After lunch, it was back into the vans, which took us to a trailhead on the Sol Duc River. The walk from here was mostly downhill, ending at the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort, a relatively tawdry and unquestionably overcrowded place that reeked of hydrogen sulfide and rang with children’s excited squeals.
But at the outset, we walked through nice old-growth forest. I really like
the picture of Sondra walking on up ahead of me. (Large image;
small.) The second picture
(large image; small)
shows particurly well the evidence of the tree having started out on a log that
now has disappeared. In the third picture (large image;
small), you’re looking down towards a
stream below.
We walked to the Sol Duc Falls, shown in the first thumbnail
(large image, small).
and nearby there was another cataract falling down a cliff
(large image, small).
As we walked on along the Sol Duc River, we saw more trees with immense burls
(large image, small),
and after a while, we came within sensory range of the Hot Springs. You smelled
the hydrogen sulfide
first, and then heard the fun coming from there. I was kind of sweaty, and would
have liked a swim, but I heard that the coolest water was very warm, and I decided
that I could wait till we drove to our next resting place, the
Lake Crescent Lodge. It was a nice
drive, the last part being along the shore of the lake, and we were glad to get
settled.
It was a nice clear day there, blue sky all over the place. We washed up, went over to the Lodge from our
room for a drink, sat writing our diaries, and had dinner with the group.
(Lefthand thumbnail: large image,
small; right: large image,
small.)
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