Hoh River Trail

At Kalaloch Lodge, we have our own rustic cabin complete with wood stove; spacious and cozy all at once. Dinner in the Lodge dining room is especially fun for us after our hike on the beach during the incoming tide. Trying to outrun the water has brought the group closer and given us something to laugh at--especially the Fast Women.

Rested and refreshed, we start our next day with another hike in the temperate rainforest along the Hoh River, which descends from Mount Olympus, the Peninsula’s highest peak.  Like mountains, canyons, and other natural phenomena, the rainforest continues to awe me.  It gives my world --and my life-- perspective.  Humongous, ancient trees tower over me, and the surreal canopy of green mosses, new growth sprouting from old, and layers of life, all make me feel simultaneously small and insignificant, and yet part of a vast and endless cycle of life.
  

 Rainforest along the
Hoh River

Besides the prolific tree and plant life of the rain forest, a variety of wildlife also thrives here. I’ve  seen the insect portion of it. (If you've followed my blog for a while, you know mosquitos love me.  Apparently wild animals ---not so much.)  Theoretically we could see deer, black bear, eagles, cougar, bobcat, otter and a host of others, but so far—insects.

And a marmot! The Olympic Forest marmot population has been declining, but I thought I’ve occasionally heard a whistle-like call that wasn't really bird-like.  Marmots sound alerts to the others in their group when intruders approach (that would be us) or to the interlopers (again, us) to warn them away.  As we're moving, someone in front of me points... there he is!  The lookout marmot doesn't yell at me the way the one in Yellowstone did.  In fact, he doesn't stay long ...but I do manage to get a photo. 

Olympic Marmot

We hike through the rainforest to Marymere Falls.  I'm not sure whether I took an easier route, was preoccupied with finding wildlife,  was too uncomfortable to appreciate consistently the beauty around me... but fortunately, my friend Linda has pictures of places I either missed or failed to photograph.  (Thank you, Linda.)  The one below was en route to the falls.

 And we stop at the falls for lunch.

Marymere Falls

The last section of the trail up to the falls is a little tough but I make it, plant myself on a mossy log, and enjoy a cheese sandwich that tastes better than anything I’ve ever eaten.  Amazing how outdoor activity can have that effect.

The hike back is mostly downhill (a bit of a challenge to my knee)  about 2.5 miles.  We return to the vans for rest and refreshment and then, a raft trip down the Hoh River.

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I couldn't find a definitive term for a group of marmots: a sprawl, or a madness,  a group...?  If you know, please let me know.

The Story of Fast Women Beach and How It Got Its Name

On any group trip, people will have varied interests and move at different paces.  Some are always ahead of the pack;  some are bird watchers;  some explore the flora; some are slow (or short)....

When those of us who are slow see ‘ahead of the pack’ hikers coming back towards us on Beach 4, we wonder why.

The tide is turning, they tell us.  Those of us at the back may reach a point formerly just wet sand, soon to be covered by the returning tide, before we get to Ruby Beach.  Trying to circumvent the water may mean cliff-climbing. The driver who was to pick us up at the end of the hike had suggested these people redirect us back to our starting point.

So we do what the returning walkers are doing... we turn around to go back to our starting point. And as I am making my way back, a story grows. 

I think Beach 4 deserves a better name.  And after our adventure outrunning the tide to get back where we started,  I think Fast Women Beach is the perfect name.  Don't know if anyone else will call Beach 4 "Fast Women Beach"  ...but here's the story.
 
                           The Story of Fast Women Beach and How It Got Its Name*

There once was a beach with no name and all the animals called it Beach 4.  One day Humans came to walk on the beach.  There were Long-Legged Humans, Bird Watching Humans, Fast-moving (and very loving) Grandparent Humans, Father-and-Daughter Humans, Dare-to-Try Women, and Small Walking Women.

The Long-Legged Humans always bravely led the way, blazing the trail ahead. They walked very fast and very far, leaving the others behind. The other Humans followed in small groups, enjoying the sea and sand, the animals and plants.  They saw the Starfish, smiled at the Seagulls, played with the Pelicans, waved to the Whale just off shore, and admired the Anemone.

But then the Humans began to hear rumors.
 - The tide is changing
 - The waters are coming.
 - The sands will soon be under the sea.

The Long-Legged Humans were far, far ahead. They waded through water, climbed tall cliffs, and came safely to dry land.

The Bird-Watching Humans turned around and began to walk back, enjoying the beach and the animals from the new direction.

The Fast-moving Grandparent Humans turned around too, and moved a little faster, walking along the beach together and admiring the world around them.

The Dare-to-Try Women also turned around.  Even though they would dare to try anything, they chose to walk back to the starting point with the others….still relaxed, still enjoying the beach.

But the Small Walking Women were worried.
“We are small,” they said.
“We might drown,” they said.
“We must hurry to return to the starting point before the waters come in.”

