We have wanted to visit “The Crown of the Continent” for years. It seems that the more we travel, the list of places we want to experience keeps growing. It’s hard sometimes choosing where to go next! We decided back in the winter that we would finally make it to Glacier this summer and booked everything in early January for travel late August/early September. We chose the dates for the end of the season primarily because most schools would be in session and crowds would be beginning to taper off. Even booking in January, there were some lodges that were already booked and options were limited at others. My advice is that if you want to visit Glacier, and want to stay in the park, plan ahead and book early.  This will be a lengthy post which I will divide into sections as I did for Olympic.

We stayed in a motel in Kalispell the first night. We arrived around 9pm, so it made sense to rest and head into the park the next morning. We stopped in West Glacier to rent bear mace before heading to East Glacier. We stayed 2 nights in the Glacier Park Lodge. The lodge is close to the Two Medicine area of the park which is beautiful and less crowded than other areas we visited. We hiked to Astor Park that afternoon and hiked to Scenic Point the following day. While Scenic Point was not the longest hike we would do on this trip, it proved to be perhaps the most challenging, with 2300′ of elevation gain (and loss on the return), with most of the trail fully exposed to sun and wind. That said, it was an amazingly beautiful hike.

From East Glacier, we headed north to Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada. Waterton Lakes borders Glacier to the north and in 1932, the United States and Canada created Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the world’s first park of this kind. Both countries work peacefully towards shared management of this magnificent land. The United States and Canada share the longest undefended international border in the world. We stayed at the historic Prince of Wales hotel, built in 1926 by the American Great Northern Railway. The hotel was built during the prohibition era, giving American tourist a place to rest after imbibing north of the border. We had a lakeside room on the 3rd floor, complete with a balcony, if you are brave enough to use it, we were. The views of Upper Waterton Lake and the surrounding mountains is stunning. The Akamina Parkway was closed during our visit, limiting access to some areas of the park. We visited Red Rock Canyon and hiked to Bertha Lake, the first of several high alpine lakes we enjoyed during our visit.

As we left Waterton Lakes, we enjoyed dramatic skies as we headed south to the Many Glacier area.  We spent 3 nights in a cabin at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn. We hiked the Swiftcurrent trail from the Inn to the Swiftcurrent headwall and back. We heard reports of bear sightings from other hikers along the way, and saw a bear that was high on the mountainside. We heard the following day that a park employee had survived an encounter with a grizzly on the same section of trail, the day we hiked it. She was picking berries about 1/4 mile off trail, according to reports, and had startled the bear. She sustained injuries to her hands and legs and was being monitored for infection at the hospital. It was a reminder to be vigilant on the trails, making our presence known. We also hiked to Grinnel Glacier and Cracker Lake while in this area. We saw many mountain goats from here, but unfortunately, they were all too far away to get any good photos. A ranger was set up with a scope outside the inn one evening, and I enjoyed watching them through the scope. We saw a big horned sheep along the trail to Grinnel Glacier, and a big bull moose along the trail to Cracker Lake. Cracker Lake was one of my favorite places in Glacier. I’d love to camp there someday.

Leaving the Many Glacier area, we stayed 2 nights at St Mary’s Lodge on the eastern end of the Going to the Sun Road and 2 nights at Lake McDonald Lodge at the western end. By the time we made it to St Mary’s, we had already hiked over 43 miles. We both had our share of blisters and Rob’s ankle was not only hurting, but you could actually feel and hear the achilles tendon creaking as he moved his ankle. We took a day off from hiking and soaked, massaged, stretched, and iced his ankle. We had one more “must -do” hike, the Highline.  At just under 12 miles and under a 1,000 feet elevation gain, my biggest concern was the over 3,000 feet of elevation loss at the end of the hike. I was prepared to abandon the idea of hiking the full length and just hike a stretch, then turn back. Rob however, was determined to complete the full hike. The area was hazy with smoke from a nearby wildfire our first two days there.  Our final days in the park it rained, with hail, sleet, and snow at higher elevations. The western region of the park, near Lake McDonald, reminded us the Pacific Northwest; especially with the overcast, rainy weather. We enjoyed watching a black bear eating berries and drinking from McDonald Creek, on our last full day in the park. We are fairly certain we saw this same bear crossing the road in the same area the day before. While it is fun to watch wildlife at this distance, the bear did not seem concerned with traffic or the presence of humans, which could ultimately cost him his life. We ended our time here with a scenic raft on the Flathead River. We feel fortunate to have spent this time in this amazing park, and hope we have the opportunity to visit again in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We camped at Suttle Lake to be close to the trailhead for Canyon Creek Meadows, with plans to rise early and hike to Three Fingered Jack, an extinct, craggy volcano surrounded by sub-alpine meadows. Plans however, are just that, and sometimes the universe has another idea. We woke early as planned, but Rob’s ankle was hurting and was in no shape for hiking. We decided to drive the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway and see how his ankle felt later in the day.  The “plan” had been to camp at Devil’s Lake and hike to Morraine Lake the next morning, but we would see how things went. We picked up a piece of metal in a tire at Sparks Lake. A tire pressure alert came on as we left. We stopped at Devil’s Lake and could hear air quickly escaping from the tire. We were thankful we were in a parking lot with shade, off the highway to empty the contents of the back of the car and change the tire. We were just over an hour into the drive, and didn’t know exactly what was ahead, but didn’t expect much in the way of services, so we headed back to Sisters to get the tire repaired.

