Wabi-Sabi Sole

Finding Beauty with Imperfection

Category: Olympic National Park

Sol Duc Falls

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On August 27, 2026

In 2026, Hiking, Olympic National Park, Sol Duc Falls, Wabi-Sabi

On Wednesday, we drove over to the south side of Lake Crescent for a hike to the Sol Duc Falls.

Along our journey, Alfred – our narrator from the GuideAlong app, encouraged us to stop for a short hike through an old growth forest. Trees over 100-200 years old with little human impact. Yes, please! It was quiet, peaceful and so beautiful.

The mossy ground cover so thick and a beautiful shade of green in the morning sun.

We parked by the Sol Duc Springs and Resort. We decided to hike to the falls via the Lovers Lane Trail and then loop back along the Sol Duc Falls Trail to the Loop B Trail. It was advertised as a 6.2 mile hike. But, like always, our watches said it was a little more than that. Clocking us at 6.5 miles. Every step was beautiful. The most congested part was the Sol Duc Trail. A well maintained 0.8 mile trail from the parking lot to the Falls. I’m glad we had the peace and quiet on the other trails!

Besides the beautiful trees, we saw several more banana slugs. And lots of mushrooms!! At one point during the hike, Dave told me we would never finish if I kept stopping for mushroom pictures. I agreed to only stop if it was one we hadn’t seen before!

We made it to Sol Duc Falls and the Falls were lovely. I had fun playing with the exposure of my waterfall photos.

After the falls, the first part of our hike was well marked. The second part was through a couple campgrounds and not clearly marked. Fortunately, the camp host was more than happy to give directions and help us on our way. We had a couple deer sightings as well.

As we approached the resort, there was a hot spring bubbling along the trail. It was warm and had a strong sulfur smell. Just like a hot spring should!

After our hike, we stopped at the restaurant for a bevvie. Then drove back to our cabin. The view driving back was stunning.

And so was the view along the shores of Lake Crescent, from our cabin.

As always, thanks for reading!

Whale Watching

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On August 26, 2026

In 2026, Olympic National Park, Orca, Wabi-Sabi

Dave and I booked a whale watching trip aboard the Puget Sound Express.

Our boat

We left from Port Angeles and sailed through the Juan de Fuca Straight. The water was calm and created a perfect day to view whales. First sighting was a bald eagle. He’s in the tree to the right of the trunk and above the brown branches. Look for a white spot. That’s his head.

We also saw one in flight but I wasn’t quick enough with my camera. Our second sighting was of a “bird pile.” A highly technical term to describe a group of birds sitting together in the ocean.

We continued cruising around the straight and eventually got close to Canada. We had to switch our phones into airplane mode so we didn’t get charged for international usage! As we were going along, we had sightings of orca fins in the distance. The captain steered us towards the pod. There were three total.

Orcas will surface to breathe for about 3-5 minutes and then dive to eat for about 5-8 minutes. The three we were watching continued this pattern for about 30 minutes. They were absolutely beautiful to watch. As much as I wanted the boat to get closer, regulations require boats to stay 250 yards away from whales. The Naturalist on board who was informing us about the whales had a golf ball range finder he used to track the distance. We never got closer than the 250 yds. Also, this pod of Orcas are known as Biggs Orca. They are all “business” and don’t do a lot of breaching or jumping. They are all about feeding and patrolling.

It was such a beautiful day. We enjoyed our boat ride and wildlife sightings. And of course we enjoyed being chilly!

So chilly!

After our tour, we packed up from the Thompson’s house and headed to our next destination. We are staying on Lake Crescent for the next few nights at the Log Cabin Inn.

View from our cabin

We have several hikes in this part of the park planned for the next couple of days. More adventures await!

PNW Adventure Begins

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On August 26, 2026

In 2026, Hiking, Olympic National Park, Tree Burl, Wabi-Sabi, Washington State

Dave and I flew to Seattle on Tuesday. We rented a car and drove to Port Angeles. We are spending the next week plus with our friends, Jennifer and Danny, who recently moved out here. To kick off the trip, we walked downtown to grab dinner. My request was a Dungeness crab.

Dungeness Crab Feast
View from their house over Port Angeles

On Wednesday, Dave and I drove up to Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park. Our first stop was at the top of Hurricane Ridge to do a little reconnaissance mission for Thursday. We walked out to sunrise point. Yes, that’s our plan for Thursday morning – chase sunrise.

