8 Summer 2010 Olympic National Park BUGLER Summer Newspaper 2010 OlComeOlOlympic’ympic’ympic’ Explores WWs ilderilderildernessnessness Wilderness is... a place for people seeking solitude, escape, wildness, beauty and much more. A place for clean water, clean air, abundant wildlife, and diverse and unique plants. A place for the solo adventurer, families, mountaineers and for friends. A place for the young and the old. Wilderness Take A is a place for all people. For the past 25 years I have camped and hiked all over the west and Olympic National Park is still one of my favorite places. In this spectacular park my family and I can enjoy the comfort of a campground, take a short day hike or Last Look embark on a backpacking trip. I am always amazed that at Olympic I can stand on a sandy beach with waves By BARB MAYNES, Public Information Officer lapping at my feet and gaze out past mammoth sea stacks at the Pacific fter years of planning and preparation, Olympic Ocean, and the next day I can become immersed in the refreshing embrace National Park is gearing up for the largest dam of the temperate rain forest. Or I can walk through groves of giant trees removal in U.S. history and celebrating the ‘last while following the path of a crystal clear river up to its source in the lofty, A snow covered mountain passes and peaks that overlook the valley below. dam summer’ in the Elwha River Valley. Next summer, removal of Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the My spine has tingled as a giant bull elk and I have watched a mountain lion Elwha River will begin, the culminating step in a run along a huge log in the rain forest. I have seen unimaginable sunsets and process that will free the river and allow thousands of experienced the fury of winter storms in the mountains and along the coast. salmon to return to over 70 miles of river and stream in And I have been soaked to the bone by torrential rains only to bask in the a pristine and protected ecosystem. soul-warming sunlight the next morning. The beauty of this wilderness never ceases to amaze and inspire me. When the two Elwha River dams were built in the early In 1988, Congress designated 95% of Olympic National Park as wilderness 1900s, they played a vital role in the history and to protect its rare wild character. We are all responsible for the future of this development of the area, but provided no way for magnificent place. Through thoughtful protection and use of this unique salmon to reach upstream habitat. Removing the dams wilderness resource, we can ensure its endurance for future generations. will restore salmon to the river, and open pathways for Thank you for your stewardship and love for wild places like Olympic. regional vitality. by BRYAN BELL, Wilderness Information Center Supervisor For the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, who have lived along the Elwha River since time immemorial and are primary partners in Elwha Restoration, this project will Through the Eyes of a Child renew their culture by restoring salmon and revealing sacred sites now covered by water. “Waterfall!” For perhaps the fifth time since we’ve started our drive through As an adult, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the utter magic of a place. For more information, ask a ranger for a copy of the the park, my eight-year-old son has chimed in with this eager The everyday world is too busy, too fast-paced, too stressful, observation. He’s referring to the small cascades of water that whatever. But if you take a few moments and pretend you’re eight park’s Freeing the Elwha brochure or check trickle down the embankments along Highway 101, most of which again, the perspective can really help. Feel free to giggle. www.nps.gov/olym/. And while you’re here, visit the Elwha Valley for a last look at the dams–and start are lost to me amidst oncoming logging trucks and the passing by CHRIS ECKARD, East District Interpreter blur of rocks, ferns, and evergreens. planning your next trip to see dam removal in process and at last, the restored Elwha River. “WHOA! BIG one!” This one I do notice, and can’t help but crack a smile. That’s nothing, I think to myself. We’re on our way to Salmon Cascades, on the Sol Duc River. There, as spawning salmon fling themselves upward against the rushing whitewater, come exclamations of excitement like nothing I’ve ever heard from him; not from Legos, not from Hot Wheels, not even from the PlayStation 2. “Oh my goodness!” he shouts, delighted and grinning, as one really soars. And he means it! This is not ingratiate-the-parents-so-we-stop-for-ice-cream-later kind of stuff. Same goes for his squeals of absolute glee as he outruns a wave at Rialto Beach on another day. Or his genuine “This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen” remark overlooking Lake Crescent–or was it the view at Hurricane Ridge? Elinor Chittenden catches a steelhead on the Elwha River in 1907 (above). Janet Scharf—Bugler 2010 designer and editor Glines Canyon Dam (left). Photos: Scott Church cover (color); Asahel Curtis cover, Washington State Historical Society; G. M. Goetz top pg. 4/5; Carl Elleard top pg. 6; Gay Hunter pg. 7; Ross Hamilton top pg. 8 2 Summer 2010 Summer 2010 7 Are We There Yet? TTTripriprip Tips!Tips!Tips! elcome to Olympic National Park. Whether you are here for LAKES ark Thanks toYOU... a day, two days, a week or more, many spectacular sights await Lake Crescent is located 19 miles west of Port your discovery in this vast and diverse wilderness park. our recreation fees provide about $1,800,000 W Angeles on Highway 101. This 624- foot deep artners annually to maintain visitor facilities and services Highway 101 encircles the park and several spur roads lead shimmering jewel was carved by a huge glacier P support the at Olympic National Park. For more information Friends of Olympic National Park to mountains, forest and coast. Look for interpretive Y thousands of years ago. Stroll along the shore or take park’s natural, cultural and recreational resources for present and about fees and passes, ask staff at visitor centers or entrance exhibits along park roadways. The center of the park, e day hikes on the Marymere Falls, Spruce Railroad or future generations. They promote understanding of Olympic’s stations, or visit online at www.nps.gov/olym. untouched by roads, offers incredible wilderness Moments in Time trails. Storm King Ranger Station has information, ecological, educational, economic and recreational importance, adventures. Olympic National Park Visitor books and maps. Lake Crescent Lodge and Log Cabin Resort offer and they work on park projects. Website: www.friendsonp.org Center in Port Angeles provides information, ENTRANCE AND RECREATION FEES restaurants, boat rentals and overnight accommodations. Fairholme exhibits, a children’s discovery room, park ENTRANCE FEES - Single Visit up to seven consecutive days Campground and a convenience store with boat rentals are located The Olympic Park Institute is a private, non-profit film, park passes, bookshop and trails. $15 - Vehicle (private) or $5 - Individual (foot, bike) at the west end of the lake. Ozette, a two-hour drive from Port educational organization on the shores of Lake Crescent in Located in the visitor center, the Angeles, offers a lovely lake for boaters, a small campground and Olympic National Park. Field science courses are offered for students. Wilderness Information Center Contact: Olympic Park Institute, 111 Barnes Point Road, Port Angeles, ENTRANCE PASSES trails to the rocky beach (see COAST, page three). offers wilderness trip planning WA 98363. Call: (360) 928-3720. Please show photo ID with passes assistance and camping $30 - Olympic National Park Annual Pass EMPERATE AIN OREST $80 - Interagency Annual Pass (Multiple Federal Lands) permits, minimum impact T R F Student Conservation Association (SCA) is a Drenched in over 12 feet of rain a year, west side $10 - Interagency Senior Pass (lifetime, age 62+, US citizen/resident) tips and bear canisters. nationwide conservation force of college and high school volunteers Free - Interagency Access Pass (lifetime, disabled US citizen/resident) Also visit the ranger stations valleys flourish with giant western hemlock, who protect and restore America’s parks, forests and other public Douglas-fir and Sitka spruce trees. Moss-draped lands. For the 53rd summer, SCA volunteers will work at Olympic to and visitor centers at Hoh, CAMPING FEES - per site, per night bigleaf maples create a magical scene that obliterates serve visitors and protect park resources. Contact: www.thesca.org Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, 50% discount with Interagency Senior / Access or Golden Age / Access Passes Kalaloch, Forks, Quinault and other areas. Pick up a free park map for trip all sense of time. Roosevelt elk may linger along $10 - Deer Park, North Fork Quinault, Queets, South Beach planning or purchase topo maps for hiking. Ask for handouts about day riverbanks at dawn and dusk. The Hoh Rain Forest, 91 miles west Washington’s National Park Fund is a non-profit $12 - Altair, Elwha, Fairholme, Heart O' the Hills, Hoh, Mora, Ozette, Staircase hikes, accessible facilities, campgrounds and more! Self-guiding trail of Port Angeles, offers a visitor center, exhibits, books, maps, self- organization whose mission is to restore and preserve national $14 - Kalaloch (except summer *) and Sol Duc brochures are available for $1.00 donation at various park trailheads. guiding nature trails and a campground.