hoh Valley Rainforest and Blue Glacier
1st test more to come with images....
It was supposed to be a a 4 day trip, 1st day hike up, 2nd and 3rd day laze around and take a few photos 3rd day relaxed hike home. Reality was the map was in miles not kilometers so we hiked for 2 days up.. and 2 days back.
Still it has to be one of the best hikes in the Olympic National Park.
Day 1. The 1st day was an easy 5 hour hike up the valley through giant groves of old growth trees, every where you looked were a giant trees for the whole day! small streams and waterfalls crossed our paths while dense old growth made hobbits of us all. The 1st camp site at olympic meadows beside a glacier fed river,
Day 2. light mist made for a cooler day wich was welcome for the long climb up to 4,500ft to the Blus Galcier. Lush temperate old growth continued up the valley. Out of nowhere the forest opens and a bridge appears, you soar 150ft above the Hoh river full of ferns and lush green vegitation. Mezmerized we stood and stared at the rushing waters, and peered closely at the rusty bolts that held the bridge up...
Quietly we wonderd back into the forest and on up through the mist to a garden in the sky. 7pm found us tired hungry and on the edge of a scree slope that added a sense of danger and adventure to our day. Onward the brave four hiked on up and on towards camp and food.
After supper in the high meadow campsite where we left our heavy packs and climbed for another 500ft up to the Blue Glacier, we had no idea what to expect and every patch of snow was a potential glacier... on the point of giving up for the day we tried just one more ridge and had the breath knocked out of us as an almost vertical drop appeared below us. Through the mist as far as we could see was an ocean of ice far exceding our expectaions suprising us with its deep blue crevassess and shear size as it wanderd lazily up into the misty halflight of early evening.
Day3 Mist has given way to blue sky and another chance to view the glacier is irestable.
Heading this time for the terminal moriane we find ourselves on solid rock high above the glacier with a clear view up the Glacier which continues out of sight to the main icefiled over the far end of the valley. West peak up to our right has a smooth snowy ridge taht tempts many a climber.
It was supposed to be a a 4 day trip, 1st day hike up, 2nd and 3rd day laze around and take a few photos 3rd day relaxed hike home. Reality was the map was in miles not kilometers so we hiked for 2 days up.. and 2 days back.
Still it has to be one of the best hikes in the Olympic National Park.
Day 1. The 1st day was an easy 5 hour hike up the valley through giant groves of old growth trees, every where you looked were a giant trees for the whole day! small streams and waterfalls crossed our paths while dense old growth made hobbits of us all. The 1st camp site at olympic meadows beside a glacier fed river,
Day 2. light mist made for a cooler day wich was welcome for the long climb up to 4,500ft to the Blus Galcier. Lush temperate old growth continued up the valley. Out of nowhere the forest opens and a bridge appears, you soar 150ft above the Hoh river full of ferns and lush green vegitation. Mezmerized we stood and stared at the rushing waters, and peered closely at the rusty bolts that held the bridge up...
Quietly we wonderd back into the forest and on up through the mist to a garden in the sky. 7pm found us tired hungry and on the edge of a scree slope that added a sense of danger and adventure to our day. Onward the brave four hiked on up and on towards camp and food.
After supper in the high meadow campsite where we left our heavy packs and climbed for another 500ft up to the Blue Glacier, we had no idea what to expect and every patch of snow was a potential glacier... on the point of giving up for the day we tried just one more ridge and had the breath knocked out of us as an almost vertical drop appeared below us. Through the mist as far as we could see was an ocean of ice far exceding our expectaions suprising us with its deep blue crevassess and shear size as it wanderd lazily up into the misty halflight of early evening.
Day3 Mist has given way to blue sky and another chance to view the glacier is irestable.
Heading this time for the terminal moriane we find ourselves on solid rock high above the glacier with a clear view up the Glacier which continues out of sight to the main icefiled over the far end of the valley. West peak up to our right has a smooth snowy ridge taht tempts many a climber.
