Our primary destination on the Olympic peninsula was the campground at the heart of the national park, the Hoh. It is famous for its 140-180 inches of rain a year, which feeds a lush forest home to many unique plants and animals. More simply, it makes for very big trees covered in very thick mosses:
The mosses love the maple trees
Sun-dappled mushroom caps on a trunk
We didn't get to see a flying squirrel, but we still enjoyed watching this little guy
A perfect example of the benefit of nurse logs. As you can see, this entire line of trees started as seedlings on a fallen log that has now returned to the earth.
Misty forest heights. The dominant trees are spruces, firs, cedars and hemlocks.
Sean with some giant cedar friends
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We went on a nice long day hike through this:
To have lunch at this spot, with a view of the Olympic range
We also stopped at a creek with the clearest water you can imagine. Just look,
You almost can't tell you're looking into water. The plants you're seeing are well under the surface.
Same thing here. Everything you see to the left of the green bush is under three feet of water.
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You all probably think we're obsessed with the slugs after all the mention they've gotten on the blog, but you've got to admit that they are kind of amazing. Check out these we found at the Hoh:
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Plotting our next destination...
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