June 29, 2002
The drive to Port Angeles from Seattle was about two hours including a thirty-minute ferry ride. Our moods seem to change every half hour depending on cloud patterns. The sky was clearing and blue during our ferry ride, but thick rain clouds soon greeted us when we arrived in Port Angeles. The drive up to Hurricane Ridge would be another 17 miles from this quiet city by the Strait of Juan de Fuca. As we drove through the clouds and gained elevation, the weather got good enough for a short hike. On a clear day, you could see Mt. Olympus and miles of mountains, but today during sunbreaks, we at least had a nice view of the Elhwa River valley from the the lodge. Wildflowers were in bloom on the meadows, where I saw a pair of black-tail deer grazing. Because the weather looked more permitting below the 5500 feet level, we drove down on a precarious gravel road to Obstruction Point and the trailhead of PJ Lake. Though the trail to the lake is barely a mile, the thin air at this altitude made the hike a workout. The translucent lake filled with snowmelt provided a nice ambiance for a lunch. I was surprised to find some young fish in the lake. How do the fish eggs survive the winter freeze? When weather didn't improve, we drove down the mountain and decided to take in some late afternoon sun and dry breeze by the ocean at Dungeness Spit National Wildlife Refuge, which happens to be the world's longest natural sand spit. Now, 'What in the world is spit?' you may ask. A narrow piece of land that extends into a body of water, but smaller than a peninsula. The late afternoon sun was weak enough for a nice warmth on our faces. And with the sound of the waves and warm sea breezes around me, my body was begging for a nap: A perfect way to finish a wet hiking trip.
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