Hamiltons Cross-Country Adventure 2010

Dispatches

lug 11

Dispatch #16

Published at 20:17
Dispatch created from email
To explore the seashore portion of Olympic National Park, we decided
to get a little more rugged! We secured a backcountry camping permit
and picked up a bear-proof canister at the ranger station before
heading for the Ozette Loop. This 9.2 mile trail began in a heavily
wooded forest. An old wooden footpath wound through the forest,
eventually emerging upon stunning views of the Pacific Ocean on Cape
Alava. From here, we hiked 3 more miles along the beach, hopping over
tidal pools and scrambling around fallen trees to reach Sand Point,
where we made our camp for the evening. It was slow going hiking
along the beach with all of our things on our backs, but well worth
the extra effort it took to get here.

Our camp was set back in the woods at the edge of the beach. We set
out to look for the freshwater stream that we had been told about to
gather cooking water. A group of boy scouts pointed us in the right
direction. Caroline was dismayed to discover that the water was
practically stagnant and dark yellow in color. We boiled it for 20
minutes, just to be “safe”, and pretended that our pasta was actually
whole wheat, due to the dark yellow color it had become! We later
found out that the tannins in the trees turn the water this color.
Caroline prefers her tannins in wine, not water!

We found a wonderful bluff at the end of the point and climbed up to
watch the sun set. The views of the ocean were magnificent and we
enjoyed Target wine from a sippy box as we watched the sun sink down!
This experience will definitely make the highlight list for the trip!


  • Name: Sand Point Washington
  • Elevation: +0 m
  • Latitude: 48° 7’ 58” North
  • Longitude: 124° 42’ 57” West

Comments




Add Comment


Notify this dispatch to subscribers?

Yes
No
Cancel