Tree of Life

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

KALALOCH BEACH

Activity: Beach Hike, Sight Seeing

5.5 miles, 100′ feet elevation gain, 3 hour duration, rated Easy

Date: 6-8-22

My son Alec and I, on our adventure through the Olympic National Park, heard about the Tree of Life and it sounded quite intriguing.

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The Tree of Life
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But first things first, we had just come from our trek at Ruby Beach, which was not only stunningly beautiful, but the starfish were incredible. Now it was lunch time and my sister had mentioned that during her trip she had camped at the Kalaloch Campground and had a great dinner at the Historic Kalaloch Lodge, so we decided to check it out for ourselves.

The Lodge itself is pretty cool, but it really looks like a splendid old beach house so don’t be expecting anything like the Lodges at Yellowstone or Crater Lake. The Lodge is set back from the rough Pacific on a quaint little creek. You can see the ocean and the drift wood piles, but the Creekside Restaurant dinning room is not right on the ocean.

Alec and I love to sample exotic and local fare so we splurged on Elk Burgers, and wow they were so good! (Btw I was not compensated by the Creekside Restaurant at Kalaloch Lodge for this shoutout, but probably should be, lol!) Alec and I also have sampled our way across the PNW trying different clam chowder and this was one of our favs.

Alec in Forks, WA enjoying his new sweatshirt and displaying his fork in Forks. Such a card that boy.

We splurged on Elk Burger at the Creekside Restaurant at the Historic Kalaloch Lodge in Forks, WA.

My beach hike began past the Lodge in the area of the cabins. I went down the bluff to the beach then I had to ford the creek I spoke of earlier. It seemed the best spot was up aways from the ocean where it was a little calmer in a wide section. It was about knee deep and chilly, but fun to maneuver through as part of my outing. Once across I had a big beautiful wide beach and a simply gorgeous day along the deep blue Pacific. There were stacks of massive gray drift wood and when I reached the bluff below the Kalaloch Campground the huge logs had been vertically placed as a protective barrier for the entrance to the little trail up to the campground making a pretty cool and attractive fence.

I hiked to Brown’s Point, this was the beach hike that I had selected. It was a wonderful 5 mile trek with an evergreen forest to one side and crashing surf to the other.

Beach hike along a Kalaloch beach to Brown’s Point.

I then hiked back stopping at the main attraction the Tree of Life. My son, whom had been “chillaxing”, having opted out on the long beach hike, joined me. Alec came down from the Kalaloch Campground onto the beach. And what to our wondering eye should appear, but a giant tree seemingly floating in space.

Alec stands under the Tree of Life also known as “Root Cave”.

The Tree of Life also called the Tree Root Cave is a spectacle to behold. We clambered over piles of enormous gray driftwood logs to gain access to this strange and unusual sight. The vision of a tree, bare naked to the world with no protection for it’s root system, fully exposed strikes all who gaze upon this tree as so odd and utterly unbelievable.

The Tree of Life is a Sitka Spruce, the largest type of Spruce Tree. Laying eyes upon this fantasy is awe inspiring. Defying all odds the Tree of Life flourishes where that is an impossibility. Isn’t this against the very laws of nature, science and even gravity? I mean the top is green and thriving, but this Sitka Spruce’s guts are basically hanging out. How does it receive nourishment? This certainly is a marvel of nature, this mystery of biology.

Trees along this rugged coast that are massive and well anchored are constantly being taken down by powerful Pacific Storms with gale force winds, and pounding massive waves. How can this freak of nature survive suspended in mid air?

The Tree of Life is a strange and wonderful phenomenon with a tiny waterfall running through it. This tiny stream obviously has eroded all of the earth from under this Sitka Spruce to the point that it should not be here, but year after year, decade after decade here it floats in space. Alec and I did something that should be impossible, stood directly under a massive tree. I don’t mean next to it’s trunk, nor under it’s shady branches, but right under it’s roots, truly magical.

