Lake Quinault

In mid July our neighbors invited us to join them camping for a few days at Lake Quinault on the Olympic Peninsula. We were planning on camping with PA friends so we joined the two together. 

Lake Quinault is a beautiful place with a rustic lodge that President Roosevelt had lunch at when he signed papers to make the Olympic Peninsula federal forest land. The common elk found there is thus named the Rosevelt Elk. 

The campsites are on a lake surrounded by forest. The kids could easily swim and play in the lake. 

The kids Olivia and I went on a hike to see the worlds largest Spruce tree which was impressive. If you look at the kids next to the roots you can get a sense for its size. 

We found Sasquatch. 

After three days our friends Jen and Ben who we have known since our kids were born joined us. It was great to see the kids reconnect and just nice to be with old friends. 

We had our first day of rain this summer while we were camping but we were protected by a public pavilion next to our site. 

Our first group hiking outing was to the worlds largest cedar tree.  I thought it was way cooler than the spruce!

We are inside!!! It was too big to grasp. 

We went for a little drive to find a view hike but we never found the trail. On the way we found some tracks and poo!

We never found the trail but the view was great anyway!

Instead we drove to an interpretative temperate rainforest trail. There were signs throughout explaining the vegetation however we took

It as a chance to do interpretative dance in a rainforest trail. Paul and Ben did an excellent job. 

I am always amazed by the temperate rainforest. It's like a sleepy novel with mystical life that lures me in every time. The ferns and the moss and the canopies are gorgeous. After all of the forest sillies everyone needed some smores so we headed back to camp.