A Snowy Surprise in the Hoh Rain Forest
It was March 24th , 2023. I woke at 4am, excited for a day of solo adventuring in the Hoh Rain Forest. It had been raining since I arrived yesterday and so dark in this dense, magical forest, I had no idea what was awaiting me outside this day. Dressing in all the layers after a wonderful breakfast, out the doors of Manitou Lodge I went with my pack. As I opened the door, to my surprise, the rain had turned to snow. Heavy, wet, stick to everything snow, that even as a newcomer, I knew was a strange event here in the Hoh Rainforest. It made me smile and my soul felt happy in a way I was a little unsure about. The snowflakes were mammoth and plentiful. Partway on the drive to the trailhead, the sun began to rise, changing the skies to varying shades of gray and snow and the beauty of it all stuck to everything was surreal; I felt that deep stirring inside that all hikers feel when they have experienced something special for the first time.
As I pulled up to the booth at the ranger’s gate, a kind young man welcomed me through the little window. He handed me a map and it was obvious he was a bit “out of sorts”, whether it be excitement or concern, I was about to find out. The ranger asked where I was headed, and I shared I was headed to the Hall of Mosses and the Spruce Nature Trails to start then was going to plan from there. He said the rangers in the park were concerned about the snow. “We don’t get much snow here” he stated. I assured him I was from Maine and was familiar with the snow. He helped me understand that this wet, already dense heavy forest did not do well with heavy snow, causing trees to uproot and branches to let go. It was a new kind of winter experience I had not yet consciously thought through here. He allowed me to go on through and told me how to open the gate, should they decide to close the park while I was hiking. I thanked him and was happy to continue on my way to explore this beautiful “quiet place”.
Exploring the Hoh Rain Forest
The Hoh Rain Forest is nestled in the western side of Olympic National Park, in Washington state. It is the wettest forest in the contiguous US, receiving on average 129” of rain annually. It is edged on the east by the Hoh River and is the ancestral land of the Hoh people. The fauna and flora, so dense and beautiful, I stopped frequently to admire them, take pictures and make notes to learn more later. The trees were tall and heavily hung with moss and lichen, you bet I hugged a few of them along the way. Clear trickling water at every turn and the most beautiful yellow swamp flowers growing in the standing spring waters, I later learned were Skunk Cabbage. I felt fortunate not to have been able to get close enough to find out why.
The Loudest Quiet Place
The Hoh Rain Forest is said to be one of the quietest places on Earth, due to the exceptionally low levels of human-made noise and the dense moss-covered environment. I personally was looking forward to experiencing this silence, hoping it may help rest my noisy grieving mind. On the contrary! The slushy snow that had collected on the trees and moss and was plopping everywhere as it was warmed by the daylight. I was grateful for my umbrella for some protection. I have never heard snow make so much noise ever. It made me laugh out loud and I could barely hear my own laughter over the chaos of movement through the forest.
An Unexpected Encounter
As I walked on through the trail, I heard a different noise I had not heard yet on that day. It made me stop, freeze and look deeper into the dense forest. As I realized what it was my heart rate rose, and my eyes widened, and my soul became so full. All around me had been a small heard of Roosevelt Elk bedding down. They one by one stood up to greet me. They never made a sound that I could hear over the snow. They observed me and I them. I could not smile any louder. I talked with them and thanked them for letting me walk through their home and apologized for waking them from their sleep. I then decided to walk on before they decided to help me on my way. I had never felt as one with a land as I did in that moment.
A Lesson in Letting Go
I finished the loop trail back at the trailhead, where I met up with the delegation of three rangers making their final decisions about closing the park. They asked me to leave the park but sent me to explore the Bogachiel Rainforest Trail nearby. What an amazing day. It was a grand lesson in checking your expectations to allow the most amazing experiences to happen. This noisy snow-covered place was just what I needed to ease that noisy grieving mind of mine.
