Seeing is believing

A weekend on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula makes for an affordable adventure

Rick Wood/Northwest Guardian

It wasn’t the crisp, cool mountain air or the sweet scent of alpine flowers that took my breath away atop Hurricane Hill in the Olympic National Forest. It was the wild 350-pound black bear foraging near a pond a mere 250 feet downhill from me that gave me pause.

It is one thing to see a bear in a zoo. It is quite another to set foot inside its house and meet it on its terms.

Being halfway through a stout hike, I took a much-needed breather alongside my 15-year-old stepson, Cody, and wife, Christy, to watch the large predator amble along through brush and murky shallows.

Not once did I feel a pang of fear. I was awestruck by the beauty of the lumbering bear grazing in a setting that looked as if it were carved by God’s own hands.

There was another reason that I felt more curiosity than fear.

A few hours earlier, in Sequim, my family and I were feeding captive Kodiak bears from less than 10 feet away.

The Olympic Game Farm, which is home to several grizzly, brown and black bears, was a great start to our family weekend getaway on the Olympic Peninsula.

Set up like a wildlife safari, the game farm allows visitors to drive through free-roaming elk, buffalo, deer, yaks, llamas, peacocks and rabbits. They also have a separate petting zoo as well as caged exhibits of lions, tigers, wolves and coyote.

The bears are also part of the driving tour, and although they are fenced in, guests are welcome to feed them wheat bread.

Memories formed by a yak sticking its nose — not to mention its breath — into our car will forever be an inspiration of mirth and laughter.

That was how the weekend trip went. Every turn was a discovery — every destination became a starting point for something new.

The idea for the road trip sprang mostly from depleted finances and a desire to go somewhere unique.

We chose Port Angeles as a base of operations to explore the northern section of the peninsula. As we checked into the Downtown Hotel, located near the waterfront, the friendly staff welcomed us and instantly made us feel at home.

After putting our luggage in the room, I took a moment to explore the lodging.

The European-style hotel has been a mainstay for travelers in Port Angeles since 1914.

For such a reasonable rate during the peak tourism season, the hotel offers more than just a place to lay your head.

A communal library offers books, maps, magazines, board games, local telephone and a computer for guest usage. Rooms on the western side of the building enjoy views of the ferry landing and harbor.

Located in the heart of downtown, the hotel is within easy walking distance of many restaurants, shops and attractions.

After strolling the grounds, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed up to the mountains.

Heading south from Port Angeles on Race Street, we followed the signs to the Olympic National Forest and Hurricane Ridge.

As we pulled into the main parking area, we could see several black-tailed deer munching on grass in the adjacent meadow.

A short hike around the outer rim trail put us face to face with a young stag whose antlers were still covered in felt. Farther down the trail — and after an ill-advised slide down a snow hill on my backside — we saw a snowshoe hare watching us from the tree line.

However, my real quarry was Olympic Marmots.

For that, I would have to hike up Hurricane Hill.

The Hurricane Hill trail is three miles round trip and boasts more than 500 feet in elevation gain on the way up.

At a slow pace, it is only moderately strenuous and the trail offers many resting spots along the way.

It was halfway to the hill that we saw the bear, and after watching it search for food for a bit, we headed up to the summit of the hill.

It was there that the marmots waited like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

My first glimpse was of the head of one of the large, brown rodents sticking up bathed in a halo of sunlight.

It was a special sight. After all, this species of marmot can only be found in the Olympic Peninsula and they number in the mere hundreds.

Distantly related to the squirrel, the Olympic Marmot can grow to more than 20 pounds and live for 10 years.

During our sunset hike, we’d see more than 10 of them lounging, frolicking and borrowing.

We descended the hill as the sun retreated behind the mountains. It was an ideal way to end a phenomenal day. Not once did our ambivalent teenager say it was “lame,” a testament to the success of the trip.

The next morning saw us up bright and early to make the two-hour drive west to Cape Flattery. A short one-mile loop hike from the parking lot and suddenly we were surrounded by sea caves and pillar rock formations jutting out of the raging surf of the Pacific Ocean.

Puffins and seals dove and swam around the harsh edges of the rocks with seeming ease. Other marine birds also braved sea spray and waves to catch a meal of silvery herring.

After standing on the northwestern-most point in continental America, we headed to Crescent Lake. The sapphire blue water of the former glacier is now a fisherman’s paradise. Two nearby waterfalls offered up tempting hiking possibilities, but this time we passed.

We did check out the lake and a resort lodge run by the park service.

The Olympic National Forest vehicle pass we purchased the day before was good for seven days, so access to the lake and wilderness areas was covered.

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and headed back up to Hurricane Ridge, and as if on cue, a single marmot sat in the meadow just behind the visitor’s center welcoming a new day and a new batch of tourists.

More available online The Olympic Game Farm and Downtown Hotel in Port Angeles offer military discounts. For more information, visit www.olygamefarm.com and www.portangelesdowntownhotel.com

More photos from Rick's trip click on the following link:

Into Olympic National Park