My trip to the north side of the Olympics started with a couple nights of car camping to get my backpacking permit and do some dayhikes. I camped in the Heart O The Hills campground. I had never visited this part of the park before. It is probably the most popular part because it is close to Seattle, but it is about the farthest for me.
I also forgot to bring my camera and so had to use my cheapo phone, which definitely does not do as well as my camera.
There is a trail that goes out of loop E in the Heart O The Hills campground which I hiked most of my first evening. Here was one nice boardwalked section
The ferns have these spores on their undersides that they use to reproduce since they don't have flowers
The next morning I made the drive to the Whiskey Bend trailhead on the Elwha River to check that out. Here is the remnants of the large dam that was removed a few years ago
The wide and easy trail starts well above the river
Moss will find a place to grow
The Elwha River on the Geyser Valley loop
That afternoon I drove up to the Hurricane Ridge area at 5000 feet. It was a cold and blustery day in the low 50s
Continue to Obstruction Peak through Grand Pass