Thursday, April 3, 2003

Short Trips: Superb scenery awaits sure-footed hikers

By JEFF LARSEN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER PHOTOGRAPHER

From its perch on a snag near the shoreline, a mature male bald eagle scopes out the placid waters of Ozette Lake in Olympic National Park.

		PHOTO GALLERY
	Jeff Larsen / P-I Tom Flener of Seattle hikes the beach near Cape Alava on the Washington coast. See more photos from Jeff's trip to Ozette Lake.

Deep forests line the shore of the lake once was homesteaded by Scandinavians in the late 1800s -- settlements that were soon abandoned.

But the Ozette Lake vicinity, which includes the famous Ozette archaeological dig at Cape Alava on the coastal part of the park, is most notable for its Native American heritage and culture as well as magnificent ocean beaches.

The archaeological dig is the site of a 3,000-year-old Indian fishing village buried under a large mud flow. Excavations in the 1980s turned up thousands of artifacts that are on display at the Makah Tribe's museum at Neah Bay, nine miles north of the site. The site is closed now, but future digs are planned.

The lowland forests that cover the short distance between the freshwater Ozette Lake and the Pacific Ocean are saturated from a winter's worth of drenching rain. The scent of spring is strong as new growth seems to explode from the hundreds of varieties of trees and ground foliage.

Ozette Lake -- commonly called Lake Ozette -- actually is the third largest natural body of fresh water in the state and an extraordinarily popular fishing and water sport destination during the summer months.

However, this time of year the lake is more of a backdrop for the popular year-round hiking trails that fork north and south from the ranger station to the ocean beaches. The Sand Point and Cape Alava trails, each just over three miles long, when combined with a three-mile ocean beach hike form a loop that traverses some of the most spectacular scenery Washington state has to offer.

From Seattle it's a half-day, 150-mile drive to reach Ozette Lake via the Edmonds/Kingston ferry, Hood Canal Bridge and U.S. Route 101. Just past Port Angeles from U.S. 101, take the state Route 112 cutoff to Neah Bay/Sekiu, then just past Sekiu take a left onto the Hoko-Ozette Road that leads to the ranger station and trailhead about 21 miles west.

		Jeff Larsen / P-I
	Roosevelt elk pose for a picture in a farmer's field along the road from the Strait of Juan De Fuca to Ozette Lake and Olympic National Park.

From the same direction from Port Angeles, you can continue on U.S. 101 around Lake Crescent and take the Sapho cutoff, which ends at the same place. Lake Crescent, as always, is worth a look.

Large herds of wild Roosevelt elk range freely among the stumps of the clear-cut forests alongside the Hoko-Ozette Road, the only public road in the area that connects the Strait of Juan De Fuca and the Pacific Ocean. The clearcut logging dramatically butts right up to the Olympic National Park boundary, which is just a couple miles east of the ranger station.

Nevertheless, it's a marvelous transition from the desolation of the clearcuts to the virtual paradise of one of the nation's wildest national parks. One caution: if it has rained heavily, it might be wise to check with the state Department of Transportation to make sure the road is open before you leave. Mudslides quite often close the road during the rainy season.

Elk also can be found grazing in roadside pastures -- fields usually reserved for more domestic livestock. From a distance early in the morning, the large herd I spotted looked like a group of very tall cattle. Once I got closer, their ears perked up in unison, then they all bunched together in a protective posture and stared menacingly at me while I photographed them.

Since I planned to camp in my Eurovan overnight at Ozette Lake after I hiked to the beach and back, I decided to scope out the small campground next to the ranger station. The campsites are a mere stone's throw from the lake, but there are only 15 sites and four of those turned out to be much closer to the lake than a stone's throw -- they were underwater from the spring runoff.

