Van Camping: California, Oregon & Washington

Backpacking the Coast of Olympic NP, WA

We were cycling the San Juan Islands, Washington on 9/11/2001. The plan was to ride  the ferry north into Canada and continue to cycle in  the  Gulf  Islands. We were cycling without our passports because under normal circumstances there  would be no need for them. But on the morning of 9/11 that all changed and on the morning of 9/14 we were not permitted to  board the ferry into Canada and return to the U.S. without them.

Change of Plans! Because the northwest  corner of the U.S. is very rich with options, it only took a few minutes to list several alternative places to explore that were close. It took only a few minutes longer to decide  to backpack a section of Olympic National Park along the Pacific Coast.  

We got a slow start the first day but it was splendid on the coast. The fog was a gauzy veil that let one see the rocks and islands a little more and then a little less,  but never clearly.

We hiked at mid and low tide and then found a comfortable place to watch the waves and birds before the rising  caught up with us.

It was beautiful and surreal. Everything seemed perfectly pure here. Yet we knew that across the nation there was shock and sadness. Others were reliving the collapse of the  World Trade Towers in their minds and on TV and here we were in the midst of this beauty and peace.

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