“On earth, there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it.” – Jules Renard

Thanks for joining Alec and I in the OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK on the enchanting and mesmerizing Washington Coast as we were ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’, but found ourselves dumbfounded instead, with our eyes wide and glossy, taking in something that simply cannot exist, but somehow Nature has found a way. It was like seeing a unicorn or something, pretty crazy. There are more adventures ahead so stick with Alec and I as we continue our journey through the outstanding Olympic Peninsula by doing this: COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. Go to the menu above and you will discover that PBTA ventures all over this great West of ours in search of that elusive Balance that we all need to get reacquainted with and through magnificent outings in nature this can be accomplished. Our lives are hurried and stressful, Nature can help, it certainly can’t hurt- well unless you are eaten by a bear or something. The menu is categorized mostly by location, but sometimes by activity. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. It is our hope that these stories of adventure will ignite something deep inside of you so that you will get off the couch, put down the video games and venture out on your own exciting excursion. While you are on adventure you will need to be properly outfitted and looking the part, so why not pick up a hat or shirt at SHOP APPAREL where you can checkout my line of top quality Adventure Wear adorned with the PBTA logo and mantra.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

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Hoh River Trail to Mineral Creek Falls

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

Activity: Day Hike, Chasing Waterfalls

5.5 miles, 230′ elevation gain, 3.5 hours duration, rated Easy

Date: 6-7-22

After completing Hall of Mosses, a nice nature walk showing off this splendid and magical place, my teen son Alec decided to run the Hoh River Trail while I hiked it.

Wow, how beautiful this place is! The greens are so vibrant and plentiful. The Hoh River runs along much of the trail. The trail is easy, but there certainly will be mud- after all it is a rainforest, so come prepared. All of that rain has made this place exceptional. Everywhere you look are tall firs, stately Sitka Spruce, Maple Trees elegantly dressed out with hanging moss, and ferns- lots of ferns.

Maneuvering around all this mud, walking across logs and picking my way across roots is taking
the Balance portion of ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ to a whole other level. 
Well… it is a rain forest.

The last stop on the trek was the 60′ Mineral Creeks Falls. With the amount of rainfall in the Hoh Rainforest, some 14′ annually, the falls are flowing nicely most all of the time. The Mineral Creek Falls are nestled in a tangle of trees and brush making it pretty picturesque. I decided to get a closer view which ended up was a difficult climb up a steep, slick, muddy hillside through and around thick undergrowth. I grabbed a couple sturdy sticks, using them as climbing axes, I managed my way up. I was rewarded with an exquisite sight of tumbling water cascading it’s way toward the river.

Mineral Falls in the Hoh Rainforest of the Olympic Nation Park.

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Hoh River Trail to Mineral Creek Falls
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“Run, wild and free like a Waterfall.” – Anamika Mishra

Alec and I appreciate your joining us ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ in the Hoh Rainforest. The Olympic National Park is a special place, a place that can lower the blood pressure, fill the senses, and make you just stop and say, “Whoa”. For more ‘Whoa” experiences stay with us by doing a few very simple tasks: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. If you review the menu above you will see that PBTA travels to many places in this Great West of ours in search of that much needed Balance. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. If you feel strongly about ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ or just want some cool gear then checkout SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursing Balance Through Adventure

Hoh Rain Forest Hall of Mosses Trail

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

Activity: Nature Walk

1 mile, 80′ elevation gain, 30 min duration, rated Easy

Date: 6-7-22

One of the most popular hikes in the Olympic National Park is Hall of Mosses Trail. The reason likely is that it is short and sweet, most everyone can enjoy this outing and discover what a rainforest is all about. It is a beautiful and interesting place. The stately evergreen Western Hemlock and Coastal Douglas Fir stretch for the cloudy sky as the splendid Sitka Spruce and the Big Leaf Maple trees are quite literally dripping with moss below. Everything seems to be growing on top of each other in a rainforest. The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the US.

The easy trail through this old growth forest is simply enchanting and is a must see when at the Olympic National Park. The trees, the moss, the ponds and the streams are all incredibly gorgeous.

Be sure to stop in the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center, which is where the nature walk begins. It is very informative and quite interesting. The water gauge is crazy- to think that amount of rainfall is even possible.

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Hoh Rainforest Hall of Mosses

“No other place on earth feels so lush. Sometimes we picture it as an echo of the original Garden of Eden.” – Diane Ackerman

Alec finds Hoh Rain Forest’s Hall of Mosses Trail truly magical.

