I've driven much of the 101, and the twelve mile stretch along the south shore of Lake Crescent, west of Port Angeles, is perhaps my favorite. Steep mountains and prolific old growth surround the lake on all sides, and rise from the water skyward. If there is a more scenic stretch of highway on the planet I have never seen it.

Lake Crescent is glacially formed and some 600 feet deep. A fact I tried to forget as we navigated the winding s-curves above its dark waters. I wondered, as we drove, how many people had flown off the pavement staring at the scenery along this bit of road. I endeavored to avoid becoming one of them.

We stopped to take care of a little business at the Lake Crescent ranger station, where we spotted the trailhead to Marymere falls. Remembering the nice things our Falcon Trail Guide had said about the short hike and the falls, we threw on our hydration packs and started up the path.


Lake Crescent from near the Ranger Station...

The trail picked its way through a stand of very big Douglas Fir and Red Cedar until it reached a footbridge spanning Barnes Creek. From the bridge it ascended a series of steep switch backs up to the falls.


A gigantic fir near Barnes Creek...

It was strange. There we were at Marymere Falls, an idealic natural setting, enjoying another perfect afternoon. We were less than three hours from the biggest metro area in the Pacific Northwest, yet we were completely alone. It wasn't as though we had wandered into the wild interior of the park...we were no more than a mile from a major freeway. Still, all we could hear was the roar of the falls and the chatter of little birds in the canopy. Where was everybody? I had wondered the same thing at Shady Lane, Staircase Rapids, Murhut Falls and Jefferson Lake. I'm not complaining, we loved having these places to ourselves. I couldn't understand, though, why these edens were so deserted and Port Townsend had been so overrun by tourists.

In any event, Marymere Falls was well worth the diversion. I was amazed that such a beautiful place was also easily accessible. We hung out there for awhile, took a few photos, and moved on.


Marymere falls...

From the ranger station it was only a few miles to a well marked road leading to the Sol Duc falls trailhead. This road was a little longer than we had anticipated (or, perhaps the scenery was a little cooler than we had expected), and we arrived at the trailhead later than we had planned. Instead of rushing the hike we thought we'd try to find a camping spot nearby and hit the trail at first light the following morning.

We rolled into the Sol Duc Campground and claimed the first available flat spot on which we could pitch our tent. After a dinner of canned corn beef hash and spaghettios, we discovered we hadn't packed our ground cover pads. Knowing we wouldn't catch a sinlge wink on the rocky soil without a little something, we made for Port Angeles and the Wal-Mart there. We picked up a couple cheap air mattresses and flew back down the 101, past lake Crescent in the dark.

Creepy!

I was pretty sure we were going to run over bigfoot as we rounded each hairpin along the way. It was nearly 11:00 pm when we finally pulled up to our campsite again, and we wasted little time inflating our Wal-Mart specials and laying out our sleeping bags.

We'd bought a lot of new gear for this trip in anticipation of the torrential rain we were sure to encounter on the peninsula. Among these purchases was a pair of super compact 30 degree Slumberjack mummy bags. Naturally, neither of us had actually slept in them before. We believed the 30 degree comfort rating as if it were law, decreed by the camping gods. Big mistake. It was the most uncomfortably cold night I've ever spent anywhere (this coming from the guy who at 12 years old shivered for four days and three nights in a snow cave at 10,000 feet with only his 100% cotton G.I. Joe slumber party bag for warmth). Cold air poured in through the slumberjack's zipper, and countless other places, too. I doubt I'd have been any colder if I had shed the bag entirely. What a worthless piece of crap.

I expected the world to be covered with a thick layer of frost when morning finally cracked over the mountain tops...surely it had to have been damn near zero, right? Instead, we arose to find our campground neighbors telling each other how well they had slept, and how refreshing the crisp air had been to sleep in (not a spec of frost anywhere). You've got to be kidding me! These guys had slept under the stars with nothing more than a blowup mattress and a couple quilts thrown on top for good measure. 30 degree comfort rating my back side!

Next, A few friends wandered into camp while we were taking down the tent.






These little sitka black tail deer had no fear of us whatsoever. I guess they've never been shot at inside the park. I couldn't tell if they were looking for a handout, or if they just liked the tender chutes of grass growing alongside the campground road.

Anyway, we figured the best way to warm up was to hit the trail. We packed up our crap and drove the half mile or so back to the Sol Duc Falls trailhead.

A few hundred yards down the path I began to realize that the entire park, all five trillion square miles of it, must be this spectacular. I tried to stop being amazed by everything I saw, but the old growth here was unreal, and the falls were even better than I had expected.


Sol Duc Falls...




From the falls we followed an unmarked trail along the river for a few miles.





We strolled through the timber, off the trail for what seemed like hours. Notice the big can of bear spray in my left hand. I had been hearing suspicious sounds all morning and I was feeling a little jumpy.

We found our way back to the trail, and the car by mid-morning. The sun was shining again, and we were finally warm (no thanks to slumberjack). I'd like to have spent a few more hours bushwacking near the river, but for the first time on the peninsula the crowds had caught up with us. An entire bus load of pre-teen campers had arrived at the trailhead.

We consulted our trusty books and our mega-map and moved on.