The Savage Traveler: Out West Adventure: Part 2--North coast of Olympic Peninsula

Sat. June 15: It was only an hour or two over to the Elwha River campground off Hwy. 101 on the north side of the peninsula. We stopped to be sure we would be able to get a campsite when we arrived, and then again at the Lake Crescent Lodge to make a reservation for our 40^th Anniversary dinner on Sunday. No sites were available right on the river but the 31 sites are stretched along two sides of a long narrow oval. By taking #30 we were very secluded but could hear the noisy rushing river very clearly and have glimpses of it through our windows. We have no electricity or water once again but the restrooms are recently redone and very nice, albeit with cold water only. The National Park has been working here for the past 4 years to remove two century-old dams, drain their reservoirs, and return the river to a viable salmon habitat. When the dams were put in they did not include fish ladders (although they were required by law) and so the salmon have been unable to migrate up river to spawn. The 108 foot Elwha Dam was removed in 2012 and Lake Aldwell has been drained and flow restored through that area. All but about 60 feet of the 210 Glines Dam has been removed and Lake Mills has been drained. Complete removal has been put on hold while corrections are made to Elwha Water Facilities and should be completed by September of 2014. Huge amounts of glacial silt have been released from behind both dams forming a new delta and many feet of beach. The river is still gray and thick with silt and they assume that most of the remaining 60 feet of dam is trapped silt. But the river will eventually work that through and again run clear and wild. The former dams and lake beds have been planted with 67,000 seedlings and over 2000 pounds of wild flower seeds. In the next 5 years 350,000 native seedlings and 5,000 pounds of seeds will be planted. And salmon populations will grow from 3000 to nearly 400,000. It’s quite an undertaking and the upper reaches of the Giles Canyon and Lake Mills area are closed completely until the removal is accomplished. It was a nice day with temperatures in the high sixties and mostly sunny so after setting up and having lunch we drove to nearby Port Angeles and up the steep winding road to Hurricane Ridge. From the ridge one has a great view up the Elwha Valley and across the heart of the Olympic Mountains, including Mount Olympus and its Blue Glacier. We got a passport stamp and watched their short video on the Olympic National Park. Part of the road is still closed for snow removal but we heard a ranger say it would be opening this week. The trails were also snow covered but we managed to walk their shortest path up the ridge, over some snow drifts, and past meadows of blooming wild flowers and browsing black tailed deer. We tarried awhile, enjoying the warm sunshine and magnificent view before coasting back down the hill. We took a shortcut to get back to our campsite, the first half paved and the second half gravel but well maintained. We enjoyed being “off the beaten track”. We had chicken and angel hair pasta for dinner and watched a Northern Exposure before bed.