We didn't get started on the Sol Duc trail until about 6 pm. The shuttle from Rialto beach picked us up at 1 pm; it was about a 2 hour drive to our car; then we had to head to the trailhead for Sol Duc. Thankfully, there is a lodge 2 miles from the Sol Duc trailhead with hot springs and a restaurant. We didn't have time to soak in the hot springs (all the better, since it was packed with people), but we did have time to get a real meal and a well deserved beer before heading off for our second hike. We planned to only have to hike a few miles to get to our first campsite for the night. We loaded up on carbs and cleaned up, then set off on our first leg.

We don't have any photos of our hike to the campsite at Deer Lake because we just booked it. It was also mostly in the forest so not too many sweeping views. I think we easily managed to average more than our normal 2 mph and covered a good 5 miles in only about 2 hours. We had enough daylight to set up our tent and this time we broke out some whiskey. The main issue we had with this campsite was it was in the middle of swampy lowlands. This meant the mosquitoes were really starting to bug us. After already camping 3 nights on the beach with hardly any bugs (at least the biting kind), we headed to bed early to escape the bugs in our tent. The other unfortunate thing was it was deathly still. No wind and no water sounds. The creeks we had access to were more like still swamp water and we could hear everything, including hundreds of mosquitoes whining. This campground is mostly in the trees, so there isn't much in terms of views.

We didn't get as much sleep as we had the previous three nights. Due to the quantity of bugs, we also mutually agreed that if we could make it around the majority of the Sol Duc Loop, as we'd already planned to Sol Duc campground 1 mile from the trailhead, we could easily make it all the way out and get a last minute hotel. So we planned for that and woke up early the next morning to get through a good 14-15 mile hike for the rest of the loop.

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Despite the lack of sleep and the start of our mosquito plight (that would plague us for the rest of our trip), we started strong and made good time to Bogachiel Peak pass, our first pass of several.

In stark contrast to our beach hike, the sun was out and the sky was mostly clear. This combined with an unfortunate haze that clung to the mountains meant our photos didn't turn out as well as they could have, but the views were definitely still breathtaking. The major reason this hike is so popular is because the trail follows a ridge line where on one side, you get picturesque views of Mount Olympus, and all its glaciers, and on the other side you get gorgeous views of the Seven Lakes Basin. Despite all the mosquitoes we tried to take in all this beauty. The pictures definitely do not do it justice.

The high divide trail between Bogachiel Peak and Heart Lake has some of the most stunning high mountain vistas we've seen, even compared to Colorado. Verdant meadows bursting with wildflowers of every color juxtaposed with pine trees, snow, mountain lakes, and rocky slopes...ah this what we needed to recharge our alpine-loving batteries. Granted it is a bit wetter over in the PNW and the collective elevation of these mountains tends to be lower, so the landscape can't be directly compared to Colorado, but this is close enough. And if it weren't for the mosquitoes, we'd have spent a bit more time going off on spurs and trying to get that perfect photo of Mount Olympus.

Once we made it to Heart Lake, by about early afternoon, we were finally over all the major passes and headed back into the trees. The rest of the hike was slowly sloping downhill, alternating between forests and open meadows. We had plenty of water sources to fill up our bladders now and even saw some frogs and this weird flowering fungus that, according to my non-expert quick Google search, looks suspiciously like pinesap. This is the second time we've seen flowering fungi in the pacific areas of the continental US. Our first time was in Yosemite NP where we saw snow plants.

The only thing I'm a little peeved about on this trip was this: we were basically promised mountain goats on this trip (by the forest service folks and all the websites talking about this loop). The guy at the visitors center specifically said beware of "aggressive" mountain goats that want to lick your sweaty hands and sweaty clothes (cue me squealing with delight at that idea). But we did not see a single mountain goat! Granted, we hit the passes and Heart Lake (apparently where they frequent) right at peak early afternoon, with the highest temperatures and full sunshine. So it could be they just needed to retreat to some shade until late afternoon. But I was a little disappointed because, as Dan knows, I love mountain goats! We also hardly saw any other animal life, save the occasional marmot, frog, or large bird. This makes it sound like this trip wasn't amazing though, so let me clear that up: I loved this hike. It was definitely one of most gorgeous hikes we've done in quite a while. I'd highly recommend Sol Duc Loop for anyone visiting this part of Washington. And the best part is, it is definitely possible to do in 1 night, like we did. We did pass one older gentleman on our way to Deer Lake the first day who was just finishing his hike of the entire loop in one day. So that is also possible!

After making it back to the trailhead we decided to grab a hotel in Port Angeles and take advantage of an extra night in a hotel. Our next trip was scheduled to be 5 nights, so we really wanted (and needed) to recoup and take a hot shower. After grabbing a milkshake at the first place we could find (that's our post-hike staple), we headed to Port Angeles to find a nice brewery and relax. Our next trip was a whole different adventure.

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Sol Duc Loop

Day 1: Rush to Deer Lake

Day 2: Deer Lake to...a much needed night in a hotel