Rob’s ankle worked itself out and was feeling good mid-day, so we decided to travel into the Mount Jefferson Wilderness to Jack Lake, in hopes of finding a campsite right at the trailhead to Canyon Creek Meadows; we succeeded. This area is busy with both day hikers and backpackers, but in the evening, you are reminded that you are in wilderness. The night revealed a beautiful silence and the brilliance of the night sky in complete darkness. We began the hike to Three Fingered Jack at sunrise and were fortunate to see a mountain goat grazing on the slopes. We did not realize that if we had continued hiking up the ridge, just 1/2 mile further, we would have enjoyed an overlook of a glacial lake. We had decided not to continue as the view we had was quite good, and the trail was becoming increasingly steep with loose volcanic rock. During the hike, you can observe the reforestation process at work, as you hike through miles of forest burned in the 2003 B&B complex fire which burned over 90,000 acres between Mt Washington and Mt Jefferson.

 

 

When we left Mount Rainier, we weren’t quite ready to go home. We had all our gear with us, so decided to stop in Central Oregon for a few more days of camping and hiking before heading west for the coast. We set up camp at Suttle Lake, then headed to the Dee Wright Observatory to enjoy sunset. It was the night after a new moon, and the sky was dark and clear. The stars were amazing! You could see the Milky Way clearly and the whole sky was twinkling; and it was all reflected on the still water of the lake! We also saw several meteors, one quite large.

The Dee Wright Observatory is located on the Old McKenzie Highway (Oregon 242) in Central Oregon at 5,187 ft. elevation. It is a mountain observatory that offers outstanding views of the Mount Washington and Three Sisters Wilderness Areas. The Lava River Interpretive Trail connects to the observatory and offers information on the geology of the area. The observatory sits upon a lava flow from the Yapoah Cone eruption which occurred 2,600 to 2,900 years ago. This lava flow overlaps an older flow from Little Belknap Crater.

Mount Rainier is the highest peak in the Cascade Range at 14,410 ft, and is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.  The volcano last erupted in 1894-95 and is considered one of America’s most dangerous volcanoes due to it’s close proximity to the metropolitan areas of Seattle and Tacoma. In the 1990’s, the Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior identified 16 volcanoes worldwide that were deemed deserving of study.  The volcanoes were selected based on their volcanic history and their proximity to dense human population and infrastructure. The project aimed to increase public awareness and understanding of volcanoes and their hazards. The project was initiated as part of the United Nations “International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction”.

We began our trip to Rainier after tent camping 6 nights in Olympic National Park and were ready for a change of pace. We rented a cabin just a mile from the Nisqually entrance. The cabin was lovely, equipped with a comfy bed, beautiful woodwork,  and a hot tub surrounded with old growth cedar and ferns. It was amazing! We spent a lot of time in the car during the previous week and decided to limit our adventures to the southern area of the park during this visit (of course we plan to return!)

The only real plan was to hike the Skyline trail at Paradise, the busiest area of the park. I have hiked a lot of awesome trails, trails I will forever remember. The Skyline trail is among the most scenic hikes I have experienced. It was a beautiful day with clear skies, affording unobstructed views of Mount Rainier, cloaked with a blanket of wildflowers. Snowmelt feeds countless waterfalls and streams along the trail. We hiked over several snowfields during the hike and enjoyed 360 degree views throughout a huge portion of this trail, it is simply stunning. You can see Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mt Hood, as well as excellent views of the Nisqually Glacier.

On our last day, the weather was fickle with clouds hovering over Mount Rainier, providing the peaks with fresh powder. At lower elevations there were intermittent light showers throughout the day. We hiked to Silver Falls and continued on to connect to Grove of the Patriarchs, an old growth grove of Western Cedars, Douglas Fir, and Western Hemlock.

 

 

 

 

 

We left Mount St Helens and picked up our friend John from the airport in Seattle.  We headed straight to Olympic National Park. We arrived on a Saturday evening during peak season, so we knew our choices for campsites would be slim. After checking out a few full campgrounds, we headed to the remote Ozette area of the park and stayed at The Lost Resort, whose website states that they have never turned a tent camper away. The resort is also located a 1/2 mile from the trailhead for “The Ozette Triangle”, which would be a good introduction to “the wilderness coast”. It is about a 10 mile loop from the campsite, but without any significant elevation gain. The 3 mile stretch along the coast is rocky and there are 2 headlands that you must scramble over. The tide was low enough that we were able to walk around the first, but used a rope attached to a tree to assist us in scrambling up and down the second headland. It was a fun section of the hike, and the view from the top of the headland was awesome. This was a great way to start the trip. This is a place where you can disconnect and feel like you are standing at the edge of the world.

