NW Source, Where to hike In Washington

Hiking Washington Info Here; where to get passes, what's required, where to go, what to expect..
click here

Kids always have to try out the big backpack, backpacking the Pacific Ocean

This is Jeremy 

..trying on the large pack for size.

 He sort of spun out of control like a top going in circles erratically. Fast as they grow, in just a few years, he'll be ready for this pack and will run up and down hills with it on his back. He might if he lived here, yeah,  most likely, growing leg muscles of steel, and incredible balance. He would learn skills learn by backpacking in the woods and all about the land and it's creatures and their close ties to us. He would protect the land. This is what happens to you when you become a hiker.

This photo was taken just after Daphne and Jeremy and I walked to look at the ocean close up for the first time. We made it a big deal in the car pulling near the beach, "take a look , we said, this is your first time to see the Pacific Ocean." I wonder what went through their hearts? It's  awesome with large trees piled on the beach, the surf, and haystacks. Then when we walked up close to where you could get a good look, I myself was in my usual wonder of this extra un-ordinary, extraordinary place, and I have seem it hundreds of times.

 I was curious what they must have felt, because I think it a feeling that comes over you, something that captivates your spirit. It's pure wonder. After this initial peek, we went back to the car and began readying for the trek down past Ellen Creek to find a campsite close to Hole in the Wall. ( I have photos of Hole in the Wall on the next page, I think)

 This beach, Rialto, changes  to Hole in the Wall after you pass through the Hole in the Wall! It becomes many other beach names as you go along. But to me, it is all the same beach. The name is just a defining point, sort of like life is one thing, but has ages that define stages of the continuum. It's true of us, too, we aren't isolated, separate bodies, but, are in a process on a continuum. (My sage wisdom for the day)

Sand Point is about a 3 day hike down the beach. Many people hike this long  stretch of beach that can take you all the way to Shi Shi Beach near where the Makah Indian tribe have lived for hundreds of years ( before the arrival of the big ships). This is at the  furthest  NW point of the continental, or contigious US, also known as Cape Flattery.

Cape Flattery is a high point on the landscape  jutting into the water, where the Makah Indians stood one day to see the coming of the first tall ships into the area, and their lives were to change forever more.  The Makah were affluent, with plenty of salmon to eat, berries, whale, probably bear. 

They lived in long houses made of cedar, and carved sea going vessels out of large cedar trees by burning the center and then chiseling out a cavity. A wonderful cedar long house stands in Neah Bay today, as a museum. It is well worth a visit, as it shows how they lived and a large boat inside with beautiful carving marks. Also basketry was finely woven by Makah women. Out from their home there, large haystacks stand, and it is an incredible cape,  sunsets are stunning. I can post a photo of Cape Flattery another day. But here is a link with information of Neah Bay and Cape Flattery. Cape Flattery "

Here The Straight Of Juan De Fuca empties into the Pacific Ocean.

 A Cape, btw, is a point or head of land projecting into water.

"The Trail provides a view of waves crashing against rocky shores and of Tatoosh Island, a former Makah fishing and whaling camp and more recently a Coast Guard station. Sometimes visitors can catch a glimpse of puffin, sea otters, seals, gray, orca and humpback whales and other marine life. ...
...A short side trip after you come back from the Cape trail, cross over the Waatch River to see Hobuck Beach and the famous Shi Shi Beach...The Trail provides a view of waves crashing against rocky shores and of Tatoosh Island, a former Makah fishing and whaling camp and more recently a Coast Guard station. Sometimes visitors can catch a glimpse of puffin, sea otters, seals, gray, orca and humpback whales and other marine life.... 

....A short side trip after you come back from the Cape trail, cross over the Waatch River to see Hobuck Beach and the famous Shi Shi Beach....The Trail provides a view of waves crashing against rocky shores and of Tatoosh Island, a former Makah fishing and whaling camp and more recently a Coast Guard station. Sometimes visitors can catch a glimpse of puffin, sea otters, seals, gray, orca and humpback whales and other marine life....

...At the end of the 3/4 of a mile hike over a picturesque trail with bridges across wetlands, one will enjoy the views from five observation perches with cedar decks and guard rails. If you bring a lunch or a light snack two picnic tables can be found and the end of the trail also."

Another far west beach is Cape Alava, almost as far west as Flattery is. Longitude of 124° 44′ 11.8″ W. It is truly one of the ends of the earth. The Cape Avala Loop.."Wander the wild, rugged outer coast on this 8.8-mile loop trail leading through coastal forests to miles of rocky tidepools, sea stacks, and arches. With its minimal elevation gain, the loop makes for an easy day hike, but an overnight stay will reward you with golden sunsets in summer and a deep immersion in the sights, smells, and sounds of one of the country’s few wilderness beaches." Trails.com
"Here, archaeologists have excavated dwellings buried by a mudslide 500 years ago. Other buried dwellings date back at least 2,500 years and await further excavation...... The Cape Alava trail begins on an abandoned road and plunges immediately into what feels like Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," with dense greenery consisting of salal and other shrubs. Most of the trail is on boardwalk, which can be a curse or a blessing, depending on the weather. The boardwalk is slippery when wet, but it also keeps your feet out of the black mud that is prevalent much of the year.

