[Slugman]

I left work in Seattle at 5 pm on Saturday, and the wonder dog and I drove out to Kalaloch Lodge in the south coastal section of Olympic National Park. Even though it was Saturday night, we found a nice campsite, and then we took a nice walk on the beach in the starlight. Sunday morning we moved to an even better site, on the bluff, and then headed north a few miles to Beach 4. Weather was mostly cloudy, but with some sun breaks and donut holes. We took off north, with the tide going out, and were soon past the last other person. We had company, though: eagles. They were a constant presence. The beach is very cool, with lots of interesting rock, flowstone, layered rocks of contrasting colors, and basalt outcrops. Good shells, too, and plenty of sea life washed up on the beach. We kept going and going, wading across a considerable stream (Steamboat creek), until we got to just south of Ruby beach, where we turned around. We hiked seven miles total, mostly on firm sand, helped by the low tide.

Thirsty pup

Squid, 4th beach, Olympic National Park

Daisy the wonder dog

4th beach trail

On Monday we drove north to the Undie road, which leads to the Bogachiel trail. We chose this trail because you can hike in two miles before the NP is reached, making it dog-friendly. When we started out, I saw a trail marked "Wetlands Interpretive Site", so we took the short detour to see the swamp. But it was no short detour! It was actually a two-mile (or so) trail, through fantastic old growth forest, that eventually meets up with the regular trail before it enters the park. Some friendly trail repair folks clued me in on that. Thanks! And thanks for all the great trail work being done there. We came back on the regular trail, which is nice, and goes by the river, and has some old-growth sections, but the other trail was nicer IMO. The whole hike was ethereal, other-worldly, dream-like, reminded me of Dorothy in the poppy fields. The moss, the ferns, every square inch alive, no dirt, or rocks, or anything visible except life. We did about five miles, including going the "wrong" way on the main trail, to get to the park boundary, before heading out. We took a long break on a grassy bank next to the river, hoping to see some elk, but no such luck. I was going to stay another day, but the other manager at work got sick, so I drove home Monday night and worked today. So now I have extra money for another trip.

Washington Conservation corps

Trail crew

I was the first ever hiker to cross this bridge!

Big tree, Bogey

fiddlehead

Bogachiel River

Bogachiel trail, Olympic National Park

More Bogey

[bobbi]

great TR and photos! Daisy is very photogenic. what a great find....Wetlands Interpretive Site. then being the first to cross a new bridge. may i have your autograph? your photos make the Bogachiel very inviting....great! now everyone from across the pond will be coming our way thanks

[goats gone wild]

Sluggo, glad you could make it out west and relax on the beach. Sounds like you got a primo campsite. And I'm sure Daisy was a very happy dog, getting to come along. I was visiting friends in Sequim and Port Townsend for the weekend (my friend has two new baby llamas ) otherwise I would have come and pestered you and patted Daisy on the head. Also, I think you timed your trip perfectly, going home a day early, because it was pouring buckets when I drove home on Monday. I totally agree with you, the new loop trail on the Bogi is really something. What did you like most about it? For me, it is the diameter of the trees and all the wetlands birds that make it truly special. It's a bit like going back in time. The place is prehistoric . And just to let you know, Molly Erickson ]is the person to thank for saving that particular forest and those beautiful old growth trees. This is the story she told me: She was out walking the property one day with her huband, who worked for Rayonier, when the property still belonged to Rayonier. Rayonier was planning to log it. And Molly thought, this place is special. There should be a way to save the old growth trees and keep the forest as it is. So, she started making phone calls, working cooperatively with Rayonier, the state, and the Forest Service, until the $$ could change hands and the ownership was transferred. THANK YOU, MOLLY, FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK!!! And Stan Fouts engineered and built the trail. Anyhoo, just a bit of history. Hope I see you next time you come west, Slugman. Bring Daisy.

[Slugman]

What did I like most about the Bogey loop? Wow, that's hard. The best thing I guess is just that it exists. When I go out with Tanja and the dog, it's hard to find really great places to go that allow the dog. And of the places that are great that you can go, almost all are beach hikes, so having a top-notch rain forest hike is a real blessing. We camped at site F4. It appears to be a non-bluff site at first, but there is a tunnel through the salal that goes to a grassy spot perched on the bluff, with steps down to the beach carved into the bluff. Yes, thank you, Molly and Stan.