Sometimes, traveling like this is hard. I feel like I waste a lot of time and then feel guilty about it. Today I had a PLAN, and it was a good one:
- Breakfast at Metro Bagels in Port Townsend. This place was LEGIT. Freshly baked bagels with garlic feta dill cream cheese.
- Errands in Port Angeles
- Lunch in Port Angeles (at yet another mediocre spot that had all these fabulous ratings on Yelp). I need to remember- Port Angeles is expensive and the food sucks.
- Looked for a campsite near Forks. The national forest campground nearby was deserted and overgrown. I didn't like the feeling I got there. I found a couple of spots that could probably be used for dispersed camping, but those didn't feel right, either. I finally settled on Mora, which is stupid because it's a national park campground and costs $20 a night, when the other campground would have been $10 and dispersed camping is free. Yet another way I'm becoming lame in my old age. I love dispersed camping when I'm with friends, or even when I'm alone in Utah because I know the area so well. But when I'm in unfamiliar places, I get creeped out when it gets dark and I think every sound I hear is a murderer and I hate that I have no cell service. So basically I'm paying $20 for a good night's sleep, which is embarrassing but necessary. Tonight's campsite is PERFECT because there are other people nearby but not too close and it's quiet and there's enough privacy to pee in the bushes and a Wilson's Warbler actually hung out here earlier! (See, that's why it's nice to have cell service- I was able to identify that beautiful bird!)
- Hiked to Third Beach. It's 1.3 miles through the forest, which I ran because I was so excited, then you drop down to the beach. That first view just took my breath away.
And then there was an obstacle course to climb over.
And then I was here.
(Notice the small waterfall on the left.)
This place is almost too perfect to be real. I hiked a half mile down the beach as the tide was coming in and was delighted to see a small waterfall, and also two kids shrieking and playing in the waves.
I forgot how much I love this place, and how my heart feels like bursting with joy every time I'm here. On this trip, I will finish every beach hike in my Olympic Peninsula hiking book.
Comments