Author: Matt Oliver

In almost every national park we’ve visited, you will find old photos and stories, telling the tale of the discovery, exploitation, and protection of the land. I usually leave these displays trying to imagine what it would be like to visit the park without traffic, campgrounds, and visitor centers. What makes North Cascades National Park unique is that 99% of the park is still wilderness. Only along highway 20 will you see three hydroelectric dams along the Skagit River forming Gorge, Diablo, and Ross Lake owned by Seattle City and Light. At first, this brought to mind the infamous Hetch Hetchy impoundment that riled John Muir. However the teal color of these lakes against these hanging glaciers on Alp-like peaks create an impressive landscape. We were joined in Colonial Campground on the shore of Diablo Lake by my sister Amber, brother-in-law Jon, their daughter Katie, and son Josh. The weather was much warmer than expected, so we were thankful for the ample shade in the campground. We hiked the 4 mile round trip Thunder Knob trail which gave stunning overlooks of Diablo Lake and Colonial Peak. Unfortunately, Eli, who is very allergic to dairy products, accidentally ate a granola bar with milk in it when we were about 2 miles from camp. When he was younger, any ingestion of milk meant he broke out in hives all over his body, became lethargic, and needed injection from an Epi-pen. We prayed, and watched him closely as we hiked back toward the campground. Thankfully, he only got a few hives on his chin, and managed to push through with no major reaction. He was a real trooper! With temperatures peaking around 90 F, we decided to swim in Diablo Lake. Diablo is formed by the tail waters of Ross Lake, so it is very cold (~45-50 F). It was an exercise in extremes; jump in the lake for as long as you could still feel your limbs, then bake on the hot shoreline. Repeat until dinner time. After a while, the kids got into an epic mud fight which passed the warm afternoon. Their only complaint is that they needed to spend some serious time in the chilly lake getting the mud out of their hair! After the hike, swimming, and dinner, the boys went fishing for a bit, but quickly returned to the campfire where we were treated to S’mores, and a wonderful variety show orchestrated by the kids. All in all it was a great visit to North Cascades, and we hope to return one day to explore more.

Have you ever had the experience of eating so many appetizers, that you don’t enjoy your main dish as much as you thought you would? The dish is great, but it should have come out earlier in the evening. That was our experience at Olympic National Park. When you have been surrounded by beauty in every national park, after a while it isn’t as impressive anymore. Our first campsite was in the Hoh River Rainforest. We hiked the Hall of Mosses and Hoh River Trail. We were blessed with crystal blue skies, so we didn’t need our rain jackets. The forest was gorgeous, but after just visiting the Redwoods and Crater Lake, it was tough to get the kids motivated. There was plenty of wildlife; deer, elk, bald eagles, however, the children preferred to relax at the campground, and playing along the banks of the Hoh River. We needed a change of scenery. Luckily, and Olympic NP had just the thing; Rialto Beach. Our sunny skies gave way to a thick marine layer, which made its prominent rock promontories all the more imposing. A 1.5-mile hike north from Rialto Beach brought us to some very impressive tide pools. We timed our visit with low tide and were not disappointed. Our attention turned away from the utopian Hoh River rainforest toward the cranky and cramped sub-tidal fauna of the Pacific. Life in tide pools can be tough, predators abound, and food is scarce. One tide pool held our attention for more than an hour. There were hermit crabs on one side, finger sized cabezon fish on the other, separated by a row of hungry sea anemones. The stage was set for a tide pool tantrum. I cracked open one of the abundant California mussels and dropped it into the pool. The tide pool sprang to life in a miniature game of “steal the bacon”. It was a hurricane of activity as each creature viciously fought the others for food. It was fish vs fish, then crab vs fish as all the creatures shredded the mussel to bits. At one point, two hermit crabs were fighting over a piece of mussel, when one of them accidentally backed into the tentacles of a waiting sea anemone. The kids shrieked with satisfaction as the crab was rapidly engulfed by its turquoise tentacles. More! More!, the children cried, enthralled by their newfound mini version of the Hunger Games. It was only when we cracked enough mussels that the crabs and fish were not hungry anymore, that the kids decided that it was time to go. We looked out over the acres of other pools, each one now seeming to us as its own Coliseum, each struggling to survive the rhythm of the Pacific tides.

By Samantha

At first glance, it was an ordinary forest that just had really tall trees. At second glance, it was an alien world with bizarre flotsam hanging off the trunks of ancient slumbering trees. This unique landscape has not been overlooked by filmmakers and has an impressive repertoire of movies grace its natural wonders.  Over the years, Redwoods National Park has become a variety of movie sets, most notably becoming the Forest of Endor in The Return of the Jedi, and a canyon in Jurassic Park 2. So, when I arrived in Redwoods I naturally did the only thing a Lord of the Rings fan could do in a place that is the spitting image of Fangorn Forest. I flipped out. When we arrived in Fern Canyon, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t start choking back tears. The stone passages of the canyon were covered by a mass of quivering green fans, and dusty beams of sunlight filtered in through the gnarled trees up above. Waterfalls poured from the heavens and into the canyon, turning into babbling brooks of undiluted joy. The floor was a mosaic of swiftly moving streams, smoothly molded pebbles and fallen mossy trees. Except for the sound of rolling water, it was quiet. It was undoubtedly the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. It was all I could do stop myself from hysterically bursting into tears. When I found a hidden nook in a fallen tree, high above the rivers and tourists, I seriously considered abandoning my family and living there forever. I will always remember Fern Canyon, a place with a vivid green heartbeat and the place of my dreams. To me, Redwoods will always be much more than tall trees.