Off Script, Part Two
Having already experienced an early morning trip to one of the coolest beaches ever, and having strolled a moss enveloped path to the largest tree in Washington State, my brother and I still had some adventuring left in us. So down the North Shore Road we went, all the way to the end of this rutted forest service single laner. Here we picked up the North Fork trail and headed inland to continue our exploration of the Olympic Peninsula in the most elemental way: one boot step at a time.
We chose the North Fork trail due to its proximity to water. It roughly parallels the Quinault - a river fed by the high mountains further inland. The riparian plain of this beautiful river is quite wide due to the massive deluge of each spring’s snowmelt. But in September, the river is at its lowest level of the year.
At times, the trail was within sight of the river. At others, it was nowhere to be seen and just a distance rumbling if you stood still amid the massive trees and listened. At one particular stretch, we hadn’t seen water in a while and my brother was becoming aggressively anxious to get himself to the river’s edge. I too was ready for water, but being 3000 miles from my hiking comfort zone, and in the land of Sasquatch, I was a little hesitant to go off trail in pursuit of the rumbling.
Trusting our geographic instincts though, at a spot where the trail crossed a ravine, we decided to go off script - I more cautiously than my brother. Down the ravine we went, knowing it was bound to intersect the Quinault. What it intersected first however, was just a trickle of water, a side split from the main river. This meant we had to follow the side split until it intersected the main channel. And this is where I decided to be overly cautious.
One ravine looks like the next in this dense mountainous area, so I felt it was important to mark the one we just spilled out of. And so, off came my shirt - the top layer, that is. I placed the bright white fabric on my hiking pole and then stuck it in the ground flag-like. It was my way of leaving a trail of bread crumbs.
Up the side split we then went to reach what we had been craving: pristine riverside lounging. Off came my boots, away went my cautions, and out came the cigars. Sitting riverside along the Quinault, far from civilization in a spectacular wilderness will be a moment of special bonding with my brother that I’m sure we’ll both cherish for a long time.
This epic trip to the Pacific Northwest has been full of unplanned highlights…
Like my brother joining me at the last moment.
And chasing the sun all the way to Mt. Rainier.
And innkeepers suggesting lesser-known attractions.
And side-tripping down a pristine ravine.
Being an extreme planner, I’m hesitant to go off script; however, allowing the diversions on this trip to blossom has been exactly what’s made it so special.