The campsites are primitive but include picnic tables and fire pits. The nearest restroom (and a good one) is next to the ranger station -- a city block or so down the road -- but is still easily accessible from any of the sites, even by flashlight if need be. All of the sites are $10 per night and are first-come, first-served. The sites were self-pay the day I was there, but I didn't feel like swimming to the pay box, so I ended up stiffing the National Park Service $10 for my overnight stay. Don't tell anyone. I'll pay double when I go back this summer.

If the park campground is full, try The Lost Resort. Only a quarter mile from the ranger station, it offers primitive campsites, showers, a general store with a dining area as well as a small tavern with more than 80 different beers on the menu.

When I finished checking out the campground, I drove the short distance to the trailhead parking area and paid my $1 to park for the day. Unlike a lot of trailhead parking areas in the state, this one looked as if it should be pretty secure for hikers because it's so close to the ranger station.

And there's a public pay phone at the trailhead parking area, which is very useful because Ozette Lake is too remote for any cell phone reception. Still, rangers recommend taking the usual trailhead parking precautions and don't leave valuables in your car. Groups of deer usually hang out at a couple of nice grazing areas near the parking area. They're just part of the landscape.

At the parking area, a couple of young hikers on spring break from Oregon State University -- Adam Kind and Phillip Adams -- who had just spent several days camping on the beach at Cape Alava, described to me in glowing terms the beauty of both hikes and told me how to dress (layers) for the weather at the ocean.

		Jeff Larsen / P-I
	Spectacular waves crash against the rocky shore of the Washington coast as the tide comes in near Cape Alava.

Though obviously in need of a shower and eager to get back to civilization, the two were kind enough to warn me about the boardwalk trails: Because of all the rain lately, they said, the boardwalk parts of both trails were extremely slippery. And because I was out to make some interesting photographs and wanted to hike back out in the evening, they also recommended that I hike the north trail (Cape Alava). .

They were right on both counts. The boardwalk was very slippery and the Cape Alava area was very photogenic, even with a light haze that filtered and flattened the light a little too much. So much light is blocked out by the thick forest mantle in places over the trail at midday that it felt like I was hiking at night.

Called "cedar puncheon walkways" by the National Park Service, the slippery boards are connected like railroad ties through the woods over the notoriously wet, muddy terrain. Most of the three-mile-plus length of both trails is cedar puncheon.

In addition to the rain, years of wear have smoothed many of the planks to a point where they get so slippery that even the most experienced hikers take notice on a wet day. The Park Service recommends that hikers wear soft-soled shoes and watch closely for loose and missing boards at several places on both trails.

		Jeff Larsen / P-I
	Campers Eric Hamel of Puyallup and Megan Halcott of Olympia adjust the rain cover on their tent at the Cape Alava Campground in Olympic National Park.

In several spots on the Cape Alava Trail, it was apparent that because the ground under the walkway had been contorted over the years by heavy rainfall, freezing and tree falls, the boardwalk "railway" twisted right along with the geography, making the going especially tricky because of the sloped and angled surfaces. While both trails have little altitude change, I still tortured my calf muscles because of the constant pressure along most of the three miles to avoid slipping.

Camper Eric Hamel of Puyallup, who, with his friend Megan Halcott of Olympia, had just set up camp at Cape Alava, put the trail experience into perspective. "You hike and hike and then all of sudden you come to the ocean and the scene just takes your breath away."

Shortly after the couple pitched their tent, four young deer wandered by their campsite and laid down for a nap about 15 yards away. It was just another piece of the total Cape Alava experience that really does take your breath away.

Unfortunately I could only stay long enough to hike the three miles to Cape Alava, plus a short portion of the beach, and back. This summer I plan to revisit Ozette Lake, this time armed with my small Zodiac boat to explore more of the lake and the other two popular hiking trails to the ocean.

State Department of Transportation -- www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/Olympic/

 

P-I photographer Jeff Larsen can be reached at 206-448-8150. For personal e-mail contact: jefflarsen@seattlepi.com. For general releases: shorttrips@seattlepi.com.

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