Olympic National Park - Cape Alava - July 15, 1998 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Olympic National Park - Cape Alava |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Washington |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | July 15, 1998 |
| Duration: | 2 days |
| Trail Conditions: | Fair |
| Trail Traffic: | Heavy |
| Trip Weather: | Cloudy |
| Trip Winds: | Light |
| Trip Precipitation: | Showers |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 61-70, Low: 61-70 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | BirdShooter and I got our backcountry permit ($4/day) at the Olympic National Park Ranger Station, paid for parking ($1/per car/per day), and picked up a critter bucker ($12 plus $5 refundable deposit), then hit the trail around 2:30pm and hiked to Sand Point in an hour. The hike was mostly on wet boardwalks which were extremely slippery at times. We got separated on the way to the Sand Point backcountry site but BirdShooter and I found each other within 20 minutes. There were numerous backpackers and day hikers on the trail today and now I see why you need an advance reservation here. We left Sand Point for Cape Alava to camp tonight and the beach hiking was much tougher than I expected - deep sand and rocks. The rain set in about half way down the beach but it was mostly drizzle and it wasn't worth getting out the raincoat for the shower. We had high tide while we were hiking so we had to leave the beach at one point for the trail to Cape Alava and we made it there in about 80 minutes. The first order of business was to get the fire started and as soon as we did, the rain mysteriously stopped. We stayed at a nice secluded beach campsite on the south side of the campground and it was a great spot. The north sites had a number of other backpackers and we were glad to have the solitude. A doe and fawn were grazing this evening near the northern campsites and we also saw two bucks and some aggressive racoons. I did some fly fishing in the evening and had no luck. Perhaps it had something to do with the seal that kept popping up around me as I waded in the surf. The next morning we were back on the trail by 10:30am and hiked out in an hour. |
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