Hammock Brothers: Road Trip Around the Olympic Peninsula

Sam, our couch surfing friend from the East Coast of England, has acquired 'The Dragon' - a kickass 1971 VW Bus that we'll take on a tour of the Western United States over the course a few months. The Dragon is the perfect chariot to get us to some of the most stunning views this world has to offer, a wonderful shelter for those cold nights abroad, and an obvious conversation starter everywhere we go. I can't imagine a better way to travel!

Sam has traveled to us from England, landing in New York and traveling his way west... hitchhiking and riding buses across the northern United States all the way to Seattle. We found him on http://www.couchsurfing.org/ and invited him to stay with us while he was in town. Jason, Justin, and I had created an account dubbed 'the hammock brothers' - check out our profile at http://www.couchsurfing.org/profile.html?id=BL6FW05

Sam was only looking for a place for maybe a few days while the repairs on the dragon were sorted out. He found much more than that - and joined us hiking, playing golf, took third in our monthly poker game, climbed mount pilchuck with us staying overnight at the summitt in the lookout tower, and blended right in as if he were a life long friend.

That did it - given the flexibility in our schedules we were soon invited to join him traveling the west in the dragon. The stage was set. The plot still developing. The excitement can't be overstated - all of us knew the dragon could uncover the hidden gems all around us - within everyone's reach but few take time out of the rat race called life to stop and smell the roses... and we're entering an endless field full of them...

Our trial run - around the olympic peninsula - would test the dragons road worthyness, help us sort out the best way for the three of us to live in the accomodating 72 square feet the dragon provided...

-Jon

Day 1

Every empty crevice of Dragon innards was eventually filled with kit. Our packs straddled the luxurious cradle behind, and our boots and boxes and barrell of well water lurked in the shade beneath. Protruding from every nook were tools of inspiration ... books of the road and magazines brimming with impelling imagery of hitherto far off lands. We were inspired, focused, and ready for the road.

And so it began. Out of the neighbourhood we stuttered, gears screeching and Dragon roaring, men and woman gasping from the pavement in awe. Before we knew it we were thundering down the I-5 South bound, men in work vans continuing to gape and drool helplessly as they passed, raising their thumbs and nodding their heads, mouths open wide in respectful grins. Through the bleak smear of Tacoma we flew, traffic honking and screeching as I swerved wildly across the freeway, desperately searching for the correct lane amongst the Urban sprawl of the Seattle ring road. Suffice to say i was still learning the rules of the US roads, but not to worry ... we survived by the skins of our teeth, and laughter echoed around the tin bowels of the Dragon as we turned North up the 101 ... we were aboard the Peninsula! A ferry from Seattle would of course have been the more convenient route to take, but we deemed it blasphemous to confine such a mythical beast to such a commercial cage, and besides, our modest Bohemian budgets would not allow such luxuries.

The 101 wound North, flanked relentlessly by the snowy peaks of the Olympic moutnains to the West, and the cloudy waters of the Puget Sound to the East. Chased only by the tired, setting sun that had battled bravely against the cloud all day, and browsing the Peninsula books we had picked up en route at the Masrysville library, we continued our voyage well into the North Western darkness, passing strings of quaint little cabins hunkered down along the shore until we tumbled into Sequim, a small town in the North Eastern corner of the Peninsula.

The 101 diner seemed the only place alive, despite it only being 8pm, and although the prices were less than pleasing, we ate heartily and got chatting to the waitress. We were united in our desires to try our utmost to attain a dramatic location to park the Dragon each night ... and with our main criteria being scenic splendour, she assured us their was a secluded forest track on the Southern edge of town that wound into the foothills, offering splendid views of the town and the bay. We thanked her, and screamed quietly out of town, me at the wheel as we edged our way up the gravel tracks, wondering all the while whether we were about to crank to a halt due to the incline, and commence a backwards descent. Thankfully the Dragon held her own, and after huffing and puffing for a couple of miles, the treeline opened up, and even in the darkness the town twinkled silently beneath us. To the East the tranquil night time waters of the bay lapped soothingly against the shore, miles beneath us as we beheld the wonderful window before us. We had found our spot for the night, and with Jon and Justin in the bed, and I on the back seats, we lay truly content, Jon threatening to let rip an explosion of mighty snore all the while.

This was the beginning of something wonderful.

Sam.

Day 2

Golden rays of light cut thru the frigid air inside the dragon as we began to wake. A thick fog had developed over the bay and town below - and Sam soon jumped out of his sleeping bag to capture it. Justin and I began our morning sunrise/green tea routine with Justin placing my guitar case between us as a hip new table to boil water on. It works great as long as everyone is mindful that a small movement could mean scolding hot water in your lap! No worries though - and we successfully boiled some water for Justin and I to have tea and so Sam could eat some oatmeal as he returned.

