Olympic National Park
Having been born and raised on southern Vancouver Island, I grew up looking across the Salish Sea at the mountains in Olympic National Park, Washington. I always thought that someday I would like to stand atop of one of those mountains and look back at Vancouver Island. In the summer of 2023, I finally decided to make that a reality.
When I started looking into hikes in Olympic National Park, I quickly became overwhelmed by the options. After hours of researching and debating, my boyfriend and I finally decided on a coastal hike from Rialto Beach to Shi Shi Beach. We reserved the campsites and booked a shuttle from Shi Shi back to our car at Rialto. We then tried to make a reservation for the Coho Ferry to take us from Victoria to Port Angeles; however, all the reservations were already sold out, even though we were booking more than a week in advance of the sailing! My boyfriend graciously offered to wake up at 5:30am on the morning of our departure to drop our car at the ferry terminal for 6:00am, which is the earliest passengers may start lining up for the 10:00am ferry. The plan was that he would then walk 30 minutes back to my place, sleep a little while longer, and then we would walk to the ferry together for 8:30am check in.
On August 6th, we put our less than ideal plan into action and it worked out. After a 90 minute journey, we made it to Port Angeles and headed to the Olympic National Park Visitor Center to pick up our bear canisters, tide guide, and map. Before bed that night, I took a look at the map and tide guide to figure out what time we should leave our hotel in the morning to ensure we would be arriving at the points on the trail with tide requirements at the time of the day when they are passable. To my dismay, I found that the trail was going to be impassable all day for the last 2 days of our hike! With tears in my eyes, I begged my boyfriend to look at the map and tide guide, desperately hoping he would see something different. I felt like such an idiot for not having worked out these details beforehand! We stayed up for hours piecing together a backup plan. We were so relieved to find that there were still campsites available for us to do the Hoh River Trail! My boyfriend wanted to take the loss of the $70 in campsite reservation fees we had already spent, as there are no refunds for cancellations or changes within 7 days of departure, and spend another $70 now to guarantee the sites along the Hoh River Trail; however, I felt it was worth waiting until morning to talk to the staff at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center to see if they would make an exception, since we literally could not do the hike we had planned for reasons that were outside of our control.
In the morning, we got the Olympic National Park Visitor Center as soon as it opened. I am not a confrontational person, so I sat in the car hyping myself up to go plead our case to the staff. All my preparation was for nothing, as I was greeted by a lovely woman who was eager to help us out of this stressful situation and happy to change our reservation at no cost. With our new reservation in hand, we headed off on a 2 hour drive to the Hoh Rainforest.
As we neared the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center, we came to a halt in a lineup of cars waiting to get through the gaits. We saw a sign indicating that the parking lot was full and we could expect a 2 hour wait. I started stressing that we would be getting such a late start to the day that we might not make it to camp before dark. I lamented that this trip was not working out in our favour and that maybe we should have taken the inability to make a ferry reservation as a sign not to come at all.
Day 1 - Visitor Center to Olympus Guard Station
Walking Time: 4 hours
Distance: 15.9km
Elevation Gain: 310m
We set off around 3pm, feeling rushed because of the late start. The bear canisters somehow felt like they were adding 20lbs to our packs, even though they are actually only 3.5lbs. I found myself struggling to pick my feet up to step over roots. The trail was busy with what appeared to be mostly day hikers, as we saw very few people with packs the size of ours. Shortly after leaving the Visitor Center, I was seeing some of the biggest trees I've seen in my life, and I've seen some honkers in the old growth forest on Vancouver Island! I kept excitedly pointing out the trees to my boyfriend, "Look at that one! Ohh, look at that one!"
After having done about half our distance for the day, we stopped for a snack break at Five Mile Island Campsites. It was such a relief to take the heavy pack off my shoulders for a few moments. We dug into the weightiest snacks first, hoping to make at least a small dent in our load.
As we neared Olympus Guard Station, we came upon a river crossing. I swapped my hiking boots for Crocs and carefully waded across. The water was freezing, which was actually kind of welcome because I was feeling hot and sweaty. On the other side of the creek, we ran into a couple coming the opposite way. We inquired into if there were more river crossings and learned there was another coming up shortly, so I didn't bother changing my shoes. The second creek crossing was deeper and the water was running faster, so I crossed even more carefully. Once safely across, I checked AllTrails and saw we had only a bit over a kilometre left until camp, so I opted to stay in Crocs the rest of the way. I felt silly squeaking my way into camp, but there was nobody else around to see me.
Day 2 - Hoh Lake
Walking Time: 2.5 hours one way
Distance: 19.4km
Elevation Gain: 1125m
With only day packs on and the rest of our gear left at camp, I felt almost as though I was floating along the trail that morning! After only one flat kilometer from camp, we turned off the Hoh River Trail and onto the Hoh Lake Trail. Soon we got to the switchbacks and started winding our way up out of the valley. I was a bit disappointed that we were only getting glimpses of the peaks across the valley because of the thicket around the trail, but I was also glad of the cover offering some shade from the hot sun.
