Blogs from Olympic National Park, Washington, United States, North America - page 3

Entry 26: Olympic Peninsula, Washington: Colonel Bob Wilderness Area, Col. Bob Trail Hike and Camping Saturday, August 21- Sunday, August 22, 2010 The Colonel Bob Wilderness Area, maintained and run by the U.S. Forest Service, is almost 12,000 acres that is, according to the USFS and the 1964 Wilderness Act, are to be "retained in their primeval character ... and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions.” Colonel Bob is the critical untouched/unlogged (at least in modern times) buffer between the Olympic National Forest (heavily logged in many places, 2nd or 3rd generation forests in most places) and the pristine Olympic National Park. We’d chosen the place specifically for its location in our position on the loop, and the fact that we’d be hiking just outside the Olympic National Park borders, and its scores of ... read more

Entry 24: Olympic Peninsula, Washington: Camping and Hiking Thursday, August 19th - Monday, August 23rd Go West, Young Men... Having felt good by catching up the blog with the various Seattle musings, I physically and mentally packed the computer, turning my attention to bigger things: Packing and organizing the camping stuff for a Thurs. - Mon. trip to the Olympic Peninsula. Scott had secured the time off work, even at the risk of missing a few meetings in which he might be asked to speak. Nice host! But at the same time, who knows when we’ll see each other again, especially under such favorable circumstances. In addition, last week’s overnight hike in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest had reminded him of his camping past and early-90s past of working within nature (he has a Zoology degree ... read more

43 days on the road and 4,000 miles. On the 16th we picked up Mark and his camping equipment and headed back to the Columbia Gorge for the sturgeon fishing trip. Here is Ron's account of their fishing charter: Arrived at the dock at 6am Saturday morning….Mark and I met Ed, the fishing guide. Took off up river toward the Bonneville Dam at 50 mph using a 225 hp Yamaha. This was a trip looking for Sturgeon. Strange fish not found in very many places. We were fishing the famous Columbia River on the Oregon-Washington border. We anchored 200 yards below the dam in 65 foot of water. We used large fresh frozen smelt for bait with a single barbless hook and 50 lb leaders. We were bottom fishing looking for the big guys. We were ... read more

We woke to another rainy day, but this was not too distressing since we were going to be in transit all day. Bob made us breakfast, then we packed up the car, made our farewells and rushed to make the Orcas Island to Anacortes ferry. Our timing had to be perfect in order to make all our connections and arrive at the Lake Crescent Lodge with a bit of daylight left to enjoy our accommodations and the setting. Unfortunately, due to long stops at some of the other San Juan Islands, we were late arriving in Anacortes. Our drive down Whidbey Island to the Keystone ferry landing for the 1:30 ferry, which would take us across to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula, now became a race. Or maybe I should say an exercise in frustration, ... read more

We spent a weekend touring the north of the Olympic National Park. We visited Port Townsted, Sequim, and Port Angeles. We also went to the Hurricane Ridge and Lake Crescent. Hurricane Ridge is a mountainous area in Washington's Olympic National Park. At an elevation of about 5,200 feet (1,585 m), Hurricane Ridge is named for its intense gales and winds. Lake Crescent is a deep lake with a maximum depth of 624 feet (201 m). It is the second deepest lake in the state of Washington. The lake was formed when glaciers carved out deep valleys during the last ice age.... read more