 At 2 miles, the forest opens to Ahlstrom's Prairie, a bog that was a lake once upon a geologic time (Ahlstrom also cleared some of this area for pasture). The trail then returns to the gloom of the forest, and the roar of the ocean can now be heard. At 3 1/2 miles, the path drops suddenly to the beach and a collection of excellent campsites.

 Several islands can be seen from the beach. Tskawayah Island to the north is part of the Ozette Indian Reservation and clambering on it is not allowed. The Ozette River is 1 1/2 miles to the north and Sand Point is 3 miles to the south.

 The beach to Sand Point can be hiked easily at anything below high tide. Three-hundred-year-old petroglyphs can be found about a mile to the south of Cape Alava at Wedding Rocks. Makah tribal members ask that you respect their sanctity and not touch them." Seattle PI article on hike
"Trail data: The Cape Alava/Sand Point loop is 9 1/2 miles. Cape Alava is six miles round trip (elevation gain is about 500 feet). The recommended map is the Custom Correct Ozette Beach Loop, or Green Trails Ozette No. 130S. For information on conditions, how to obtain permits (required beginning May 1) and entry fees, call the Olympic National Park Wilderness Information Center at 360-452-0300.

Special note: The raccoons at Cape Alava and Sand Point are notorious for stealing backpackers' food. They have developed state-of-the-art pilfering abilities and have been known to open zippers and pockets and perform high-wire acts on ropes strung between trees. Food must be hung out of the animals' reach in raccoon-proof containers or carried with you at all times. They will visit you at dusk and watch you with their shining eyes, waiting for you to make a dumb mistake (such as overlooking that candy bar in your backpack"

I have my own raccoon stories to tell. These are amazing and not to be deterred little creatures. They aren't as rolly polly as the ones that congregate in my back yard, but they sure don't give up, I have had to invent some pretty sophisticated hanging devices working late into the night to keep then from getting my food. (as the little babies watch Mom watching me from high in their tree top).

These days a bear canister is required to keep your food inside, a pain in the neck really to backpack with. Classes on how to hang food intelligently might be a better approach.

 Hmm, I just had an idea for a new invention...I did design a fool proof line that night when they were determined to get my food and I was determined to get some sleep.

Vacation, With Daphne, and Jeremy, Rialto Beach, VanCouver BC, Mt Shuksan, more

Some of these fine photos are Daphne's!

(above of a falls near Mt Baker..for instance)

Jeremy on Rialto Beach

Daphne's portrait of Jeremy

Nice huh?

Mt Shuksan, The glacier

Rialto Foggy morning

Beach Sculptures

(Daphne and I built these master pieces)

Early morning, Jeremy and I go to visit starfish

Daphne's garden photo in Stanley Park

(The large leaf plant is called dinosaur food)

Nice shot Daphne!

Daphne's photos near Mt Baker of rain forest and one of our many water falls.

[She has to return to see some more:

Snoqualmie, Bridal Veil, Solduc...or

.. how about the 13 water falls in Wells Grey Park in BC?

5 hours from here only]

My salad, had to brighten this up with salad

from MY garden!!

Daphne's photos

Trees grow faster here than any other place on earth!

OOh, rain forest is beautiful, she has only seen this one small piece of it,

there is so much more to see!

Daphne, and Grandson Jeremy visited last week...

Kingston Ferry to Olympic Peninsula to destination, Rialto Beach. Seattle and Mt Rainier in background.. click on pictures to enlarge... Last weekend when Daphne and Jeremy were here, the last thing we did was backpack Rialto Beach, {must be the most sensational beach in the world ...shh don't tell}
I have been going here for many years now since moving to the PNW. I am always amazed by the powerful beauty of this ever changing beach, where old growth logs get washed out, or were once washed out, I presume, from the 3 rivers that flow into the Pacific from the Old growth forest...(The Hoh, and The Quileute, and The Bogieschiele). Leaving Rialto we had Bogie Burgers and chocolate shakes at The ThreeRivers Inn and Cafe... I have hiked over these logs at night at high tide to Hole in the Wall Beach, amazing experience, because it is one of those times that you disappear; no body, no mind, just super consciousness, expanded into oneness. It took about 2.5 hours to hike this maybe 2 mile stretch on logs that other wise would take 40 minutes at most. Ordinarily the hike is walking in deep wet sand and pebbles, with a pack on your back, and is a good work out, on large logs at night it is stupendous. We hiked in at medium tide, and Jeremy carried a small pack and never once winced at his load or the trek. Daphne I think was totally amazed as so many people are when they see this amazing beach. So Saturday some people from Holland were at the trail head when we got back, and couldn't believe their eyes, and were asking "what in the world was further down the beach?" So here are a few pictures of the wonder of Rialto Beach on the Pacific Coast of Washington.

