Post #12: Olympic National Park & the Hoh Rainforest

I split up my time in Olympia by traveling to the Olympic National Park for an overnight trip. The drive up the coast was absolutely incredible; I was surrounded by huge trees, between which I caught glimpses of the ocean, seen far below the cliffs rising straight out of the water. One of the first stops I made along the drive up the coast was possibly the coolest—a pod of gray whales was breaching off the coast! Watch the video below to see them continually surface, as well as some relaxing beach vibes from my ventures along the sand.

After driving as far north as Forks (yes, that's the Twilight town for all you vampire nerds!), I stopped to hike out to one of the many beaches in the area. The walk through the old-growth forest was absolutely gorgeous—the end of which took me down a winding cliff path until I reached the beach. When looking into the distance of the shoreline on either side, sharp cliffs rose out of the crashing waves; I decided this was a truly epic beach.

I ended up googling free campsites and found one a 30-minute drive inland from the coast. It was a simple location—just a parking spot with a campfire area next to a lazy river. I think my mom nearly had a heart attack when I sent her a photo of my car parked next to a bank at the camping spot, as it sort of looks like I was parked directly next to a caving-in bank—obviously not a smart move! (I promise it was an optical illusion!!).

That night the stars were out in full force, so I spent a few hours practicing my night photography skills. Out of all the nighttime photos I took on my trip, I think this may have been my favorite shot:

The next morning, I decided to go for a hike in the Hoh Rainforest, since it was long the way on my drive out of the park. The huge trees covered in thick layers of moss, rushing streams tumbling down rock beds, and emerald-hued ferns made the forest look like a magical realm. I ended up unable to stop myself from continuing along the path and ended up traveling a grand total of 10 miles that morning!! On my way out, I finally had my first sighting of a (somewhat) close-up small herd of elk, grazing in someone's yard alongside the road leading into the forest, making my little side trip feel complete.