Olympic National Park - Mt. Walker

After many trials and tribulations, a broken elbow, surgery, PT, another "surgery" more PT, and many doubts about the future of my "sporting life" I had re-committed to a trip to Vancouver Island with a stop in Washington to visit my cousin in Seattle and a quick tour of Olympic National Park.

I jumped on m free Southwest Rapid Rewards flight at 5:35 in the morning, Virginia time.  After a short stop at BWI, then it was time to cross the continent to Seattle/Tacoma airport.  I arrived around 10:40, but we got stuck on the tarmac as our docking station was otherwise occupied.  After a 20 minute wait, I rescued my duffel from the baggage carousel only to suffer in line for an hour and a half before picking up my Fox rental car.  All the other vendors had sparse customers while Fox had a line 30+ long.  Go figure.

I finally jumped in my white Hyundai, a superb camping vehicle (not), took I5, to route 16, over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, then north past Gig Harbor, past Swede Hill, the on Route 3 past the Navy Yard at Bremerton, over the 104 Bridge at Port Gamble, and then looped south on Center Road to Quilcene where I picked up the Olympic Highway and hung a louie at Walker Pass to wind my way up Mount Walker.

My friend Tom had a friend @hiking_around_town who, because of the early and long flight to SEATAC, and my subsequent malaise, recommended that I should start my Olympic odyssey with a leisurely drive up Mt. Walker.  I was promised good views easily attained, and she was right. 

I drove to the south viewpoint first.  From there, I could see across Dabob Bay and the Puget Sound with Mt. Ranier, at 14,410 feet, the highest peak in the State, poking through the upper layer of cloudbank. It's a volcano and its glacial system is the largest in the contiguous United States.  

 After taking it all in, I coaxed the Hyundai over to the north viewpoint.

Peering into Olympic NP,  Mt. Constance, at 7650 ft., is the tallest peak on the left in this image with Warrior Peak, the first of the two humps next with Mt. Hamilton and Buckhorn Mountain further to the right.  This flatlander was back among the mountains again, and happy!

After taking in my fill, I steered my chariot down the mountain and continued on to my campsite at Sol Duc Campground - one of the few in the NP that allows reservations - a must for east-coaster planning.  Not knowing the lay of the land, I gassed up in Port Angeles and got some caffeine at Seattle's finest.  Gas is EXPENSIVE in Washington, like $3.25/gal. and of course about 10 miles to the est is was ~ 50 cents cheaper per gallon on the Elwha tribal lands.  

I finally made it to the Sul Duc turnoff and drove the 12 mile entrance road to the campground.  I made it to A-21 before darkness fell, a novel experience for me, set up my trusty Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 quickly, set my alarm for 6 am and crashed!