Olympic National Park: Hoh Rainforest

I had a later start to my day. I had a little breakfast and drove for a half-hour until reaching Hoh Rainforest Visitors Center. It was kind of busy and sort of raining. The visitors center was closed but I grabbed a trail map they had set out and started with the Hall of Mosses trail. All of the trails started in the same area so I just followed the trail to the left that went along a clear blue river until finding the start of the hike. It was only drizzling at this point so it was very enjoyable to walk under moss-draped trees and through large fallen spruces. Young life grew out of the nurse trees that sprawled along the forest floor. Tiny thin sprouting trees popped up and ferns covered anything from the ground to the roots of an uprooted tree. The moss-covered some trees with such a thick layer that the whole tree looked fuzzy and spooky. I read that the moss lives off of air and moisture in the air and does no harm to the trees they cling to. Along the trail were informational signs and signs that had poems printed on them. It was nice to just wander around on this trail looking at all the growth, both old and young, and marvel at the intricacies of this forest. This was the busiest trail of the day but it didn’t feel too crowded. By the end of this short trail, the drizzle was coming down a little harder. I threw on my rain poncho and continued on to the Spruce Trail. This trail was a little longer than the Hall of Mosses and showcased the Hoh River and the Taft Creek. This was another gorgeous trail of more tall moss-covered trees. The Hoh River was wide and had multiple streams to it. The water was also very clear like the Taft Creek. The rain came down throughout this hike and by the end I was looking forward to warming up while having some lunch. I ate some leftovers while letting my jacket, backpack, boots, and hat dry in front of the heater. Soon the rain stopped and the sun came out. Heating up the day a little bit. I read for a little while and when everything was dry, or nearly dry, I threw it back on to go back out for the Hoh River Trail. It had started raining again at this point but not as hard. This trail was the least busy of them all, I only passed a handful of people the whole time. I only did a portion of the trail and had to dodge some major puddles throughout it, but it kept it interesting. I passed some impressive fern-covered grounds, moss lade everything, and ended up stopping at a nice view of the Hoh River. I stood and watched the water race past with large fallen trees collecting debris and water downstream. The fog was slowly lifting throughout the rest of the day and highlighted silhouettes of the tops of trees. After some time of being mesmerized by the moving water, I started to head back. The rain had stopped so I had some fun setting up my camera for some self-timer photos. The sun filtered through the trees and made the moss look lighter upon the branches. The leaves of the ferns were drying and everything went from gloom to glory. The greens lightened and sunlight passed through breaks in the thick foliage. It was really beautiful. The rain managed to hold off until I got back to my van, but inevitably started up after a little while. I talked with a friend on the phone for a while before heading back to the camping spot I was at the night before. Once I parked I shook out my rug, swept the floor, set up for the night, and cooked some pasta for dinner. It was a great day exploring the rainforest.