Our first stop after leaving probably our worst campground, was the Olympic National Park Visitor Center for maps & directions. As this is primarily a wilderness park kept in its natural state, most of the access and activities are directed toward on foot activities. Thusly we were relegated to viewing the Park and its natural beauty from the roads. The Olympic Park contains mountains even higher than most of the Cascades, and this within merely a few miles from the Pacific on a peninsula between Puget Sound/Seattle and the open ocean. We took the route down the Pacific side of the Park and then proceeded down the Washington coast.
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| Our first real view of the Pacific |
Once you leave the Park boundaries it is obvious what is the major industry of Western Washington
( Forestry). This was evident in the forested areas all along the ridges, the log piles, the mills and the logging trucks on the road.
Rather than post a few pictures of this today, I am going to take the space and indulge your time in quoting a statement we found on a corner of the Park's main map which is meant to convey the official statement of wilderness protection. I found this to be extremely meaningful and wanted to pass it on. If you find it a little "tree huggerish" I apologize but this is something I likewise feel strongly about.
"Wilderness is meant to protect forever the land's natural conditions, opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation, and scientific, educational,and historic values. In wilderness people can sense being a part of the whole community of life on Earth. Preserving wilderness shows restraint and humility and benefits generations that will follow us."
In the Olympic Peninsula Congress has designated over 1 million acres for protection under the 1964 Wilderness Act. This includes 95% in the Olympic National Forest.
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