Entrance to Hole in The Wall Beach

Camp Site

Daphne and Jeremy asleep in their tent early in the morning when only I was awake

Tide Pool

Foggy Morn

Shoes always go under tent fly to stay dry

Daphne thought Washington was cold, well, sometimes it is chilly, at night and near the beach..

warms herself by the fire..Jeremy is fine with no shirt tho..

'By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it.

The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired'. 

Franz Kafka

Pastel Anemones, blue starfish, Stanley Park Aquarium

Sea anemones are a group of water dwelling, predatory animals of the order Actiniaria; they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flower. As cnidarians, sea anemones are closely related to corals, jellyfish, tube-dwelling anemones and Hydra.


Anatomy

"A sea anemone is a small sac, attached at the bottom to the surface beneath it by an adhesive foot, called a basal disc, with a column shaped body ending in an oral disc. The mouth is in the middle of the oral disc, surrounded by tentacles armed with many cnidocytes, which are cells that function as a defense and as a means to capture prey. Cnidocytes contain cnidae, capsule-like organelles capable of everting, giving phylum Cnidaria its name [1]. The cnidae that sting are called nematocysts. Each nematocyst contains a small vesicle filled with toxins—actinoporins—an inner filament and an external sensory hair. When the hair is touched, it mechanically triggers the cell explosion, a harpoon-like structure which attaches to organisms that trigger it, and injects a dose of poison in the flesh of the aggressor or prey. This gives the anemone its characteristic sticky feeling.
The poison is a mix of toxins, including neurotoxins, which paralyze the prey, which is then moved by the tentacles to the mouth/anus for digestion inside the gastrovascular cavity. Actinoporins have been reported as highly toxic to fish and crustaceans, which may be the natural prey of sea anemones. In addition to their role in predation, it has been suggested that actinoporins could act, when released in water, as repellents against potential predators. Certain clownfish are not affected by their host anemone's sting.[2]


Exploitation

The global trade in marine ornamentals is an expanding industry. In the early 1980s the estimated value of imported marine fish and invertebrates was US $24-40 million annually.[3] Current estimates place that value at US $200-330 million,[4] with the USA accounting for 80% of the industry imports.
The sea anemone has a foot which in most species attaches itself to rocks or anchors in the sand. Others also burrow into a stronger object. Some species attach to kelp and others are free-swimming.

Unlike other cnidarians, anemones (and other anthozoans) entirely lack the free-swimming medusa stage of the life cycle: the polyp produces eggs and sperm, and the fertilized egg develops into a planula that develops directly into another polyp.
A few anemones are parasitic to marine organisms. Anemones tend to stay in the same spot until conditions become unsuitable (prolonged dryness, for example), or a predator is attacking them. In the case of an attack, anemones can release themselves from the substrate and swim away to a new location using flexing motions.."


Wikipedia

White Jellies, Stanley Park Aquarium, Vancouver BC

Relax, take a break, it's time to meditate... on the flow of jellies and anemones.



"

All jellies sting, but not all jellies have poison that hurts humans. Of the 2,000 species of jellyfish, only about 70 seriously harm or occasionally kill people.
Listed here are the more dangerous jellies and where you can find—and avoid—them.


Atlantic Ocean from above the Arctic Circle to Florida; Gulf of Mexico; Pacific Ocean from Alaska to southern California


Gulf of Mexico; Caribbean Sea near the Bahamas; West Indies


Chesapeake Bay; Pacific Ocean from Alaska to southern California; Atlantic Ocean from Massachusetts to Florida; Gulf of Mexico


Pacific Ocean near northern Australia, Philippines"

Jelly Fish at Stanley Park Vancouver BC

Slideshow, some photos from our trip to Baker, Vancouver, Seattle, and Rialto

A Video of our trip to Rialto and Hole in The Wall Beach

"From a certain point onward there is no longer any turning back. That is the point that must be reached. " Kafka

Mt Baker, Chain Lakes Trail

" My peers, lately, have found companionship through means of intoxication - it makes them sociable. I, however, cannot force myself to use drugs to cheat on my loneliness - it is all that I have - and when the drugs and alcohol dissipate, will be all that my peers have as well. " Franz Kafka

At Baker Jeremy enjoyed the snow, above, a photo of a snow bank in August,

 we had late snow this year.

Daphne and Jeremy, my daughter and Grandson just left yesterday after a week here discovering and exploring Seattle, Vancouver, Mt Baker and Rialto Beach.

It was a whirlwind affair, but so much fun, Backpacking into Rialto was an amazing adventure, as Rialto is a rare beach in today's world, I'd say, with old growth logs that wash ashore, perhaps from The three rivers that flow into the ocean there from old growth stands; The Hoh River, The Quillutte, and the Bogiechiele.

Jeremy discovered our banana slugs, and haystacks, and Daphne wanted to take all the driftwood home with her. She poked her way down the beach examining beautiful pieces of wood, and even found some beach glass, rare at this beach.

I haven't downloaded Rialto Yet, .....be here soon!