Press Expedition Traverse Backpacking | Olympic National Park 8/31/24

Описание: Join us for a backpacking trip along the famous Press Expedition Traverse in Olympic National Park. We walked about 58 miles in three days and two nights, from Hurricane Ridge to North Fork Quinault River trailhead.

Along the way we saw a ton of fabulous fungi, including chicken of the woods and a variety of chanterelles. We even cooked and enjoyed our treats along the way.

Stick around through the end of the video to watch our hitchhiking adventure!

Distance: 57.75 miles
Elevation gain: 6,742 feet

Hitch 1 - Trailhead to lake Quinault - 10.9 miles
There weren't many cars at the North Fork Quinault TH, so we walked 4 miles down the forest road to the junction with Graves Creek TH (Enchanted Valley). It only took us a few cars before a delightful trio of hikers (and trip reporters) picked us up and took us to near Lake Quinault Lodge.

Hitch 2 - Amanda park to kalaloch lodge - 37 miles
We walked about 3 miles to Amanda Park and got snacks at the grocery. We were picked up almost immediately by a pair of honeymooners from Texas. They took us to Kalaloch Lodge before stopping to explore the beach themselves.

Hitch 3 - kalaloch lodge to forks - 34.3 miles
It took less than 5 minutes to get picked up by a pair of travelers from Illinois. We stopped at Beach 4 and snacked on the rocks during high tide. The drive to Forks is slow due to construction and one-lane stretches. The drivers who picked us up were Team Jacob, in case you were curious.

Hitch 4 - Forks to Port Angeles - 56.3 miles
In less than 10 minutes we were picked up outside the grocery store in Forks and on our way to PA. We stopped en route at Granny's Cafe and enjoyed some massive soft served ice cream cones, plus checked out the pet emus in the back. We were dropped off at the Port Angeles Olympic wilderness information center.

Hitch 5 - Forks to Port Angeles - 19.7 miles
There wasn't a ton of traffic heading up to Hurricane Ridge in the afternoon, but we got a ride within the first 5 cars all the same. The drive up the ridge is much more scenic as a passenger than as a driver, that's for sure. We were back at our car by 6:30 p.m.

Hitch distance: 154 miles
Travel time: 8:15

#olympicnationalpark #wildmushrooms #foraging #chanterelles #pnwonderland #rainforest