planetdanika

This past weekend, G and I once again ventured off in the Subaru with our camping and hiking gear in search of a scenic destination. We realized we havent been to the Olympic Peninsula in ages (2 years?) and decided to head that way. We didnt leave until Saturday after lunch and had a rather tedious wait for the Kingston ferry. Once we made it across the water, all went well and we found a camp site at our first stop- Fort Flagler State Park. Its across the water from Port Townsend and sits at the tip of a smaller peninsula with water on 3 sides. From our tent, we had a direct view of the mountains.

There happened to be a celebration going on in the park and after setting up camp, we wandered around the few stalls, listened to some live Dixieland music and watched a few kites flying. We went for a couple walks around the park, which is home to a lot of old military buildings, as well as a large deer population. Dinner was low key but we did actually cook for once! It was a very blustery evening and after the requisite smore making (in which G had to use a Butchers knife to toast marshmallows as there were no sticks in sight), we bundled close to the fire and tried to stay warm. It didnt last long, and we called it an early night.

The following morning, we drove down towards Quilcene and did a hike called Little Quilcene/Mount Townsend. It was VERY off the beaten path and there were few cars at the trailhead. A nice change after the Snow Lake hike. It was about 3.5 miles each way and pretty darn steep. Im not sure if it was elevation or what, but I had an awful hard time catching my breath. We were treated to an absolutely stunning 360 degree view at the top and it was pretty close to a perfect day for it. We ate lunch, snapped some pics in various directions (Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and the Olympics were all out in force), and quickly made our way back down. My brand new hiking boots performed well to the task and there was nary a blister on my feet.

We endured another excruciating wait for a ferry on the way home this one made worse by the fact of my incredibly full bladder. I was not a very pleasant person to be around for a while there! Perhaps thats why we havent been over to the Peninsula in so long. In any case, we made it home safely in time to have some Thai food for dinner and get our laundry done. By all accounts, a lovely getaway.