Blue Glacier at Mt Olympus

You know when you've hit the trail terminus. That is when you approach a final ridge to discover that all that remains is pure glacier. The Blue Glacier snakes under and around Mt Olympus, in the very heart of Olympic National Park. The only other hiker that day was Mike, a volunteer carrying a heavy pack containing among other things a large coffee with nails to repair a tin research hut on the other side of the glacier.

Chipmunk Poses on Nurse Log

This chipmunk is as happy as we are that it's dry and sunny in the Hoh rain forest.

Hoh River Campfire on the Sandbar

There are still a few remote places where campfires without pre-existing metal fire rings are allowed. One such place is on the sandbar several miles into the Hoh River rain forest. Of course, the rangers want you to practice safe fire care and use existing rocks instead of creating more sooty ones. How nice to have an authentic fire crackling with your dinner while the Hoh River, with its icy glacial waters goes roaring by.