We were only about 1/3 of the way through the switchbacks, when I suddenly felt a sharp pain on my left ankle. I looked down to see a hornet jabbing its stinger into me! I flicked it off with my pole and then fled down the trail, hoping it would not chase after me and attack again. I had never been stung by an insect before, so I prayed that I am not allergic because deep in the woods would be the worst time to go into anaphylaxis! With my ankle throbbing, I trekked onwards.
There were very few nice spots to take a seated rest break in the switchback section, and it seemed that each time we found one, it was already taken! Eventually, we spotted a vacant fallen tree on which to eat lunch, though we did not stay long because we started getting bothered by bugs who wanted our food. Shortly after setting off again, we crossed paths with a family who warned us of a hornet nest up ahead by fallen trees right before the lake. Afraid of getting stung again, I was on high alert for the rest of the hike.
Part way up the short series of switchbacks to get to Hoh Lake, I stopped to let my boyfriend catch up, as he had fallen behind from taking photos. While I was stopped, I heard a faint buzzing and figured that hornet nest we had been warned of must be coming up soon. I looked down and realized I was standing right in it! I sprinted down the trail until I felt a safe distance away and then paused to assess the situation. I had a yellowjacket on each ankle, the one one the right was already stinging me, but I managed to flick off the one on the left before it stung. I yelled a warning down the trail to my boyfriend and he sauntered past the nest unscathed. I just had to laugh at the irony of how I had been looking so hard for the hornet nest and yet ended up blindly stumbling into it.
When we reached Hoh lake, we were dripping with sweat from trudging up all the switchbacks and both my ankles were hot and sore. As we approached the water's edge, we noticed a bunch of small black things in the water. On closer inspection, it was hundreds, maybe even thousands, of tadpoles clustered along the shore! I was offput by the idea of having to wade through them, but my desire to cool off won out. Unlike the majority of alpine lakes I have swam in, this one was quite a comfortable temperature, making for a pleasant dip.
On our way back, I put on all my rain gear, cinched the cuffs and hood tight, and ran screaming past the yellowjacket nest. My boyfriend thought I was being a bit ridiculous, but my plan worked!
Day 3 - Olympus Guard Station to Elk Lake
Walking time: ~4h
Distance: 10km
Elevation Gain: 783m
We woke up to rain, so I was unenthused about hiking that day. As we packed up our soggy gear, the rain, fortunately, seemed to be letting up. Right after we set off on trail, the rain actually stopped altogether, though it continued to threaten.
The section of trail from Ranger Station to 12.4 mile camp is scenic and flat, so it made for enjoyable hiking. For the first time, we were walking right beside the river! My boyfriend had assumed that we would be following the river for the entirety of the Hoh River Trail and was disappointed that we only got occasional, distant glimpses on the first day, so he relished in watching the water rushing past us; however, this experience was, unfortunately, short-lived, as the trail deviated from the riverside once we reached 12.4 mile camp and we were back in the woods. After the rains last night, the colours in the forest looked so vibrant! I tried to lose myself in the beauty of the temperate rainforest and not repeatedly check our progress on my phone; however, I've never been very good at being present.
A couple hours in, we encountered a group of 3 men going the opposite direction. One asked where we were headed today. I responded, "Elk Lake!" He asked us, "Is that what's on your permit?" I asked him, "Why? Is there a ranger up there?", thinking maybe he was trying to warn us that we would not be able to get away with trying to camp at a different site than we had planned. He replied, "He's on his way down." It was then that I clocked his Olympic National Park hat and shirt. Bright red, I sheepishly replied, "Oh, uh, yes, that is what's on our permit." He told us to be safe and carried on. Once we had gotten some distance from the group, I whined to my boyfriend about how embarrassed I was.
When we arrived at Elk Lake, we were disappointed to find that we would not be getting the swim we had hopped for, as lake is a generous term for that marshy body of water. We set up our camp and right as we got our tarp strung, the rain began again and we could hardly believe what perfect timing we had had today!
Day 4 - Blue Glacier
Walking Time: ~6.5h
Distance: 16.9km
Elevation Gain: 758m
We left our camp set up at Elk Lake campground and set off for Blue Glacier with our day packs. The trail became more precarious as we went, eventually finding ourselves walking on a narrow path with a sheer drop on our right, so I was very mindful of my footing. There was a dense fog settled in the valley below and I was pretty bummed knowing that we were missing out on what was surely a really nice view, probably the best of the whole trail. We came to an abrupt halt when we reached an area where a rockslide had decimated the trail. A ladder had been constructed that we had to descend in order to circumnavigate this area and meet back up with the trail. Having done dozens of ladders on the West Coast Trail, I was not too fazed; however, part way down, the ladder began to sway, as it was only anchored by a rope at a single point a few feet off the ground, and I felt my adrenaline rising. We both made it safely back onto solid ground.
