August 23rd, 2021

At the Hurricane Ridge area – Olympic National Park, Washington

Today I took off on another adventure. Today’s trip was over to Olympic National Park. I needed to get a walk in so what better way to do that than to huff up a mountain trail? I gotta get back on the treadmill next week so it’s back into doing some walking.

Some of the locals

It was a great day for a mountain hike. Blue skies and sunshine, but you can begin to feel the first twinges of Fall arriving. It was around 49 degrees and I had a sweatshirt on the take the chill off until I got the blood flowing. There was a bit of a breeze so I am glad I had the sweatshirt on. This time of year, much like in the Spring, you have to really be prepared for anything.

It is such a different feeling going into the National Parks. Rocky Mountain National Park was my earliest memory as far as National Parks. I believe that was my first one and it kind of set the bar for me as far as public lands. I remember the huge log & stone railings and real wood signs and posts through the park. It just has a timeless classiness that really embodies what those places are about.

There’s a certain majesty about the National Parks. Everything is preserved and that is pretty important. They command respect just from the idea of what they are about. There is a security of being in a Park, knowing that it is closed off unless you pay the fee. It really filters out some of the problems…but not all.

In this general area it is hard to trust leaving your vehicle parked anywhere so you can simply go enjoy some nature. Such a pain in the ass it is I will not go into the forest to hike anymore. The Parks are a respite from that concern and it’s given me a whole new reason to revisit them knowing that my vehicle and belongings will be safe. And, of course, I have an Interagency Pass for all of the Federal lands. Be sure to look into getting one if you can. It’s a great bargain!

Anyhoo, I left the park to go home and think about making supper. On the way I made a stop at the local feed store to pickup a beverage. I was looking for the Boulevard Wheat and figured a quirky place like where I stopped my have it. But they didn’t. I ended up with a Tieton Huckleberry Cider. Pretty tasty but has the same issue for me that all ciders have. Too much apple cider. I don’t like apple juice. They need to use more of the fruit as cider. It was good though!

That’s about all for now.

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