Weekend in the Olympic Peninsula
The start of a new year, a clean slate, and just out of a short but intense roller coaster of a relationship. I took the sudden opportunity to run away and spend a weekend down in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. I had three goals for the weekend:
Sleep in my car, Malina, for the first time in ages (I missed her so much).
Go for an interesting hike at lower elevation (to avoid any snow).
Spend as much time by the ocean as I could, contemplating my life (as you do).
Friday
After work on Friday, I drove down to Port Angeles, taking an adorable ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend. I drove onward to Port Angeles, stopped to get some groceries, and ended up buying a cozy twin sized comforter on a whim. I found a great sleeping spot a few minutes off the main highway that was completely dark and next to a river. I settled in for the night, already feeling reunited with Mal.
Saturday
Saturday morning, I headed into Olympic National Park and over towards Lake Crescent. I started with the first peak of Mount Storm King (what a name!). While I was up on the peak, I spotted a gully with a rope towards the second peak, so naturally I had to check it out. It was a steep approach, quickly turning into a scramble with a couple of minimally exposed spots. Since I was solo hiking, it was an excellent chance to test my mental game, seeing how comfortable I was scrambling and making decisions on my own. Admittedly, the view from the second peak wasn’t too impressive so the scrambling itself became the big highlight of the hike. Coming down from Mount Storm King, I added Marymere Falls to the hike as well, running into several great people who offered to take my photo in front of the falls and offered suggestions of other things to see in the area.
I quickly passed through Crescent Beach, admiring all the surfers and running into another Honda Element. I spent a couple of hours hanging out at Tongue Point. The tide was too high to explore any of the tide pools, but I loved the rugged coastline and the big waves on stormy water.
Still craving more ocean, I drove over to Freshwater Bay and made myself a coffee. I remembered how much I loved the tailgreat and sat reading until the sun set, parked at the water’s edge.
After sunset, I headed into Port Angeles and wandered around downtown. I browsed the local bookstore, Port Book and News, getting plenty of ideas for new books to read. To finish up the day, I headed to a Wendy’s to get some work done on my laptop. Not very kitschy or glamorous, but cheap and open later than any coffee shop could be.
Sunday
Following the not kitschy or glamorous theme, I woke up parked in a movie theatre parking lot. It didn’t have any amazing views, but it was quiet enough and convenient.
I started my day with a 5k run down Dungeness Spit. I thought there would be a boardwalk but it was all sand and my legs were on fire. But running next to the ocean waves was exactly the kind of thing I wanted from this weekend.
Breakfast and coffee were next on the list, so I parked at Marlyn Nelson County Park, again on the edge of the water. While I was having my coffee, an older woman came by and asked about my camper set up. I showed her a little more about my simple bed build, and she told me that she had lived in a Sprinter van and in her Prius years ago. Turns out, we had some things in common.
With the end of the weekend nearing, I drove into Port Townsend and wandered downtown. I got to check out the humpback whale skeleton, William James Bookseller, and Waterfront Pizza.
After taking the adorable ferry back to Coupeville, I did a quick detour south to the Langley Whale Center. From there, it was time to head back home. Since I hit Deception Pass just after sunset, I stopped to walk across the bridge and take some pictures. It was one last chance to stare into the ocean and contemplate my life.
After all that contemplating, honestly not much had changed. I still had the same big goals for 2025 and the same big ideas for life to come. Now I just had more space to chase them on my own again, however I wanted.
