Tag Archives: beauty

Hoh Rain Forest

B11I7961.jpgIt rained when we went to the rainforest.  What a shocker!  Of course, it really added to the atmosphere.  However, there is a limit to how much atmosphere you really need.  Most of the time, we were doing just fine though.  The Hoh Rain Forest is in the Olympics National Park and it is certainly worth the drive to get to.  The growth of the plants in such a damp environment is impressive.  Ferns that are huge, trees that dwarf everything, decaying material on the ground that is being recycled back into the ecosystem.  It is all there to see.  Seeing it when it is lush and damp is how it is supposed to be seen.

B11I7941.jpgYou do occasionally find yourself popping out of the vegetation and alongside a river.  This comes as something of a shock after being immersed in the forest.  The surrounding hills were shrouded in cloud since this is an area that takes a lot of the moisture out of the air coming off the ocean (and what results in the nice weather on the Gulf Islands that lie in its shadow).  The clouds really add to the sense of the place.

B11I7880.jpgWe headed back into the forest and took a loop trail through the Hall of Mosses.  The title might not be one that immediately makes you think you have to see this but I assure you it was quite a place to be.  Everything felt like it was glowing.  So much moss was hanging all over the forest and the dampness made the colors so much more vibrant.  It really did cause you to stop and stare.  Many people came through while we were there and they all seemed to have the same response.  It was quite something.  Shortly after this, the rain turned from steady into rather more persistent.  By the time we got back to the car, our coats had done their work but everything else was pretty saturated.  The drive back gave us plenty of time for the heater to do some drying!

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