Thanks for joining Alec and I at the Hoh Rainforest’s Hall of Mosses hike. Like I alluded to, it is more of a nature walk, but what you see during the outing is not to be missed. It is quite an experience. Just this little jaunt leaves an impression that won’t leave you. Rainforests are marvelous and this spot showcases, in an easy manner, what you would see on more aggressive hikes. There is more to come in our adventure in the Hoh Rainforest so stay tuned by doing this: COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. When you go to the menu above you will discover that PBTA travels all over the West to not only National Parks, but State Parks as well as backcountry hiking, backpacking and a host of other activities. Each category, be it by location or activity, is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. Now that you are getting ideas about where you want to take a hike you will need Adventure Wear. I literally have you covered with my fine line of top quality lids and shirts, please visit SHOP APPAREL and check it out.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursing Balance Through Adventure

Hole in the Wall

RIALTO BEACH

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

Activity: Day Hike

3.5 miles, 100′ elevation gain, <1 hour duration, rated Moderate

Rialto Beach is one of those special places that you will not soon forget, tiny little forested islands just off shore, magical sea stacks, stunningly beautiful broad beach framed by green forest, stacks of drift wood, tide pools and the star of the show ‘Hole in the Wall’ a large natural arch.

Strolling along the blue pacific on this magnificent beach, the salted air, the sound of the waves, the cry of the gull and the cool ocean breeze invigorates your senses. Just off shore you will spy ‘James and little James’, tiny little islands lined with ever green trees. Further along the beach you will encounter numerous sea stacks including Gunsight Rock a spectacle to behold. If you have timed the tides correctly and the tide is out then Hole in the Wall, a natural arch, is yours to explore. It really is a gorgeous spot, beyond that are tide pools to checkout and some more beach if you so desire.

HOLE IN THE WALL
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Impressive Sea Stacks at Rialto Beach on the Olympic Coast.

Looking through ‘Hole in the Wall’, Rialto Beach in the Olympic National Park at Gunsight Rock and James and Little James Islands.

Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone. 

My son Alec and I appreciate you joining us on this sensational day at the Olympic Coast. A wonderful spot to reconnect with Nature and feel her healing arms wrap around you as you are almost overwhelmed in her beauty and magnificence. That my friends is what Nature can do, so whenever you can and as much as you can experience her glory. That is what ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ is about- taking off that pack filled with stress, ho hum, day to day routine and fill that pack with fresh air, exercise and the bright colors of Nature, and Adventure. There is still more to come as far as the outings that Alec and I encountered in the stupendous Olympic National Park. So stayed tuned by completing just a few easy steps COMMENT, LIKE, FOLLOW and SHARE. If you go up to the menu above you will discover that besides our wonderful National Parks PBTA ventures to many wondrous locations in this great West of ours. Each location or activity is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. SHOP APPAREL is the place where you can deck yourself out with top quality Adventure Wear by PBTA now that you are inspired and ready to set out on your own Adventure.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Shi Shi Beach Trail

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

Makah Indian Reservation

Activity: Day Hike

11 miles, 625’ elevation gain, 5.5 hour duration, rated Moderate

Date: 6-6-22

Starts out with a lovely forest- green and plush, wooden walkways and bridges, really something out of a fairytale and the forest never deviates from that beauty. A walking stick, (Some muddy places such as this have numerous ones available to choose from, which I though was most kind), I think it is a must as much for support and balance, tip toeing across limbs and logs in the mud, as testing just how deep the mud is. However, the trail gets muddier and muddier…  Sometimes it is so muddy that it is better to find an alternate course.  If you are alert and searching you might find a side trail that’s up higher and out of the wetness.  However, sometimes the side trail is just as bad, with the side trail being quite the obstacle course stepping over roots, navigating slog, going over downed trees, limbs and decay.  But, it is an adventure right?

I kept thinking is this really worth it?  This mud sucks! Then I emerged from the woods to the beach and I was rewarded with a splendid Washington wild and rugged coastline.  Then all the way to the rocks, tide pools and the sea stacks at the ‘Point of Arches’, one of the most photographed spots on the Washington Coast.  It’s simply mesmerizing, enchantingly unbelievable, and fascinating.  It makes all that mud worth it. Until you start coming back… but then you remind yourself to just keep concentrating on how beautiful the rocks were.