Transitioning from driving mode to sleeping mode and back is quite the process... Our kits are constantly traveling in a cycle back and forth between the front and back of the bus. I enjoy the challenge of organization this type of trip requires. Everything in your kit is with you for a reason - or it's just dead weight. I'm constantly finding ways to make better use of what I have, how to make it better accessible, and learning that you can also use a teabag to clean out a dirty oatmeal bowl...

After taking in the view it was time to determine how to make this a more enjoyable day. We decided on hiking the Dungenous Spit - one of those strange geographical features that one tends to read about in books, but rarely encounters in the real world. It is a long, stable sand spit, jutting out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It offers a 4.5 mile beach hike, away from the mainland, and out into the sea. Along the way to the lighthouse, there is sand, sea, and tons of driftwood.

The spit is the boundary of a wildlife refuge protecting the abundance of fish and foul in it's safe harbour.

You can smell the salt in the air and feel the pressure of the winds coming across the pacific. The waves crash into the beach each threatening to surpass the last. We passed a group of around ten kids working together to build a shelter out of drift wood and it made me wonder what it would have been like to have grown up here. The lighthouse at the end of the spit was a four and a half mile walk and we made it just over half way before stopping to eat our lunch of sandwhiches and chips.

After having our fill, I decided to come clean that my knee was bothering me so we decided to head back to the dragon and look for another hike this evening if possible. With a stop at the newly vacant drift wood shelter on the way of course...

On our way through town we searched for a restaurant/coffee shop with a WIFI connection to help research our next move. On the map we discovered a few Hot Springs and wanted to find out which was better and if they'd be accessible tonight as the sun had approached the horizen already. After finding a coffee shop with a WIFI sign in the window - Sam booted his laptop to check for a signal as Justin guided the dragon to a comfortable stop. We were immediately approached by a local - who was intrigued by the dragon and had to say hello. Turns out he highly recommended the Olympic Hot Springs and proceeded to give us the 'Up the hill down a hill, back up a hill' directions to the trailhead about 10 minutes to the park and another 15 to the trailhead. He said the trail was an old paved road that hasn't been maintained in years but was in great condition for traveling on foot. It follows the course of a river in the distance below to the hot springs 2.5 miles away. We learned that at one point the road led to a Lodge at the Hotsprings. The most important information was which hot spring to use... as he spilled the beans of the best Hot Spring just up the steep hill after arriving at what we might think is the final hotspring. I don't know how long google would have taken for us to learn these local tidbits but I'm sure glad we didn't have to find out!

The dragons headlights pierced through the darkness on the winding road as we arrived at the trailhead around 7PM. On the way up we had located a beautiful view on a ridge where we intended to let the dragon rest for the night. We noticed there was only 1 other car at the trailhead as we locked up and headed out for the trail. Time to turn on our headlamps...

The night air was just refreshing - and I was excited as I had never relaxed in a natural hotspring. After a mile down the trail we heard some noises so we stopped and shut off our headlamps... We couldn't quite make out the strange noises but they were getting louder. At last a group of four guys came into view just ahead of us. They had been working to maintain the springs (rock walls are built around the springs to allow the water to collect into deeper pools and they use various picks and shovels to put mud in the cracks between the rocks in the wall) After a quick chat with them we were on our way - and as they had to be in the only other car at the trailhead we now had the hotsprings all to ourselves!

The road was wide enough to see the stars above and we turned off our headlamps and walked the rest of the way by moonlight. We had to cross a stream on a fallen tree - and at a few parts the road couldn't handle the steep slopes of the landscape and had eroded away leaving only a ledge a few feet wide to cross over but those were the only hazards of a really easy trail. We started to notice the distinct smell of the sulfur and knew we were getting close...

We passed a few shallow pools testing how hot and deep each were as we made our way and found the hillside we had to climb to get to the real deal. I almost feel inadequate to properly paint a picture of how wonderful of a time we had at the springs. The large spring was simply amazing - a small waterfall of piping hot water fed the pool, and a small stream left the pool at the far end. The moonlight lit up the steam as it left the pool and traveled its way skyward thru the trees. The sounds of the water trickling in and out of the pool - and the 104 degree water reinforced the notion that stress simply can't exist in any form here. Justin lit a candle and placed it behind the waterfall entering the pool and the yellow hue of the candle illuminated the water and steam and almostly instantly we began to wonder the irony of sharing the most romantic place any of us had ever been with three guys... but you close your eyes for a second and realize you must look silly - as you can't stop smiling!

We feasted, soaked, and pondered life until our hearts were content. All of my senses were on fire - and it was as if my mind was trying to record everything on a permanent basis so at any time I could close my eyes and return. My very own happy place. Check.

Day 3

Lake Crescent