Lake Crescent and Mt. Storm King

Another day and I’ve been brought to Lake Crescent and the corresponding Fairholme campground. Again operated on a first come first serve basis, I came in around 1pm and found this beautiful site on the water. One thing that I find amazing with Olympic National Park, now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, is the selection of campsites that you can find daily with no reservation. It really makes it easy to truly play it by ear out here, and generally if you are setting up before evening there will be a selection of spots to choose from.

The sound of the water and the cool breeze off the lake made me a little lethargic, and I opted for a swim, a sit in the sun and a nap for the afternoon. I had my heart set on a steep hike up Mt. Storm King, and was happy waiting until the day cooled down before tackling the mountain. Upon awakening, I headed over to Lake Crescent Lodge for a relaxing coffee in the picturesque setting as was recommended to me by another traveller. For anyone making their way around the area, I would definitely recommend checking in here!

Recharged and feeling a little cooler, I made out for a short hike to Marymere falls and, following this, the hike up Mt. Storm King. The hike to the falls is a pleasant and short march through the forest, while heading up Storm King definitely brought on a sweat. With ropes to help you reach the summit as the path became loose sandy gravel, it was certainly challenging, but very much worth it. Upon reaching the rocky top, I discovered that again I was the only one on the trail. I enjoyed my dinner in solitude, enjoying the hot sun past 7pm. Summer is amazing!

Heading down was almost more difficult, at least where ropes were involved, but I made it back to base around 8:30pm and decided to walk back over to the lodge to connect to wifi and have a drink at the bar. I ended up staying longer than expected as locals got a kick out of my adventures and told me stories of mountain goats killing people and the latest missing hikers. What fun!

Next stops include La Push and Second beach, Hoh Rain Forest, Ruby and Fourth beaches, and eventually lake Quinault for my last day in the park. I'll be posting that blog in about a day or so, when I have some more time. I am very excited as I’ve just booked myself a motel (luxury!) in Seattle where I will be taking my first shower in a week. I think I plan to check in at 2pm as soon as my room is available, and never leave.

Happy days to all of you, and thanks for reading! Amanda