THE HOH RAINFOREST

The Hoh Rainforest is by far this most magical place I've ever been because there's something about it that touches your soul. Some favorite moments our day there...

Being surrounded by sitka spruce covered in green moss

Tasting the perfect amount of moisture in the air + feeling the fresh drops of rain dew falling on my skin 

Spotting roosevelt elk walking right across the trail 

I always thought I'd have to travel to the Amazon to visit a rainforest, but one of the largest Temperate Rainforests in the world is located right in the United States in Olympic National Park. After our lazy days at Lake Crescent, we knew that Olympic wouldn't let us down. And thanks to the National Park Service, this place will forever be protected for us all. 

Tom and I have done some amazing life-changing hikes together so far, but this one will forever be a favorite of mine.

Kind of can't get over how green this place was, even in the Fall. I think every shade of green must be in this one rainforest. 

Loving that we visited during our anniversary. Who needs Paris, when you've got a place like this for romance. 

We're so used to white-tailed deer on the East Coast, so it was fun spotting this cute black-tailed doe while visiting the West Coast

I wished and hoped and prayed that we would get a chance to see Roosevelt Elk as this rainforest is their home. I didn't expect much because I have the worst luck, but we managed to find a few. Seriously, best day ever. 

We definitely went off trail stalking this male into the forest. I thought he was huge (and kind of aggressive) so we didn't get too close. But we ran into a nature photographer who told us this guy was a juvenile and kind of small. I didn't even care. For us, getting to see this guy was the best treat and worth trekking across the country for. 

We were beyond pleased with ourselves for finding an elk and ready to end the day, so imagine our surprise we came across this female. We didn't even see her at first, not until she walked across the trail right in front of us!

Ignore my crazy eyes. Half of me is totally overexcited by the fact that I get to be this close to her, while the sane part of me is thinking maybe I shouldn't be this close to her. Thankfully, she could care less about our presence. She was mostly just focused on her meal. 

happily following this cute elk bum along the trail 

And I'll leave you with this....a favorite quote from one of my favorite people in history 

"the clearest way into the universe is through forest wilderness" 

-John Muir