Gary-Summer: March 26, 2024 - Olympic NP, The Falls

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

March 26, 2024 - Olympic NP, The Falls

Title: March 26, 2024 - Olympic NP, The Falls

Hike Info : Description : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Hiking

Trail head: Mt Storm King Ranger’s Station

Trail: Marymere Falls Trail

Destination: MaryMere Falls

Distance: 2.14 miles

Start Time: 1:25

End Time: 3:12

Travel Time: 1:46 (1.21 mph)

Moving Time: 1:20 (1.60 mph)

Elevation Rise: 275'

Descent: 308‘

Maximum Elevation: 891'

GPS Tracks

Type: Hiking

Trail head: Sol Duc Falls Trailheadd

Trail: Sol DUc Falls

Destination: Sol Duc Falls

Distance: 1.87 miles

Start Time: 4:13

End Time: 5:28

Travel Time: 1:15 (1.49 mph)

Moving Time: 1:03 (1.78 mph)

Elevation Rise: 327'

Descent: 367‘

Maximum Elevation: 2,066'

GPS Tracks

Description:

I slept well, getting up at 7:10. Of course, David is already up.

Broken Chair

I read and worked a bit on my blog. And then the first mishap of our trip-and hopefully the worst-happens. When I sat down on a chair, it collapsed under me. I am not hurt, but now I am wondering if other chairs will hold my weight. But then looking at the chair leg which collapsed, we see some rust and how it was not structurally sound in the first place.

While Andrea and Sherri got ready, I foolishly challenged David to foosball. The foosball table is a bit old and while the little men are designed to spin, some don’t and just stand still, smiling like they do not have a care in the world. Theoretically, this should be an advantage to me since David has two of his players this way and I just have one. But David still creams me. Wish I could blame it on the chair collapsing, but I know in my heart that David is just better.

Andrea and David on Peabody Trail

A little after 9, we leave for the Olympic Visitor Center. While there we talked with a volunteer named Joe who told us about several hikes around the area. He gives us a sampler of trails to walk, I am somewhat disappointed as I was expecting some longer hike which would take up at most of the day. Still what he was saying sounded interesting, so we went with it. Today, we will go on a series of hikes to waterfalls.

We also were interested in going up to Hurricane Ridge to go Snowshoeing. But Joe says that it is closed Monday through Thursday, so it does not sound like we will get that chance. Guess we carried these snowshoes all the way from California to remain in the car, We bought some trinkets and are on our way.

David and Andrea waiting for the elders

The trail which Joe did not mention starts from the Visitor Center’s parking lot. It is the Peabody Creek trail loop. The sign shows that it is pretty short, about ¾ of a mile, maybe slightly more. So we decided to do this before stopping by our AirBnB. The trail starts out by dipping down into Peabody Creek. This is our first experience with the wetness which Olympic will give us. Seems like everything has moss on it. Also the only brown is the dirt and bark which moss and plants do not cover. While not many flowers, the variations on the theme of green will fascinate us through out our travels in Olympic.

Elwha River

We cross Peabody and climb up out of the Creek. There is a trail which leads to the headquarters-which does not really appeal to us. But the other leg comes back to the parking lot. But first we descend back down to Peabody. Then a bit of a climb to the bank where the parking lot is.

Madison Falls

We head back to the house and get there at 11. We pick up our stuff, including lunches and head out to hike at 11:25. We figured out how to get through Port Angeles, heading west. We get to Elwha River Valley and go up it. But not for long. This is because of two reasons. First, the trail to our first falls comes up quickly. Second, the road is closed because the road further up the valley is washed out.

What are our first falls? Madison Falls. We do not need to walk very far, and the trail is paved. Pretty easy walking, even though it does climb a bit. The Falls may be understated by Sierra standards, but Madison seems perfect for the setting. A little hollow. We gawk for a few minutes and then take the short walk back-about a quarter mile total.

Twisted Tree

We decided that both the time and setting was perfect for lunch. We grabbed a table and enjoyed the view up the Elwha Valley. If this is how the rest of Olympic is, we are going to enjoy ourselves. Now the choice is, do we walk up the Valley or make it a day of the Falls? We chose the Falls.

Tunnel under highway

This means we get into the car and drive aways west on 101 till we get to the Storm King on Lake Crescent. Now we get to the bane of my hiking. I can usually find my way, even if we are not on a trail. But finding a trailhead is always an adventure. Fortunately Andrea and David are much better at that than I am

Mossy Trees

We are on the trail to Marymere Falls. This is a nice trail. Many of the trees look like they are made by a crocheter, wrapping around the base, not quite into a knot, yet, I would hate to untangle what looks like a mess.. We stopped and examined several of the trunks or are they the roots? But this is just the start.

Before Marymere Falls

Andrea and I, or is it just I, am lagging behind Sherri and David. But we get to see them as they cross some of the bridges which allows for safe passage over Barnes Creek. Then a short climb gets us to the overlook to Marymere Falls. There is a group of elementary kids with their leader already there-I forget which group it is. The leader is reading them a story and explaining what they are seeing around them. We have seen other parties from the same group as we came up and they go down.

Path to Marymere

When we return down the trail, we stop by Lake Crescent. The Lake is a good place just to contemplate and enjoy the vastness of this lake next to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Salmon Cascade

We have time for one more set of falls. So start driving up the curvy Sol Duc Road. We see a sign for Salmon Cascade. We have to stop in the hope of seeing some Salmon-no luck. Doing some further reading, timing is everything. Later summer or Fall is when the salmon run this area. Andrea drives the rest of the way and the day.

Path to Sol Duc Falls

The trail to Sol Duc Falls is just a bit shorter than Marymere. But it does rise up a bit more than Marymere. The trail is definitely more uneven, but not as bad as many Sierra trails. But after crossing over a log, I end up tripping when a small shrub branch reaches out to lasso my ankle. I land on my front, but I catch myself, so the damage is to my ego rather than the body. There is concern since this is my second fall of the day. But from my goalie days, that is one thing which I have some experience in is falling while minimizing injury.

After this we come to Sol Duc Falls. The falls are impressive both for the volume going over these falls and the crack they fall into. Even though it is raining, we spend time just gawking at these falls. In reading some trip reports, they say that these falls are Olympic’s signature waterfalls. I would not disagree. David and Andrea find a snowman. And now for the walk back. Fortunately it is uneventful.

Sol Duc Falls

I mentioned that it was raining at Sol Duc Falls. This was not a one time only for this day. This happened throughout the day. We were prepared with rain jackets and pants. Back at the parking lot, Andrea drives us back to Port Angeles. We do stop at Safeway to pick up some additional supplies. By the time we get back to the house, it is 7 and I am hungry. We finished off last night’s enchilada with chips and quesadillas.

After the day I take a shower, read a bit and then go to bed. No games for tonight.