Parking lot selfie
Ski Patrol
Port Angeles in the background

I really can’t get over how many mountains there are in ONP. There are mountains as far as you can see. The snow caps are Mount Olympus.

Our next stop was a little bit down the mountain. We parked at the Switchback Trailhead. From here, we hiked up to the top of Klahhane Ridge. It was a steep climb for these Florida Sunshiners.

Here’s some fun science information for you. This picture is of a tree with burls. A tree burl is a large round formation on the trunk of the tree it is caused by a disease, insect or injury. The cells of the tree become mutated and grow in a circular pattern creating the tumor looking burl. Woodworkers love them because they can make really cool bowls or furniture with them.

Tree Burls

We continued our climb. My legs and lungs were burning! The view just got better and better. This is what I expected when I thought of ONP. Mountains with lots of evergreen trees!

What I wasn’t expecting was how many different mountains would surround us!

The top of Klahhane Ridge didn’t disappoint. Just when we thought we couldn’t see anything more beautiful- we reach the top and see Port Angeles and water!

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, thank you, and you know I love to talk about rocks. This picture shows how the rock layer stratification has been tilted. Rocks lay down flat. When you see the horizontal layers become vertical, some sort of movement has occurred.

Vertical Rock Strata

We hiked back down the mountain and worked our way to the visitor center.

Tourist Picture

The four of us reunited, enjoyed dinner and a walk around town.

Delicious Pizza
All of us
Harbor
Marcelous

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more adventures from ONP.

Port Angeles

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On August 25, 2026

In 2026, Olympic National Park, Port Angeles, Wabi-Sabi

Sunday we explored Third Beach on the Washington coast. We set out relatively early to explore during low low tide.

The walk to the beach was just under a mile. The trail was so beautiful and unlike any walk to the beach in Florida. #westcoast

The morning was a little overcast and cool. The large sea stack created the perfect environment to see many sea stars and mussels.

Our time in Forks and exploring the area was a true delight.

One more usie from our Airbnb

We returned to Port Angeles and had Monday to explore downtown. We enjoyed an amazing breakfast at the Chestnut Cottage. My brother gave me the pro tip I’ll share with you – when you order, you have a choice of toast or cinnamon roll. Pick the cinnamon roll. We did. It was served as the appetizer. It was one of the best we have ever eaten. And honestly, mimosas on a Monday morning – is there a better way to Monday?

Cinnamon Roll
Salmon Scramble

After breakfast we went to the Fine Arts Museum and walked through the art garden. I’m not sure the weather could have been more perfect. The art was interesting and relaxing. Plus, mushrooms!

Our next stop on our Port Angeles tour was back at the ONP visitor center. We popped in because I wanted a picture of the Olympic mountains.

So many mountains!

We then walked a couple short trails near the center. One took us to Peabody Creek and the other was a handicap accessible trail. Short plug for our National Park Service. They truly go above and beyond to make the parks available and accessible to and for the people. We need to make sure funding remains available and protection continues. Just like the Lorax, I stand with the trees.

We also made a stop at Mighty Pine brewery. Have I mentioned how delightful the weather is here? Cheers!

Not to be forgotten, our puppy friends. Kitty & Penny.

Sunset from the Thompson’s house.

Port Angeles

Thanks for reading!

Tide Pooling

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On August 23, 2026

In 2026, Beach, Olympic National Park, Tide Pools, Wabi-Sabi

Saturday we drove over to the ONP coast. It was also our first rainy day. The rain made the PNW coastal experience even more authentic. Our first stop was Kalaloch to see the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is a large Sitka spruce that is thriving despite having its roots exposed. The combination of tidal flooding and a small stream have washed away the soil underneath the tree, making it appear to be suspended within the coastal cliff. The tree is a true sign of resilience as it defies biological odds by thriving without soil and nutrients.

Tree of Life
All of us

Another tree that deserves an honorable mention is what we named as the Lovely Lady tree. Take a look. See if you see what we saw…

Lovely Lady

The next beach on our coastal drive was Beach Four. This beach was recommended by Alfred – our GuideAlong companion – because of its cool rock formations and tide pools. check out those layers.

The tide pools were a delight. We saw purple and orange sea stars and light green sea anemones.

Our third stop was Ruby Beach. The tide pools here were amazing. The large rocks created the perfect tide pool environment during low tide. So many sea stars, mussels, and sea anemones.