Be sure to check the tide table as although this is a broad beach there was a warning sign that it could be impassable at high tide and you certainly would not want to get stuck.  You will need a Makah Tribe Pass, which can be purchased at Neat Bay and if you will be backpacking over-night an additional permit is required as well. That can be purchased at the Olympic National Park Visitor’s Center in Port Angeles.  

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“The heart of a man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths, it has it’s pearls too.” —Vincent Van Gogh

Thanks for joining me, and I would say along with my son Alec, but he opted out of a trail of mud and instead caught up on his teenage beauty sleep, back in the rig.  I will say, he missed out to be sure… For more on our trek through the Olympic National Park and beyond be sure to do this:  LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE.  If you go to the menu above, each location or activity is a separate Website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. The menu will verify that PBTA seeks that elusive BALANCE that we all hunger for, to put our busy lives in check, all over this great West of ours.  I hope it will provide some insight and inspiration for your next adventure.  At SHOP APPAREL you will find top quality Adventure Wear with the PBTA logo and mantra.  

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

NEAR PORT ANGELES, WASHINGTON

Activity: Day Hike

3.5 miles, 825’ elevation gain, 2 hours, 

Date: 6-4-22

Our trek along Hurricane Ridge to Hurricane Hill was quite windy, living up to it’s name I suppose.  It was cold with low cloud cover and partial snow. I understand that the views on a clear day of the Olympic Mountains from Hurricane Ridge are simply extraordinary.  On this day however, it was a little more of the adventure type of day rather than the tourist type of day where you might break into song, “The hills are alive with the sound of music”, because those are the type of scenic views that one might have.  

We first stopped at the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center area late in the day where apparently there is a gift shop and a restaurant.  At least that is what it seemed to have going on there.  We were just glad that this early in the season that the bathrooms were open, because everything else was closed for the day. 

It was a couple mile drive from Visitor Center to the trailhead.  Portions of the hike were paved, but there was still a lot of snow around.  Alec got to try micro spikes, I had trekking poles so we were able to make our way without too much problem.  Moody day with drizzle and just partial views of snow capped mountains. The views heading up were of fir trees that were so thick on the mountain, and so vividly green that it was really something quite special.  It was starting to get dark, we were in snow, and it was cold and windy.  We had time and light to make it back, but there wasn’t room for error.  I actually wanted to head back before the summit.  We saw some cool views, that is when the clouds lifted a bit, and some of the terrain reminded me of some nice ski bowls. Alec really wanted to push on towards the summit.  We only had one set of micro spikes and he being in top shape from his cross country high school team took off at a very quick pace, despite my objections. He high stepped it up to an above vantage point, but turned around after that as we were burning daylight fast, plus Dad was having a “Major Pouty Fest”.

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On the way up to the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center were so thick and green.

First time with micro spikes for Alec.

“Getting to the top is optional getting down is mandatory.” – Ed Viesturs

I know in this get up I look like the ‘Flying Nun’, but I tell you it was an adverse climate, lol.

Alec and I appreciate you joining us on top of a chilly, snow top mountain, with night quickly approaching and with no one else around while ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’.  This is one of the first of our many adventures in the Olympic National Park so stick around for more by doing this: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE.  If you care to checkout the menu above you will see that besides National Parks we travel extensively around the WEST to find adventure and to take a break from the responsibilities of school, and the busy lives that we all experience and need to balance out when we get the chance.  Balance is exactly what adventures in nature can achieve, so it is important.  The menu is categorized by location and in some cases activity, each is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently.  When I am not wearing full rain gear and a burka to face the storm then I like to adorn myself with Adventure Wear from ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’.  I invite you to check it out at SHOP APPAREL.

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursing Balance Through Adventure

Peabody Creek Trail

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

Activity: Visitor Center, Scenic Stop, Day Hike

2 miles, 200’ elevation gain, 1 hour duration, rated Easy

Date: 6-4-22

Into the Olympic Rainforest we go. What an exciting and alive place. There was so much expectation on the part of my 18 year old son, Alec, and myself of beauty and adventure in this, the rainiest place on earth. We planned on being here a week and to see as much as we could. 

