October 31, 2023 La Push , Washington

 High of 57 and mostly sunny. 

On this  map of South Wilderness coast, we are camped at La Push on First Beach,. We already hiked to Second beach yesterday. Today we hiked to Third Beach.  About 50 + miles of the coast is wilderness and part of Olympic National Park. There are very few roads to it and most of it has never been developed or logged. It is still like it was when the first Indians arrived in there cedar canoes. A lot of people  backpack the whole thing. It is very rugged with mostly steep cliffs and lots of really huge trees as driftwood. This map shows the headlands you can't get around at low tide- where you have to hike above the coast up steep cliffs and the places you can only get around at low tide. John on the trail to Third beach in a forest of hemlock trees.

Some of the many mushrooms saw growing today. John going under a huge downed tree, beside a huge tree on the trail.

Some more mushrooms. The orange on is the only chanterelle  I have found this year. It is edible and John had it for dinner. Flowers seen and a banana slug making a U-turn The last photo is the roof at the trail head. It has not only moss and mushroom, but also small trees growing on top. The roots of a huge sitka spruce tree. 

First view of Third beach. It is high tide water is up to the big logs. Crow in camp, more mushrooms, sea gull. And the dangers of the coast. The shellfish have paralytic shellfish poison in them, don't eat them. The coastal stream water has cryptosporidium and giardia in it, filter or boil it, Chemical treatments-chlorine or iodine don't work, powerful waves can roll and tumble the big logs-they are dangerous, Algae covered rocks and wet logs are slippery and unstable, sneaker waves and rip currents exist, tsunamis, You need bear cannisters for your food because of raccoons, and bears, carry and consult tide charts, you could get trapped against cliffs when the tide rises. 

We sat on tiny dry part of the beach, had lunch and watched waves waiting for the tide to turn so we could walk on the beach. John is leaning against one of the logs. 

Waves rising to almost where we were sitting. Finally we were able to walk part of the beach between waves.

John on a rock to avoid getting hit by waves.  This is a far as we could safely go.  Wave hitting the rock I was on to escape it.

Sea Stacks near the headland. On the way back the tide was lower. 

John heading up the trail to go back. He is walking up roots on the old growth tree by the trail. Forest on the way back. 

Once you are outside of the national park all of the old growth woods have been logged. This is a picture of a logged area. You can see where the edge of the park is from space because of the logging. Much of it has been replanted at tree farms, all the same type of tree, all the same height and size in tight rows. When they get a certain size they log them and replant. Those 'monoculture' forests don't have the variety of trees and shrubs as normal forests nor the wildlife and are not healthy forests. but I guess they are better than no forest.  I wire wrapped this piece of beveled, polished dichroic glass. The photo does not show the color well. It is shiny coppery in some light and ruby rose gold in others.  

Sunset from camp. We have such a good view from the bus.