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pipistrellafelixI think hot running water may be the most wonderful invention known to humankind. Fully-equipped kitchens and comfortable mattresses are close seconds, however. But even with the lack of those things, OH MY GOODNESS camping was brilliant. I am so incredibly glad I got out of the city this summer; besides Tonasket, I hadn't at all, and I really needed to. This was perfect: long, disgustingly scenic drives with good music playing; hanging with one of my oldest and best friends for three days; hiking miles upon miles in the rainforest; murdering mosquitoes and muttering death threats at them; eating one-and-a-half cans of beans each over two days (haha, what having only one burner does to your camping meals); writing on paper instead of the computer; playing cards in the tent; walking barefoot through the freezing riverbed; breathing air so clean my insides felt turned out. Simple brilliance. It's the phrase "no worries, mate" put into action.
Also we both had cameras and took an absurd amount of photographs, even after putting them together and deleting the doubles and bad photos. I shan't put all of them here, since that would be far too many; in fact, my photobucket account couldn't hold them all. Now that's ridiculous.
We got an early afternoon start on Thursday and drove to Edmonds, where we took the ferry to Kingston.
We were rather silly on the ferry. I really love ferry rides, I do...
Witness: More silliness.
Across the Hood Canal Bridge, thankfully not being worked on for the time being...
...down Highway 101, the most gorgeous highway in all of the USA...
...and around Lake Crescent, a very long and incredibly beautiful lake.
Taking pictures from a moving vehicle usually results in bad blurry pictures; but occasionally they turn out artistically blurred.
The Hoh River, which runs through the Hoh Rainforest, and which was right next to our campground.
Our campsite, the best of the entire campground. Which I know to be true, because we looked at all of them.
Emily, calling home Friday morning. That is possibly the coolest telephone on the planet.
And so we set off to hike the trails...
The incredibly clear stream at the beginning of the trails...
We took the Hall of Mosses trail first, obviously.
I cannot possibly post all the photos I took on the trails; and even if I could, none of them could possibly capture how amazing that place is. The words "very very green" do not begin to cover it; "rather mossy" is like saying...saying...I can't even think of an inadquate enough analogy. Suffice it to say we were surrounded by literally prehistoric forest, moss dripping in swathes from tree branches, moss covering stumps so airily and thickly it was like sitting on a feather bed, the wind ruffling the leaves so incredibly clear and bright and filled with the smell of growing things...no photograph can show people the way the place smelled. I can sort of try, though.
A taste of the trail...
And then we found a doorway to fairyland. If there was going to be a worldgate in the area, it would be right here:
Through these roots...
..and out into this.
I couldn't stay in fairyland; but the trails were pretty much another world in themselves.
The thing about old forests is, well, things are huge. That's me up there. That's also one rootmass, from one fallen tree.
"Huge" is also an inadequate adjective.
And trying to take pictures of how tall the trees are is pretty much impossible.
Where the "Hall of Mosses" got its name, apparently.
We also walked about three miles up the Hoh River Trail...
Which bursts out into sudden sunlight...
Right along the river.
A breaking bridge over a nearly nonexistent stream. I want to go back there in the rainy season...I'd be wet through the entire time, but it would probably be worth it.
We hiked to Tom Creek, where we took photos that look like they should be on posters (not our fault! I wasn't even trying to get good photos. I think it may be impossible to take bad ones there).
And half-bushwacked up a tiny trail to the falls.
We went down to the river shore later that day. The colours are incredible...
And we found really cool stone formations. Formed by humans, I mean. Obviously.
Th sky! We saw stars, too. It's kind of incredible how easy it is to forget, in the city, how effing many stars there really are. The sky basically looks furry with them.
And the animals were so close...just sitting there chewing cud, fifteen feet from the tent. Crazy. (Also an insane mouse tried to run under our tent...we named him Mad Mickey.)
....And then we drove back. Which is crazybeautiful in itself, seeing as this is just along the road:
And we stopped at Lake Mills for lunch, were it was so windy I literally nearly fell over, and making lunch was halway impossible, and I accidentally bit Emily's finger trying to get the bread bag she was holding; and got a ferry at Kingston, after wandering the Kingston farmer's market, and came home.
The other million-and-one (no...only about a hundred) photos are HERE and they are lovely (she said, modestly).
And now I have to go shopping. Because there is hardly any food in this house at all.
Also we both had cameras and took an absurd amount of photographs, even after putting them together and deleting the doubles and bad photos. I shan't put all of them here, since that would be far too many; in fact, my photobucket account couldn't hold them all. Now that's ridiculous.
