Lake Quinalt, Olympic National Forest

Aug 21-23, 2009

We decided it was time for a little vacation, so after numerous phone calls, we found a rental house on Lake Quinault that would allow dogs. We loaded up the car and made the 3+ hr drive over to the Olympic Penninsula. We let our tired dog out and quickly walked her down to the lake. She immediately jumped in and got her blissful swimming face on, as if to say the ride was worth it!

We decided to just be lazy on Friday night and sat in our great little cabin and watched a movie while we ate left over speghetti that we had thrown in the cooler. I got up early Saturday morning and again took Sahale down to the water, then off for a walk. Chris woke up and we all headed up to the Quinault River for a hike up to Irely Lake. It was a modest 1.1 mile hike with all the glory of the rain forest-- trees bigger than you can imagine and follage that just blanketed the earth-- gorgeous! I thought Sahale would be in for a real treat when she realized there was a lake at the top, but alas, the lake had been dry for a very long time and was full of grass and enourmous stumps. Funny, as the brochure says the lake is a 'haven for waterfowl and amphibians'. Hmm.

Next stop, the 'world's largest Sitka Spruce.' Indeed, enormous! It stands 191 ft tall and is 17 ft in diameter. A site to see for sure. From there, we had a picnic in the park by the lake. Miss Sahale is on a retractable 16' leash, but insists on pushing her big self right on to us!

Once we got back to the cabin, we chilled out on the dock for a bit watching the day turn into evening. One minute Chris was eating a chip and drinking a coke, and the next, he had jumped straight into the mountain lake! Sahale heard the splash and was in within 1/2 a second! I followed it all with a robust "Oh my gosh!" They got out and caught their breath and returned to the dock, where Chris decided to jump once more. Sahale just watched this time, then met him on the beach! A fun playful day for sure! We then packed up, headed into the cabin and fired up the grill for burgers. This was truly a weekend full of R & R. On Sunday, we went to the Lake Quinault Lodge for breakfast. It is a beautiufl hotel built in 1926, very much like Paradise or Sun Mountain. From there we hiked the Falls Creek Loop for a few miles-- again, amazing forest all around. Another picnic in the park and we were back in the car for the 4 hr ride home (thank you Olympia and Tacoma traffic!). Sahale was beside herself with joy all weekend. At times, she refused to come into the cabin as if to declare the world there really was her oyster. She has been asleep (snoring) on the living room floor about the last 3 hrs. We are now refreshed and rejuvinated and ready to head back into the work week..... maybe!