I woke up to the sun peaking up over the high points ready for another amazing day in Olympic National Park.
The climb out of the basin was very steep but over quickly, I stopped to enjoy the moss and rocks on the way up.
We continued along the ridgetop of the High Divide toward Heart Lake.
I got super excited to see the high meadows.
A view of the lakes below.
The views of Mt. Olympus were incredible and got better with every turn!
When we reached the turn off to Bogachiel Peak I got excited to get to the high point of the day. One of the other faster hikers and I stopped to enjoy watching our first black bear of the day in the meadow below and wait for the rest of our group to catch up.
I got a bit overly enthusiastic and when the group did catch up I did not realize that not everyone wanted to go to the top of the peak. I charged ahead to soak in the amazing view. When part of the group got back down we stayed in the high places and headed over to look at Hoh Lake, enjoying more views of Mt. Olympus on the way.
We spent some time having lunch and soaking in the amazement of these high places. I started to relax and be open to what the mountains had to teach me.
The ridge hiking where you can see along way in front. We enjoyed watching several more bears on the hillside below enjoying the blueberries.
I couldn't get enough of the views of Mt. Olympus.
Gazing down at the Hoh River below grateful for the ridge trail, seeing Mt. Olympus, and all the bear sightings.
We continued to enjoy Mt. Olympus and kept seeing many bears as we headed toward Heart Lake. The trail was a bit crowded, even with a long distance trail running group speeding by us! We hiked about 6 miles on day 3 enjoying every minute of this high country.
Once we got closer to Heart Lake the bears were everywhere! They were disinterested us and only had eyes for the wild blueberries but they were sure fun to watch.
It was lovely to see some of the color as these high places start to experience their very short fall season.
One last gaze at Mt. Olympus before turning toward heart lake.
The view of heart lake from above. We headed down to our campsite, enjoying the views of bears along the way.
Bear watching was definitely the evening's entertainment. They dotted the hillside.
I lost count at 14 bear sightings.
Again, we had to get six tents into one campsite because that is how the permit system works here. I was reflecting on abundance and what the wilderness provided being enough- my gear was lighter than ever despite the huge bear canister and enough- enough fuel even to share with a group member who needed some, enough room for six tents at the campsite, and being strong enough to make this trip.
Early in the morning of day four the clouds started rolling in to Heart Lake and we began our 8 mile hike out to the Sol Duc Trailhead.
The high stream leading down from Heart Lake was clear and lovely.
Along the way we enjoyed the waterfalls and mushrooms of this old growth forest. Getting back toward Sol Duc Falls reminded me of a miscarriage I had partially at Hurricane Hill and partially at Sol Duc. I was amazed to remember how that baby would be 12 years old. The woods really seemed to hold me in my grief that night.
I reflected on what my 19 year old self had to teach me from the summer of 1997- that was a time before some of my many big losses. I was so open to the woods and to learning about backpacking. I was willing to try solo camping and using my voices to lead church services on Sunday, which was terrifying. I was in such wonder and amazement of the wilderness of Olympic National Park- spent so much time running and hiking in the rain, watching the stars from the hot springs at night, and appreciated the high divide so much in August when the snow melted. The beach was also a favorite place- I was so amazed by third beach, taking a bus and hiking to spend a night alone right on the beach listening to the ocean, and then discovering that a waterfall on the bluff led straight into the ocean. That summer I learned to weave hemp necklaces, learned about marmots, discovered Tracy Chapman and the Indigo Girls, and the woods became more of my identity and safe, sacred place. I love my 39 year old self- still strong and brave, but the wonder and adventure of that 19 year old was lovely to remember.
