I’ve been camping, hiking and backpacking at the Hoh Rainforest several times, and it never stops enchanting me. Gordon Hempton, who studies nature sounds and is the founder of “One Square Inch of Silence” says that the Hoh Rainforest is one of the quietest spots in the lower 48 states – “quiet” as in no human-made noise pollution, so that the true sounds of nature can actually be heard. It is indeed a special place.
The Hoh Rainforest is also one of the places with the most biomass per square acre on the planet. Verdant doesn’t even come close to describing the sheer amount of green there. This is the first time I’ve been to the Hoh Rainforest without seeing elk, but I did hear a barred owl for the first time.
(HINT: It’s called a “rainforest” for a reason. It averages 12 FEET of rain per year. Rain + soil = mud. If you show up in your designer $300 sparkling white Nikes, they will not be sparking white for very long.)
The Hall of Mosses Trail is fantastic, almost otherworldly, with massive sheets of moss hanging from big leaf maple trees. This is a one-way trail, but apparently some people aren’t able to understand the signs pointing in one direction. Sigh.
The Spruce Nature Trail is a lovely walk through soft, cushioned earth with more ferns, conifers, and moss than anywhere I’ve ever seen. The Hoh River is beautiful along part of this trail, and I’ve never seen better examples of nurse logs anywhere else. There is a fantastic example of what the rootball of a single downed tree can sustain, how it can support and nourish new life. As Robin Wall Kimmerer and Suzanne Simard say – it’s all connected.
The Hoh River Trail is an out-and-back that leads up the valley toward the Blue Glacier 18 miles away, under Mount Olympus. We hiked the first few miles of this trail at 6 a.m. and didn’t see another human, just us and the sights and sounds of Mama Nature for miles.
Magic. Mother Nature’s Magic.