It's been a while...

Between the backpacking trip, moving back in at school, and various student activities that take up most of my time, I've finally settled in at our new place in State College and have some time to type.

The trip out to Olympic National Park and Astoria, OR was eye-opening. The density of the rain forest is astonishing and the climate there is unlike anything I've seen. Our first night in the forest was intense as we hit traffic in between Seattle and Tacoma that kept us stopped for nearly two hours. We passed a bus that had caught on fire just south of SeaTac, which probably had added to the problem. We got to the park around 8:oopm with about 4.5 miles to hike to the first campsite. We hiked along the Quinalt River and spotted a herd of elk on the other bank. Around 9:30 darkness set in under the heavy canopy of western hemlocks and we used my light to get to the Graves Creek campground.



In the morning we woke up knowing that a heatwave was scorching the northwest and we would be better off setting out early. It was nice in the morning, but later in the day we hit the more exposed parts of the trail around the same time the sun was creating its most intense heat. The heat was getting to both of us, and my dad decided he needed a break. He kept telling me to go ahead, as he had all morning, and finally I obliged. I moved fast through the last couple miles of trail to the campground at Enchanted Valley. I turned and went back to carry his bag for him. We both set up the tent and laid down for a nap.

There was another group at the campground and they had been napping when we showed up. I woke up to my dad shaking the tent ordering, 'Andy, get up! Get up!' I scrambled out of my tent but missed the black bear that was circling the woods beyond our campsite. I went down to the stream to venture around, finding the water ice cold, and my feet were numb by the time I crossed. Luckily the sun and water complimented each other, being complete opposites.

We made burritos with instant rice that night, and it was some of the best food I've ever had. Much better than the Taco Bell we had the day before. I couldn't complain though, since someone in front of us in the drive-thru had apparently being driving next to us from SeaTac to Aberdeen, and paid for our meal.

The hike out was much faster (it was a descent). We started later after browsing the Enchanted Valley in the morning. I was disappointed we hadn't planned time to go up over Anderson Pass, but it just couldn't happen with our looming fishing trip in Oregon. We sat down for lunch around one o'clock on the way out. About halfway into cooking Ramen, a coyote came out from the tree behind my dad. I sort of jolted in excitement and stood up to take a picture. The coyote didn't seem to like this as he dashed off while keeping a keen eye on me.


After lunch we hiked through on-and-off rain as we descended a few hundred feet. Around 5 o'clock we set up camp, and my dad was in bed by 6:30. I sat next to the fire for a while, but was in bed by eight that night.

The morning was an easy hike out as the low fog kept it cool throughout the forest. We were both relieved to get to the car and ventured down the 101 to Humptulips, WA where the barmaid knew right away we were out-of-towners. After giving me some shit about asking what beer they had on tap, she served us some good burgers and I was out cold in the car.

We picked up Zaac in Olympia and headed south for Astoria, OR. We cleaned up at the hotel and went out for some beers with my dad's friend, Bruce. He kept us entertained with tales of his recent fishing expeditions, and we hit the hay early to get up around 4:30 the next morning.

It was a slow day in Young's bay, at the mouth of the Columbia river. It rained on and off, and I had no rain pants. I did catch one Chinook, but none of us were too delighted about our luck. The next day started off quick, with about 6 or 7 fish on, but we managed to lose them all. In the afternoon Zaac landed a Chinook slightly smaller than mine. We sat in the rain all day and watched the ducks and pelicans. At the end of the day we drove to Seattle.

We slept in until about 9 and went down to the Pike Place Market. This was pretty cool but what intrigued me was how much money they put into the design of a firehouse. Also was able to see the Seattle Library by Rem Koolhass. More to come in the following days...