We finished our day with a homemade baked ziti dinner and watched the second movie in the Twilight series. Because we are staying in Forks, Washington… For the record, we haven’t seen any vampires or werewolves (that we are aware of that is…)

Hoh Rainforest

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On August 22, 2026

In 2026, Hiking, Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Wabi-Sabi

We had another early morning start because we wanted to get to Hoh Rainforest before the crowds. It was about an hour drive to the rainforest. We left Forks at 5:30 and were ready for our first hike through the Hall of Mosses by 6:45. The early bird gets into the park without lines!

So, what is the Hoh Rainforest besides a nerdy tree loving science teacher’s dream come true? It is a temperate rainforest located in ONP. The rainforest receives over 12 feet of rain a year. The rainforest is full of old growth (over a 1,000 years old) Sitka spruce, western hemlock and maple trees. The trees are draped in moss because of the excessively moist environment. The Hall of Mosses trail is a short loop (.8 mile) through a dense section of moss draped trees and giant ferns. It’s one of the most enchanting places I’ve explored. Visiting during the summer means less rain and dryer conditions. I can only imagine how beautiful and perhaps chilly it would be in a steady drizzle.

I took so many pictures!! Before I show you more trees, how about a few mushrooms. The decomposing vibe in the Hoh is strong thanks to these guys.

We thoroughly enjoyed and savored our walk through the Hall of Mosses. A few more photos because it truly is one of my new favorite places.

Now time for a little more science. Part of what has made this area so interesting and unique are nurse logs. Nurse logs are fallen trees that provide nutrients and a protected area for young spruce and hemlock seedlings to sprout. The competition is still tough and only a few trees will last. Eventually, they form a line of trees along the decaying trunk. The new trees grow long legs as they stretch towards the ground. Science is cool.

A few more before telling you about the rest of the rainforest.

Our second hike of the day was the Spruce Trail. It was a 1.2 mile loop through more rainforest and more cool mossy trees.

Besides the trees & mushrooms, we saw three different banana slugs! Did you know, banana slugs can be a variety of colors? Not just yellow. They can be green, white and even black – aka rotten banana slugs! We also saw a funky caterpillar and a snake!

Our final hike for the day was along the Hoh River trail to Mineral Creek Falls about 6 miles round trip. The Hoh River trail is 17.5 miles total ending in Glacial Meadows. We saw lots of over night hikers heading out to the meadows. We were content with our short hike. That being said, by the end of the day, we hiked over 10 miles in the Hoh Rainforest.

Before I wrap this up, a few more mushrooms… I might have been a little obsessed with these cute “fun-guys”.

I know this was an extra long post. If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Hoh Rainforest is truly a special place. Plan a visit – you won’t be disappointed.

Chasing Sunrise and Hurricane Hill

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On August 21, 2026

In 2026, Hiking, Olympic National Park, Wabi-Sabi

Thursday morning started with an early 4am reveille to of course – chase sunrise! Again, if you’ve been following the blog, you know chasing sunrise is truly one of my passions. And if you’ve vacationed with us, good chance the Dwyer’s are going to suggest a chase! I brought up the idea of going to Sunrise Point on Hurricane Ridge to Danny and Jenn and to my surprise, they were all in! We were out of the house by 4:30am and drove the 45 minutes up to Hurricane Ridge. Our timing was perfect and we had the ridge mostly to ourselves. We had time to walk around and scope out the best spot. Sunrise didn’t disappoint. And watching the sun light up the mountains (including Mount Olympus) was spectacular.

If you decide to make this chase, I will look forward to seeing your pictures. We ending up not staying in sunrise point because the mountain was blocking the view. We think perhaps other times of the year, as the sun shifts in the morning sky the mountain may not have been in the way.

After watching the sunrise, we decided to take the mile drive out Hurricane Hill Road and hike up Hurricane Hill. It was a delightful morning to take a hike.

Deer Friend
Another deer friend
Hike selfie
Sun on the mountain
Mount Angeles

We made it to the summit and had another amazing view of the mountains peaks all around.

We worked our way back down the mountain enjoying the view.

Once we were back at the Thompson’s, we rested for a bit and then packed up for our weekend adventure. We drove to Forks, Washington where we will be for the weekend. Giving us plenty of time to explore the west side of the park. Along the way, we made a quick stop at Madison Falls.

Our Airbnb in Forks is lovely and will give us a nice chance to explore the area. Thanks for reading. More adventures to share tomorrow! Thanks for reading.

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