Sole Duc

Gregory and I made, what I hope will become, our annual backpacking trip in the Olympic National Park. We did the 'The Loop' around the Seven Lakes Basin. We started Sunday from the Sole Duc trailhead and headed south up the Sole Duc river to camp at Sole Duc Park. I found a couple of king boletes and was able to eat one for dinner that night Had we been on the ball we would have reserved a spot at Heart Lake, which sits just below the High Divide Trail. Monday was a short day as we traversed the High Divide trail for a couple miles and caught some amazing views of Mt. Olympus. We then dropped down into the Seven Lakes Basin and saw our only bear of the trip - a black bear foraging on the abundant blue berries. We set up camp at Lunch Lake and proceeded to become lunch for the swarms of mosquitoes that descended upon us. Thankfully we both had head nets. I found a King Bolete by the privy and we ate fresh boletes for two nights in a row.

We went to be around 10 and then awoke at 1:30 am to watch the full lunar eclipse. We had front row seats and the sky was so clear it felt like the movies. I stayed up for an hour and Gregory for longer. The most amazing thing about it was how dark it got. With the clear sky and the full moon - there's always a full moon during a lunar eclipse - it was really light out before the eclipse. We were able to walk around easily without headlamps. At the peak of the eclipse, it really felt like night. For those who haven't seen a lunar eclipse, the moon doesn't go completely black, but it does turn a deep orange. It's pretty cool.

Tuesday we got up and made a quick breakfast to avoid the mosquitoes and then headed downhill, stopping at Deer Lake for lunch. I had to catch a ferry, so we didn't have much time to waste. We huffed it out of the woods and made the car by 2:30.

It was a great trip, but short. Gregory and I both agree that if you're going to load your pack with gear, you've got to spend at least three nights. While I the High Divide, we both got the itch to do the Bailey Traverse, that rings around Mt. Olympus. It looks like it would be phenomenal - a life changing experience. But that will have to wait for next summer.

More Broughton Photos

Broughton Photos

Being in RI

I was just told that I don't ever post anything to my blog. Well, here is a posting.

I'm currently in Narragansett, RI with my girlfriend for a week. We came here for a friend's wedding and to visit my family. The trip has been nice, but I'm looking forward to being back in Seattle. I forgot what the summers are like in this small New England seaside town. When it's hot, it's humid. When it's sunny, the roads are full of cars. When it's sunny and hot, you just sit around the house and wish you were in Seattle. Oh, that's not entirely true. The evenings are lovely. Most of the daytrippers have left and the temps have cooled. The beaches are really lovely, and unlike the PNW, I can go in the ocean without risk of hypothermia.

There are also the gastronomic delights of the Ocean State. "What's a CLAM cake?" my girlfriend asks. If you you've never had one, the name seems to be a complete oxymoron. Clams in cakes. What could be more repulsive? In truth, they are pretty tasty. They are deep-fried balls of dough with clam bits in them that you eat with clam chowder - Rhode Island's clam theme has even been picked up by Saveur magazine. We also lay claim to 'hot wieners' - the food that is. Also known as 'New York System Style Wieners' - 'hot wieners' sounds better, doesn't it? - these little dogs are covered with a spiced meat sauce and are often served with mustard and onions. Then there's Del's frozen lemonade. Another odd RI concoction, this is like a lemonade slushy. I've heard they tried marketing it in other parts of the country buy people didn't know whether to sip it or eat it with a spoon. I guess people are less concerned with convention around here. It's not uncommon to see a kid at the beach with a towel around his waist mashing a waxed paper cup into a funnel to pour his Del's lemonade into his mouth. Without fail, at some point, the glacier of lemony ice calves a chunk into his nose. He wipes it off and continues his task like a dog trying to clean to bottom of a used mayonnaise jar.

When I get home to Seattle, I'll post some photos from the trip.