We stopped at Glacier Meadows for a snack and to use the toilets before attempting the last 1.5 miles to Blue Glacier. The first bit of the trail had beautiful purple wildflowers and I had to fight the urge to frolic through them! After that, the trail turned into a boulder field and I came to understand why this section is called the Blue Glacier Primitive Trail. There were a couple spots where I thought the glacier was just over the ridge, only to be disappointed. Letting the inukshuks guide us along the nearly indiscernible trail, we made it to the ridge overlooking Blue Glacier and joined a few other onlookers.
Moments after we arrived, the fog and cloud dissipated and the sun made an appearance, so the view got even better! We were now able to see almost the entirety of the glacier! After 15 minutes or so of taking photos and soaking in the view, the clouds returned and obscured part of the glacier again. It seemed unlikely the view would return soon and we had gotten our fill, so we decided to head back to camp. We were so grateful that we had arrived just on time to see the glacier because it would have been utterly dissatisfying to hike all this way and not reap the reward of seeing the pinnacle of the trail!
The view of the valley we had missed on the way up was now mostly visible and even more stunning than I had anticipated! There were magnificent snowcapped peaks with waterfalls cascading out of them into streams which joined to form the beginning of the Hoh River trail. I was feeling so blissful from being surrounded by all this natural splendour, and then the bliss vanished when I felt a hornet sting my left calf. I groaned, "Are you f****** serious?" My boyfriend turned around at the commotion and checked that I was alright. Since I was trailing in all instances where I had gotten stung, I theorized that the leading person disturbs the wasp and then manages to escape the area before it launches an attack, leaving the wasp to take its wrath out on the next person to pass. My boyfriend let me go ahead. On the way back to camp, I kept pointing out cute little frogs to my boyfriend and he would stop to take a photo. After we had seen around a dozen, the novelty wore off and we stopped making a fuss, though I was still excited each time I saw one.
We packed up our camp and set off for Lewis Meadows. I was in disbelief at how much descending we were doing! I guess I had not registered how much ascending we had done the day before to get to Elk Lake and had just powered up the trail with my head down. We passed a large group of unaccompanied teenagers and were impressed by their boldness, for neither of us would have even considered doing a multiday hike at that age, especially without an adult. As we neared 12.4 mile camp, I heard my boyfriend call out behind me and turned to watch him swat the hornet on his leg. I offered my condolences, for I knew the pain he was feeling all too well; however, they came across insincere, for I couldn't help but smirk at him finally getting stung. At short ways down trail, my boyfriend stopped at a stream to sunk his hat to cool himself off. As he did, he slipped on the slick rocks, bruising his bum and scratching his glasses but sustaining no serious injuries. What an unfortunate series of events!
When we got to Lewis Meadows, we dropped our bags at a mediocre site and then went exploring for a better option. We initially thought the campsite was just the open field, but then we realized that the majority of the sites were actually in the forest beside the river. I staked our claim at a site we liked while my boyfriend continued assessing the options. A group of mountaineers came wandering by and eyed up our site, commenting that we'd gotten a nice one, before setting up their tents right next door. It was clear they were trying to push us out of our site by taking away our privacy and invading our personal space, and their scheme worked. My boyfriend had seen a couple decent sites further downstream, so we gave up our site and went to debate which of those sites to take. Once we finally settled on a site and pitched our tent, a guy came to ask if his group could pitch their tents at the site next to ours. It would be rude to say no, so we begrudgingly said yes, annoyed we had lost our solitude again.
Day 5 - Lewis Meadows to Visitor Center
Walking Time: 5h
Distance: 18.9km
Elevation Gain: 255m
We were in no rush to set off early, knowing the first day only took us 4 hours and today was the same stretch of trail in in reverse with a couple extra kilometres but lighter packs; however, we did not sleep in much, as the early rising sun woke us from our slumber. We packed up our tent for the final time and headed for the trailhead. We quickly reached Olympus Guard Station and looked back fondly at where we had pitched our tent on night one, feeling like that was long ago. Then it was time for the river crossing, which was less cold and deep than I recalled. Part way between Olympus Guard Station and Happy Four, I became desperate for the bathroom. I kept hoping the outhouse was just up ahead and it looked close on AllTrails, but the trail felt like it was never-ending and I started to worry that I might have to use the bushes.
We stopped for a snack at Happy Four and just as we went to settle in on a log, an older fellow warned us, "Watch out, there's a hornet nest in there! My wife got stung." I was really hoping to make it out without another sting or bite, so we distanced ourselves from the log and plopped down on the river bank. While e it felt so nice soaking in the sun, we did not stay long, as there was a number of hornets buzzing around making me feel uneasy.
After Happy Four, the trail was busy with day hikers and we lost our sense of remoteness. My feet started to ache something fierce and our pace began to drop as we melted in the sun. While we did not want our adventure to be over, we were also ready for it to be. I hugged goodbye to any sizeable trees I passed, making my boyfriend take photos of me so I could show friends and family just how big the trees are in Olympic National Park.
When we reached the sign at the trailhead, we asked a family to take a photo of us to commemorate this adventure. The father asked, "Where are y'all headed with those big packs?" I told him we were actually finishing the trail rather starting it and that we had gone all the way to Blue Glacier. I guess we didn't look and smell too bad after 5 days in the woods.
