Years ago, 1976, there was a movie called Shadow of the Hawk starring Jan - Michael Vincent and Chief Dan George. Chief Dan George was a favorite of mine and he plays an aging shaman whose tribe is under threat from evil forces. He seeks help from his grandson enamored of the high life of Seattle (one assumes Seattle has a high life). He cons Jan-Michael Vincent and his girlfriend to return him to his village. From there, the plot thickens and J-M V saves the day after being indoctrinated by Chief Dan George. It’s a hokey movie but it was pretty good on Native American culture - at least as far as movies go - and it took place mostly in the Pacific coast rain forest. Ever since then, I’ve always wanted to go see the lush vegetation of the largest temperate rain forest in the United States in Olympic National Park.
I took a side trip to Hurricane Ridge at the insistence of a friend, and I’m glad I did. The drive up to Hurricane Ridge was as spectacular as any on my trip and there were an array of hikes all along the road that I would like to get back to some day.
My base of operations was Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort and from there I managed to get to Ruby Beach and Hoh Rain Forest. Truthfully, I was a little disappointed in the rain forest. It didn’t meet my expectations for lushness but I have to admit, it was very dry. I had packed all my rain gear for the hike but nary a drop fell.
The good news is that my next stop allowed me to fulfill my expectations for a rain forest in, of all places, Glacier National Park!