For the next section of our trip, we decided to head south and camp at Mora. Mora is a campground on a more accessible area of the coast,  a short walk from Rialto Beach. We made a day trip to the Hoh Rainforest from here and visited Ruby and Second beaches on our return to Mora.  The light was harsh during our visit to the rainforest. It was overcast on the coast, but as we headed inland, the skies were clear. I’d love to return to the Hoh in the spring and early in the morning, to experience the lushness of the mosses, full of moisture and illuminated with soft light. I imagine that it is a splendid sight. Combined with our visit to Ozette, I feel we had a good introduction to “the wilderness coast”.  On our next visit I hope to experience Shi Shi Beach and The Point of the Arches, north of Ozette.

For the last section of the trip, we camped at Fairholme Campground on the stunning Crescent Lake. We arrived right at check out time mid-week, and were able to score a site in the walk in area along the side of the lake’s shore.  I’ve never seen anything quite like the change over in campsites here, campsites do not stay open long! The jewel toned water is a deep blue in the lakes center and a beautiful turquoise in the shallower areas nearing the shore. We enjoyed our time here for sure.

We made an afternoon trip to Hurricane Ridge and hiked a section of the Klahhana Ridge trail. The beginning of this trail was a little crowded, but most of the people were heading to sunrise point. Just before sunrise point, you turn right at a trail junction and leave the masses behind you.

We made one more stop at Sol Duc Falls before leaving Olympic. There was a young black bear picking berries across the river from the trail. It’s always fun to watch wildlife at a safe distance. It was a great way to end our time in Olympic.

Olympic National Park is huge. I feel that we barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer. I hope to be fortunate enough to spend more time here in the future. We took a ferry on our way back to Seattle, and that was fun. We spent a night in an airbnb to shower and do laundry before taking John to the airport and continuing on to Mount Rainier. I love to camp, but it feels good to be clean!

As many of you know, I am fascinated by and perhaps infatuated with volcanoes. Their powerful and destructive forces have shaped the world’s most dramatic and beautiful landscapes. Needless to say, I’m grateful to be spending this time in the Pacific Northwest at the feet of the Cascade Range.

Mount St Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. A 5.1 magnitude earthquake caused a massive landslide which triggered a lateral blast that destroyed 230 square miles of forest in minutes. The lethal blast sent 540 million tons of volcanic ash 80,000 feet into the air, which was deposited in 11 states. The ash took months to remove and cost millions of dollars. There were 57 fatalities. It has been reported that there were signs of increased activity for months prior to the eruption and debate between geologists and logging companies about the size of the danger zone. There was a proposal to expand the danger zone, sitting on the governor’s desk to be signed when the eruption occurred. The eruption of Mount St Helens was the most powerful natural disaster to occur in the U.S. in modern history.  It was a wake up call to the nation and the world. The eruption prompted volcanologists to pursue improved monitoring technology, yet today, only around 100 of 1,545 active volcanoes worldwide are equipped and monitored.

Mount St Helens was our first stop of a 2 week trip into Washington. We would be picking a friend up in Seattle to camp In Olympic for a week and decided to stop at Helen’s on the way. The main agenda was to hike Norway Pass, as it promised amazing unobstructed views of the mountain over Spirit Lake and views of the blast zone. Thousands of trees from the blast float on the water of Spirit Lake to this day. We hiked “Lava Canyon” and made a short visit to the “Ape Cave” on our way to the northeast area of the park. A thunderstorm moved in that evening and left behind a dense layer of cloud and fog. We had planned to wake early and start the hike in the soft morning light, but waited to see if the clouds would break. They didn’t, but it was still a beautiful hike. The area seemed mystical draped in clouds. All around you could see the destruction caused by the eruption, and the renewal of the forest.

We plan to return to Mount Saint Helens to visit the northwest section of the park and return to hike Norway Pass again, with hopes of clear skies.

We made a day trip up to Lincoln City, and made a few stops along the way back. We drove through this stretch of the coast previously, but due to fog and traffic, we didn’t make any stops. On this trip, it was the wind that limited our exploration. We plan to make our way up this stretch of coast again before summer ends. We would like to take go whale watching in Depoe Bay and visit the Aquarium in Newport.

The coastline surrounding Cannon Beach is stunning. This was our last stop, and we were lucky to find a spot to pitch a tent in Cannon Beach right before a holiday weekend (July 4). We stayed at a private campground that was walking distance to the beach.  If you visit Cannon Beach at low tide, you can enjoy some amazing tide pools. Cannon Beach is a popular destination, and for good reason. It has been called “the Carmel of the Oregon Coast” and is only a 1 1/2 hour drive from Portland. If Cannon beach is too crowded, Ecola State Park to the north and Oswald West State Park to the south, both offer beautiful beaches, trails, and are popular with surfers. We loved both Short Sands Beach at Oswald west and Indian Beach at Ecola. During our stay, we hiked the “Tillamook Head Trail” at Ecola and finished the hike relaxing at Indian Beach, what a day! We stopped at Seal Rock State Park on our way back to Florence (last 5 pics).