Welcoming 2013: Olympic National Park: Rialto Beach, Hole in the Wall, and Points North

What better way to welcome a new year than spending time on the trail, especially when the forecast calls for a mild break from the winter storms?! My willing trail companion Nivaun needed to do some research for his book, so we had an adventure.

Rugged terrain and scenic surroundings make the Washington coast a great hiking destination. Photo by Barking Sasquatch.

UPDATED 21 DEC. - Port Gamble Trails Update Dec. 19, 2012

The combination of snowfall, rainfall, and wind have created some obstacles. Several blowdowns block Road 1200. A few of them are easily crossed or skirted around on foot, but a few of them can only be traversed with difficulty. 1" to 2" of snow remains in the highest elevations in open areas.

The Port Gamble trails have taken a beating from the winter precipitation. Huge puddles span roads 1700, 1800, and 1900 in places. Elsewhere, mud holes or puddles are common on singletrack.

There is some snow, but warm temperatures make it pretty slushy.

Tim and Tia descend the west side of Buckhorn Mountain in the snow in November. This photo reminds me of conditions we're having in Kitsap right now, the week before Christmas: it's slusssshing! Photo by Barking Sasquatch. 

Silence: Gift of the Wilderness

When I am on a trail, especially a mountain trail in the Olympics, I find the silence remarkable. Silence contrasts starkly with the din of humanity that often surrounds us: the rush of cars on a freeway, the roar of jets overhead, the beat of music in our ear buds. When I suddenly find myself surrounded by peaceful silence, two things happen. First, I remark to my companion how quiet it is (ironic that I break the silence by speaking...I think it's silence's unfamiliarity that evokes this response). Once I'm past the shock of experiencing silence, I simply enjoy the sound of it as I walk amid towering conifers or ascend a rocky slope. These initial responses to silence are like inhaling before a very long sigh -- with the rest of my trip in the wilderness one long exhale of contentment, relaxation, and refreshment.
 

A friend once told me he has a difficult time backpacking for more than a day because when he finds himself cut off from the customary distractions of life (iPhone, email, sports scores, weather reports...), he gets extremely uncomfortable facing nothing but himself and his own thoughts. I can agree. I've been there.

 

Our own thoughts can be daunting, but silence can be rewarding and worth pursuing. It's one of the gifts of the wilderness that I relish most. Silence is the same every time I experience it, no matter where I am. And yet the outcome of experiencing silence varies depending on what I do with this gift. I'm reminded of a story I heard about a religion instructor at a Christian high school. This teacher decided to introduce silent meditation into one of his classes. He gave the students instructions simply to "be" during the silence: to be relaxed and awake, and open to life as it is, with nothing to do but appreciate whatever comes. Week by week he slowly increased the amount of time to a maximum of ten minutes. The student response was very revealing. One boy summarized the general feeling of the class: "It is the only time in my day when I am not expected to achieve something." In other words, the students had a chance to be a human being, rather than a "human doing." The response of several irate parents was equally revealing: "I'm not paying all that tuition for my child to sit there and do nothing," said one.

How is it that ten minutes of silence can be so special and so threatening? When we make the opportunity for silence, what can we 'hear' in those moments that lack auditory stimuli? Fearsome things? Good things? Both?

 

John White, in his book The Fight, offers one possible answer: "It is God who wishes to establish communication. He is more anxious to speak to us than we are to hear him. He is incredibly persistent in trying to get through."

 

"Hasten to him who calls you in the silences of your heart." From A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R. Kelly

Trail report week of 12 November 2012

Pope Resources Port Gamble trails reopened in late October after a lengthy summer closing for fire danger. It's been great to see people out on the trails.

Last week, I was fortunate enough to get an out-of-town trip overnight to Marmot Pass in the Olympics.

Trail report week of August 5: Olympic National Park - Flapjack Lakes

Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Cruiser reflected in upper Flapjack Lake. Photo by Barking Sasquatch.

This week, Denise and I slumbered peacefully next to Flapjack Lakes in Olympic National Park. It's a rest we definitely earned, especially after trudging up the steep elevation gain in the last three miles. These popular lakes are visually astounding, especially with the rugged backdrop of Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Cruiser. We enjoyed relative peace and solitude by hiking in on a Monday and back out on Tuesday. The park establishes limits on the number of campers, and reservations are required during the peak hiking season.

Back in north Kitsap, I enjoyed these trail encounters this week:

• Fri. hike with Tia, Port Gamble trails, 60 min. from PG gate 2.
• Sat. hike with Matthew and Tia, Port Gamble trails, 105 min. from PG gate 1.

Trail report week of July 29: Snow, Olympic Mountain goats with kids, and more...

Olympic Mountain Goats on Bogachiel Peak in the Olympic Mountains, July 29, 2012, Photo by Barking Sasquatch

I was up at elevation over the weekend, spending a lot of time contemplating the beauty of creation and taking in expansive views of Mount Olympus and her minions and the snow-clogged waters in Seven Lakes Basin.

Mount Olympus and Lupine, Olympic National Park High Divide Trail. Photo by Barking Sasquatch.

This trip to the Olympic Mountains - somewhat physically challenging - was appropriately timed, considering the start of the Summer Olympics last week.

Upcoming event on the Port Gamble trails to be aware of:

• Sun. Aug. 5: Roots Rock Trail Race, “Port Gamble Half-Marathon”

Port Gamble and other north Kitsap trails are drying out. Will the sun stay out and will the trails stay dry? Trail encounters this week:

• Tue. Port Gamble trails hike: 60 min. with my family and Tia, from PG gate 2.
• Wed. Port Gample trails hike: 60 min. with Denise and Tia, from PG gate 2.
• Thur. Port Gamble trails hike: 60 min. with Ian, Koen, Sascha, and Tia, PG gate 2.

Trail report week of July 15

In honor of the height of the summer hiking season, I'm sharing some "eye candy" from past trips. I look forward to getting onto the trails this summer!

The Needles reflected in Imperial Tarn, Royal Basin, Olympic National Park, August 2010 trip with my family. Washington Trails Association used this picture in one of their printed publications.

Mountain Goat on Buckhorn Mountain, Olympic National Forest, July 2011 trip with Ian and our dogs.

The Good Life on Buckhorn Mountain, Olympic National Forest, July 2011 trip with Ian and our dogs.

Upper Silver Lake, Olympic National Forest, October 2010 trip with Tim and Don.

Thundershowers have added some dampness back into the North Kitsap trails, but, hey, what's a little mud?! It washes off, right? North Kitsap trail encounters this week:

• Sunday Port Gamble trails hike with family and Tia, 55 minutes from PG gate 2.
• Tuesday Port Gamble trails hike with Jason and Tia, 80 minutes from PG gate 2.
• Thursday Port Gamble trails hike with Tia, 90 minutes from PG gate 1.