Day 13: Olympic National Park

We took the day slowly, eating a leisurely breakfast before driving up Hurricane Ridge Road into Olympic National Park. The drive was quite narrow and steep, and the bright sun made every shadow all the more difficult to make out. Confused by the lack of signage, we parked the car short of the Hurricane Hill trailhead, and thus accidentally added a bit of distance to our 3.4-mile hike. It was on this stretch, however, that we spotted two garter snakes. Or rather, it was on this stretch that some members of our party screamed after almost stepping on a snake, which we have since identified as a harmless garter snake from my photos.

The hike offered beautiful views, though the stagnant air offered no respite from the blazing sun. The hurricanes after which the hill was named had clearly taken the day off. Besides snakes, we saw a few chipmunks, butterflies, and hairy caterpillars (some of them splattered with their orange insides oozing out). When we reached the end of the trail, a sudden rustling of the bushes alerted us to the presence of two black-tailed deer. Contrary to our expectations, they turned out to be completely fearless, grazing undisturbed as tourists flocked around to take pictures of them.

The view from the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Centre
The road from one parking lot to another
A common garter snake
From the looks of it, a half-dead northwestern garter snake
A view through the trees
A warning sign
Pine trees
The view from Hurricane Ridge trail
More views from Hurricane Ridge trail
A rock face
The mountains with the sea in the background
A view of a small grove of pine trees and mountains in the background
Another picture of the sea with scree in the foreground
Mountains in the distance
Presumably, Mount Baker
More mountains and the sea
Yet more views
A male black-tailed deer
A fritillary
A view of the mountains, with the path in the foreground
One last view of Hurricane Ridge
At Olympic National Park

After returning to Port Angeles for lunch, we made a quick stop by Salt Creek, an area known for its stunning vistas and marine life. As we were sitting on the rocks close to the entrance, Kelly spotted an otter happily munching away on something we could not quite make out. An argument ensued over how many bison one otter was worth, as I had spotted all the bison on our journey and Kelly was looking for a revanche.

Exploring the area, we came across a lush forest with beautiful ferns and pines, as well as an abandoned WWII-era fort. Far from resisting incursions from abroad, the military facility has been invaded by swarms of mosquitoes, which – despite our desperate flight – even followed us into the car. It was because of these critters that we had to cut short our viewing of a deer and her young, who serendipitously emerged from the bushes just as we were leaving the fort. Arriving in Seattle in the evening, we ate our Indian takeout in bed.

We drove exactly 200 miles today, and our mileage now stands at 4877.

Mount Baker across the bay, as seen from Port Angeles
The same
Rocks at Salt Creek
Another view across the bay
An otter
A heron
Trees at Salt Creek
An island rock
The sea
Missiles at Camp Hayden
A black-tailed deer and her foal
The black-tailed deer suckling her foal
Mount Rainier as seen from the highway on the way to Seattle

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