We were actually pretty lucky, I feel, as for the rainiest place on earth, there was only one day, which came near the end of our rainforest adventure, that it really rained, and I mean really rained on us. The rest of our time we experienced some sun, some dry cloudy skies and we also experienced mizzle, which NW Washington folks described to us as a mixture of mist and drizzle, okay… Back to the luck part. Many times right after we finished an outdoors adventure and loaded up the Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro and started heading for our next destination in the Olympic National Park it would rain pretty good. Also, during the night the rain would come down after we were tucked away warm and dry in the rig for the night. So other than that one day, where we got soaked, we were indeed pretty lucky.

Located in the most NW corner of the US Lower 48 States the 922,650 acre Olympic National Park has multiple regions: Rugged Coastline, Alpine Forest, Rainforest, and the drier East side.

We made a couple stops on our way to gain more knowledge of what we were getting ourselves into by heading for the Olympic National Forest Wilderness Information Center near Port Angeles, Washington. We stopped and checked out a large old growth cedar tree transformed by Northwest Coast Tribes into a big Totem Pole.

When we arrived at the Olympic National Forest Wilderness Information Center they had a display of an old wooden cabin that might be typical of this area. Inside the center we found some interesting displays before we spoke to a Ranger whom helped us consider how best to spend this Father/Son – HS Grad time before Alec leaves for college.

After getting some great ideas regarding our Olympic National Forest Journey, we decided to get in a quick hike, which conveniently began right at the center. The Peabody Creek Trail really shows off and right off the bat how spectacular and unusual the rain forest can be. 

As we started our trek it was so unreal to see there was so much life that it was practically spilling out all over us. The green so vibrant, the damp ground and vegetation so fresh, so earthy. So much life that it was actually growing on top of each other. During our time in this National Park we saw many examples of new trees growing right out of, or on top of a dead one. Also, some trees were just so bizarre in the shapes and the strange ways that they grow. Then there is the mud… the Peabody Creek Trail was not too bad, you could maneuver around it pretty handily, but later we decided to try out the Peabody Creek Loop as well and that was more remote, more wild, and a lot more muddy. Finally we thought better of it when there was a portion that was not only all mud with a few roots, but steep. Adding the portion that we did of Peabody Creek Loop pretty much doubled our little outing. We would have been scrambling up this mud hill, perhaps on hands and knees, so we head back from which we had come.

A great start to this adventure of crazy trees, vines, plants, and green so much green, oh… and a big slug.

“The early summer light steps birdlike down the east slope of Green Mountain, and stirs low mists long the river into flight.” – Tim McNulty

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Alec and I are so excited to bring to you the start of our journey into Olympic National Park. It is stunningly beautiful and a world so different from the desert on the ocean, which is our home of Southern California. “Seems It never rains in Southern California, seems I’ve often heard that kind of talk before, it never rains in California, but girl don’t they warn ya’ it pours, man it pours”, are famous lyrics from Albert Hammond. The song is about the struggle of someone coming to Hollywood to try and hit the big time, but at the same time if you take it more literally it does describe the weather in SoCal. It hardly every rains, which is evident by the horrible drought we have been experiencing for a couple decades, so when it does rain it comes all at once and neither the dry, hard ground or the infrastructure is ready for it and we get flooding. Conversely, in the rainforest “the rainiest place on earth” it mostly rains lightly, but pretty darn often, and if it isn’t raining it is drizzle, or mist, what a local referred to as ”mizzle”. What all that rain brings is an enchanting, bewitching place full of spectacle and wonder, but be forewarned bring your rain gear. Stick with Alec and I on this Vivid Green Escape from reality into the rainforest and you can do that easy enough by doing these simple steps: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. If you go to the menu above you will see that PBTA travels extensively throughout these great Western States while ’Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ in hopes to bring to you ideas and inspiration of how to take the ho hum, busy, work-a-day life that we all exist in, and balance that out with the beauty, and the magnificence of nature, Nature Heals. Each location or activity on the menu represents a different website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. If you like my hat in the picture than get one for yourself at SHOP APPAREL. 

Happy Trails-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure