Today we decided to take the short drive north to a hike that took us back into the rain forest. This area gets 141 inches a year of rain because of the geography. The cool wet air blows in from the ocean and as it is pushed inland it has to rise due to Mt Olympia and friends, which causes all that moisture to dump on the west side of the mountains. The result is a dense, lush forest with every kind of moss and fungus you could imagine. It was nice and cool hiking and reasonably flat. There is a river that flows down off the glacier which is more gray than blue and adds some sound to the lush quiet forest. We met a lot of people who had been hiking in the 5 to 7 day range (and smelled it). Lots of day hikers and a few overnighters. This area is sort of the end of the line so it is not very crowded. We did 5 miles or so round trip which was perfect.
Back to the lodge for a cool dip in the lake and a short attempt to get through my book. When the sun drops and the shadows move onto the expansive front lawn, the adirondak chairs get pushed out into the middle so the adults can yak while the kids burn off what energy they have left. We met a couple riding a R1200R and exchanged notes. After dark you can have dinner and then get a drink and sit in the overstuffed leather chairs in the lodge main room. I tried reading a bit more but sleep pulled me in. Still warm but the fan in our room ran all night..
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