 So two Small Walking Women began to walk fast. (One just couldn’t be really fast no matter what she did. She made plans to hand her camera up to her friends and say ‘goodbye’ before the waters took her away.  Oh well.)

The Small Walking Women left the Bird-Watching Humans behind. They went by the Dare-to-Try Women. They passed the Fast-moving Grandparent Humans.  The Small Walking Women moved so fast they kicked clouds of sand up behind them with each fast step.

The Small Walking Women walked so fast that the Pelicans and Seagulls came to watch.  They walked so fast that the Starfish began to talk.  The Mollusks looked out of their shells. The Whale followed their path from his ocean home.

The Small Walking Women walked so fast that the animals decided to help them. The Whale, the Pelicans, the Seagulls, the Mollusks, the Anemones, and the Starfish moved in their own ways to slow the waves and hold the tide back just a bit while the Small Walking Women made their way along the beach, their fast-moving little feet a blur to the eye.  The Women reached the starting point, clambered up the cliff to safety and were in time to meet the Long-Legged Humans who had been so very far ahead.

Because of the hard work of the Small Walking Women and the help of the sea creatures who admired them, all the other Humans-- Bird Watching Humans, Fast-moving Grandparent Humans, Father-and-Daughter Humans, Dare-to-Try Women, and even the woman who was prepared to hand her camera up and float away, all arrived safely on dry land.

And the animals honored Small Walking Women for their courage and speed by changing the name of the beach from Beach 4 to Fast Women Beach.

And that is how Fast Women Beach got its name.

*The pseudonyms that help make the story describe the members of our happy hiking group... maybe a little exaggeration in here but the story is true. Except for the name of the beach.

Exploring the Tide Pools of Beach 4

We leave the world’s largest spruce behind and move on to finish the coastal forest loop, and then stop for lunch at the Kalaloch (pronounced ‘Claylock’) Lodge.  Our guides are timing the end of our break to coincide with low tide at Beach 4, so we can take a coastal walk to Ruby Beach.  

Olympic National Park conserves a sixty-five mile stretch of undeveloped Pacific coastline, some sections with names like 'Ruby Beach'... and then there are Beaches 1, 2, 3, and 4. Just hearing 'Beach 4' makes me want to rename it. (More about that later)

The receding seawater  exposes tide pools that form when rocky surroundings create ‘holes' that retain water.  The pools are home to a wide range of life:  starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, barnacles, anemones, and more. 

To start our beach walk, we clamber down a reasonable looking trail ….reasonable until we get to the end.  The strong and fleet of foot are on the left, and the descent is so steep and demands such large steps that I can’t do it without considerable help.  Meanwhile, on the other side of the same rock mini-cliff, some women are coming up saying  “this side is easier.”  Too late for me now.... 

As we walk the beach, we can see Destruction Island in the distance.  The half-mile long, 300-foot wide island earned its name by contributing to the violent history of the area’s early explorers.  More than once in the late 18th century, an explorer vessel would anchor at the island and send crew members ashore--only to have the natives protect their home by massacring the intruders.

Destruction Island

 If you look closely you can see a tiny white speck near the left of the island in this photo-- that is the lighthouse built in the late 19th century.  

Early in the beach walk we stop to investigate tide pools harboring sea anemone and many starfish.  Unfortunately I can’t negotiate the rocks, keep my balance, and manage my camera all at one time, so I do not get many good photos of the tide pools. There is this one good starfish shot....

Starfish in Tide Pool

I learn that starfish have no front or back: they can go in any direction without turning. They move, not by using muscles but by moving hundreds of tiny legs, with ‘tube feet’ that use hydraulic power to cling to rocks.  Basically, the starfish takes in fluid from a valve on the top of its body, transfers the water to its legs applying force that enables motion.  Until I learn this from our guides, I have never thought about how a starfish moved.  

Those same hydraulic feet are what starfish use to get at their food. They search for mollusks, sensing chemicals that the prey release. The starfish-hunter then uses those suction cups to latch onto the shell and pull, forcing the shell open.

More interesting starfish factoids.  Starfish can re-grow limbs.   And they can change color and to camouflage themselves.

Besides tide pools and Destruction Island, the walk on the beach is truly beautiful. At one point, we see a whale spout (Whales surface to breathe and their exhalations create a spout of moist, warm air from blowholes on the top of their heads.) Pelicans and seagulls draw our attention.

Unfortunately, I'm so worried about keeping up*, especially before the tide comes back in, that I don't take many pictures. For a better idea of what you can see on Beach 4, please visit https://www.outdoorproject.com/adventures/washington/beaches/kalaloch-beach-4https://www.outdoorproject.com/adventures/washington/beaches/kalaloch-beach-4



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*I've said this more than once.  For readers who do not know me...I am short.  I'd like to say 'petite', but I am short.  And I am not as mobile or agile as I once was.