Next we headed for the Hoh National Park Rain Forest. Along the way we passed through all sorts of interesting towns, many with Indian names. I was somewhat skeptical of this "rain forest" in the Northwest; most of us think of tropical settings for rain forests.

Along the way we passed through thousands of acres of beautiful woodlands - much of it clearcut and deforested. It was incredibly depressing to see these magnificient forests destroyed. We'd drive along and every once in awhile I would see a huge tree stump - I'm talking 10-20 feet or more in diamater. This was all the remaining evidence of the old-growth trees that probably once permeated the landscape.

Along the way, we'd see a sign that said "Big Tree" here and there. I thought it was funny - we decided to stop at one of these "attractions." It was pretty impressive as you can see.

Here I am standing next to probably what is a good example of the trees that used to be in the area. This spruce tree is over 500 years old!

The dominant species in the rain forest are Sitka spruce and western hemlock; some grow to tremendous size, reaching 300 feet in height and 23 feet in circumference. Douglas-fir, western red cedar, big leaf maple, red alder, vine maple, and black cottonwood are also found throughout the forest. Nearly every bit of space is taken up with a living plant. Some plants even live on others.

We arrive at the Hoh Rain Forest and all I can say is WOW! I'd never seen such lush vegetation. Things growing everywhere - moss all over the trees, beautiful clear mountain streams.

Ferns dotted the terrain; trees were growing out of the decaying remains of other trees. The entire forest had a green hue to it due to the jungle canopy and the moss hanging off of everything.

There were crystal clear freshwater springs running through the area. In some places, it was difficult to find them by sight because there was so much growth everywhere. But that familiar "babbling brook" sound was a dead giveaway.

The park had three trails through the area. One was under 2 miles, the other under 4, and an 18 mile hike. Had we been prepared, I would have loved to do the long hike, but since we didn't have any camping gear, and we hadn't made accomodations for the evening, we opted to take the shorter trails. I can only imagine how much nicer it looks once you get further out into the forest.

Even though the trees were large and magnificient, I had a feeling that there weren't many old-growth trees left. Perhaps a hundred years ago or more, before the land was a National Park, it had been deforested. It's really a shame. I do not think that much of Seattle's old growth forest is intact. That's pretty ironic considering how many environmentalists live in this area, and that timber is still a huge industry.

Beautiful rivers ran through some areas of the forest, with water that melted from northernmost glacers and found its way out of the earth to this paradise.

Where the river met the forest was an interesting contrast, between the lush green foliage and the wonderfully polished volcanic riverbed rock.

This area boasts one of only three temperate rain forests in the world. Contrary to popular belief, whether an area is classified as a "rain forest" or a "desert" has nothing to do with temperature - and everything to do with annual precipitation. Here the annual rainfall is from 140-167 inches (twelve to fourteen feet)! Seldom does the temperature drop below freezing in the rain forest and the summertime highs rarely exceed 80 degrees Farenheit. Here's the official Olympic National Park web site.

Here are some additional pictures of images in the rainforest: forest floor, twisted tree, moss close-up, moss on tree, moss canopy, forest floor close-up, small plants, moss on branches, small stream, tree-lined path.