A Little Story About My Trip Down the Salmon River

July 16, 1994, 1:15 p.m., Newark Airport - Richard, Tatiana & I have successfully arrived at the airport, thanks to Richard's girlfriend, Donna, for driving (she has to stay home in Princeton, but she'll be visiting my cats for me, so she won't be too lonely).

July 17, 10:00 a.m. - Our arrival at the Sea-Tac Marriott yesterday evening was jovial - the atmosphere here is relaxed and very enjoyable. Rich and Tatiana called home to report our arrival. This provided our first news of Dom in nearly a week. He has been driving solo cross-country, to meet us in Lewiston. Reports from back home have him relaxing at Craters of the Moon, in Montana.

After breakfast this morning, Tatiana & I rode the shuttle bus back to the airport, where we rented a Subaru Impreza - a shiny new blue one! Drove it back to the hotel, packed up, and headed into downtown Seattle, to the REI Outfitters store. Quite an impressive store, meandering in odd ways from one large room to the next. We each picked up a few odds and ends; the most difficult purchase was a rain jacket for me. I eventually settled on a fine cobalt blue Helly Hansen.

Afterward, we stopped in a bar across the street for a cup of coffee. When the waitress seemed a bit surly, Tatiana wondered out loud what her problem was. In response, Rich wrote on a matchbook cover, "We are in a gay bar." Oh, well, yeah, that does explain a few things, now that you mention it!

Having finished our coffees, we parted ways with Rich. He drove off to Vancouver, for a few days solo adventuring, while we drove to Edmonds and caught the ferry to Kingston on the Olympic Peninsula. We drove into Olympic Nat'l. Park, arriving just after the Visitors Center closed, then proceeded to the Heart O' The Hills campground, where we set up camp for the night.

July 18 - We awoke early, since our bodies haven't caught up with the three-hour timeshift yet. Bagels with smoked salmon for breakfast, then we broke camp. We drove further into the mountains, and parked at a switchback trailhead a few miles from the Hurricane Ridge Lodge. From there we had a beautiful hike up onto and then along a ridge to the lodge. Vast stands of sub-alpine firs, interlaced with meadows which overflowed with wildflowers in vibrant reds, yellows, blues, purples and whites, all surmounted by the rocky peak of Mt Angeles, made for breath-taking viewing.

July 19 - Today we drove out to the ocean, and Mora Campground, stopping at Sol Duc Resort for a soak in the hot springs and a 2-mile walk up to the Soleduck Falls, where the river cascades into a sheer vertical chasm. Very nice! We pitched our tent amid moss and ferns, and then drove out to Rialto Beach for a walk. The tide was just starting to come in, but we got a chance to look in a few tide pools up around Hole-In-The-Wall Rock before it got too high. Saw a few nice starfish, and lots of green anemones.

July 20 - After a cold breakfast and a quick last look at the ocean from Rialto Beach, we drove up the Hoh Valley into the rainforest. The narrow, windy, 2-lane road runs 18.5 miles from the highway, uninterrupted. Its most notable features were the llama ranch halfway up, and the road re-construction which halted traffic for a good 20 minutes at one point. At the rainforest visitors center, we looked at the exhibits and then went for a walk.

Next, we dashed down to Kalaloch for lunch. After lunch, we made a truly mad dash south to Aberdeen, having decided to press on to Mt Rainier today instead of tomorrow. The lowlands here just aren't enticing enough to us - I guess we're mountain lovers at heart!

Switched drivers in Aberdeen, & Tatiana drove us at a somewhat more responsible rate eastward to Mt Rainier. The views of Rainier were spectacular as we approached under idyllic blue skies. The radio announced that today's high temperature of 100 degrees F in Seattle was an all-time record high for the area. We were worried about finding a campsite so late in the day - needlessly, it turns out. There were many to choose from, and we even got one with a bit of a view of the mountain from our picnic table.

Dusk is falling; Rainier looks ghostly in the twilight, and it is time for bed.

July 21 - We awoke early, made a breakfast of oatmeal and scrambled eggs, and then drove up to the visitors' center. It was another beautifully hot and sunny day, though perhaps not quite as hot as yesterday. We talked to a ranger about where to go hiking, then headed off up Dead Horse Creek Trail. The beautiful meadows, with Rainier a constant backdrop, were like a fairy tale garden.

The climb was steep, and we saw many marmots, all undeterred by the proximity of humans. Soon we were crossing patches of snow, and finding breathtaking views of Nisqually Glacier. At last, we arrived at Pebble Creek, and just a bit beyond there, climbed atop a small knoll and found a shady spot for lunch, not far from where the teams of summit-bound climbers were roping up before attacking the glaciers. The trail back down (a different route) took us through a rocky moonscape punctuated with snowfields.

Back at the visitors' center, we refilled our water bottles and drove down to Reflection Lake to cool our feet off. Later, we took a drive down to Longmire, a few miles from our camp at Cougar Rock, where there is an Inn, a small store, and a tiny museum. Looked around, took a few more pictures of the mountain looking radiant in the setting sun. We hope to get an early start on the road to Lewiston tomorrow.