We got an early afternoon start on Thursday and drove to Edmonds, where we took the ferry to Kingston.
We were rather silly on the ferry. I really love ferry rides, I do...
Witness: More silliness.
Across the Hood Canal Bridge, thankfully not being worked on for the time being...
...down Highway 101, the most gorgeous highway in all of the USA...
...and around Lake Crescent, a very long and incredibly beautiful lake.
Taking pictures from a moving vehicle usually results in bad blurry pictures; but occasionally they turn out artistically blurred.
The Hoh River, which runs through the Hoh Rainforest, and which was right next to our campground.
Our campsite, the best of the entire campground. Which I know to be true, because we looked at all of them.
Emily, calling home Friday morning. That is possibly the coolest telephone on the planet.
And so we set off to hike the trails...
The incredibly clear stream at the beginning of the trails...
We took the Hall of Mosses trail first, obviously.
I cannot possibly post all the photos I took on the trails; and even if I could, none of them could possibly capture how amazing that place is. The words "very very green" do not begin to cover it; "rather mossy" is like saying...saying...I can't even think of an inadquate enough analogy. Suffice it to say we were surrounded by literally prehistoric forest, moss dripping in swathes from tree branches, moss covering stumps so airily and thickly it was like sitting on a feather bed, the wind ruffling the leaves so incredibly clear and bright and filled with the smell of growing things...no photograph can show people the way the place smelled. I can sort of try, though.
A taste of the trail...
And then we found a doorway to fairyland. If there was going to be a worldgate in the area, it would be right here:
Through these roots...
..and out into this.
I couldn't stay in fairyland; but the trails were pretty much another world in themselves.
The thing about old forests is, well, things are huge. That's me up there. That's also one rootmass, from one fallen tree.
"Huge" is also an inadequate adjective.
And trying to take pictures of how tall the trees are is pretty much impossible.
Where the "Hall of Mosses" got its name, apparently.
We also walked about three miles up the Hoh River Trail...
Which bursts out into sudden sunlight...
Right along the river.
A breaking bridge over a nearly nonexistent stream. I want to go back there in the rainy season...I'd be wet through the entire time, but it would probably be worth it.
We hiked to Tom Creek, where we took photos that look like they should be on posters (not our fault! I wasn't even trying to get good photos. I think it may be impossible to take bad ones there).
And half-bushwacked up a tiny trail to the falls.
We went down to the river shore later that day. The colours are incredible...
And we found really cool stone formations. Formed by humans, I mean. Obviously.
Th sky! We saw stars, too. It's kind of incredible how easy it is to forget, in the city, how effing many stars there really are. The sky basically looks furry with them.
And the animals were so close...just sitting there chewing cud, fifteen feet from the tent. Crazy. (Also an insane mouse tried to run under our tent...we named him Mad Mickey.)
....And then we drove back. Which is crazybeautiful in itself, seeing as this is just along the road:
And we stopped at Lake Mills for lunch, were it was so windy I literally nearly fell over, and making lunch was halway impossible, and I accidentally bit Emily's finger trying to get the bread bag she was holding; and got a ferry at Kingston, after wandering the Kingston farmer's market, and came home.
The other million-and-one (no...only about a hundred) photos are HERE and they are lovely (she said, modestly).
And now I have to go shopping. Because there is hardly any food in this house at all.
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Kenna!
Date: 2005-09-04 11:22 pm (UTC)rebecca
Re: Kenna!
Date: 2005-09-05 01:02 am (UTC)I can't remember my address at SU...and I don't know where my paper with it on it is. But I will post all my SU info when I move in again (in about three weeks).
I hope Montana is going fabulously...
no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 02:11 am (UTC)Not sure, from the photos, you didn't end up in fairyland anyway. Or, for that matter, start there (well, start as in once you got to the forest, before the door)
no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 02:16 am (UTC)Hah, indeed...the whole place was fairyland. There should be an outdoor production of Midsummer's there, except that it's a national park...
no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 02:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 08:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-07 11:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 03:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 08:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 05:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 08:44 pm (UTC)Lake Crescent is gorgeous...
no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 12:35 pm (UTC)Bloody gorgeous pictures though. Can I save some for reference for possible future drawings?
Some sceneries remind me vaguely of Corsica. I must post some of there in my LJ, now that they're developped.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 08:43 pm (UTC)Of course, go ahead and save. And yes post some of Corsica! I want to see...
no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 10:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 09:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 09:41 pm (UTC)