Off to the Rain Forest, Mountains and Ocean Shore

I'm off, first thing Monday morning, for two weeks on the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula, in a little town called Forks, Washington. From what I can tell from Google maps, it's about 20 miles from the Olympic National Park (home of one of the few temperate rain forests in the world, and snow-capped Mount Olympus - 7,965 feet (2,428 m) -- and ocean shore). Forks is also about 20 miles from Cape Alava, arguably the westernmost point of the contiguous United States (at low tide; at high tide, it ties with Cape Flattery, Washington about 20 miles north...and Cape Blanco, Oregon argues for the title, too).

I am not actually going for a vacation -- I will be there to run a study for that company I used to work for. Now I contract with them -- much better! We're looking at visibility of various materials at night, in rain. We will be in the rain forest after all, in a territory that averages over a foot of rain every month of the year, during I believe the rainiest month of the year. So part of this won't be so much fun -- I will be in an unheated shack (we're bringing some portable heaters) for about 5-6 hours every night of the week, after dark (so, from about 5 p.m. -- for setup -- to about midnight, if not later).

But the days will be all my own, and I've found myself a nice hotel with a suite, so I'll have a little kitchen and a sort of living room and I made sure it comes with full internet wireless (can't live without that, these days). Sooo, I expect to remain in touch, although my hours will be restricted somewhat. (And I'm sure this will throw off my sleep schedule, working during the evenings.) I do intend to blog, too.

I'm planning to take some hikes -- I've got two books from the library -- along the beach and in the rain forest, although it is likely to be wet. I want to hit that westernmost point, too, but I'm not sure I'll have the time -- I have to be back by 5 every day, and ready to work for hours. The hiking books say the best time to walk the trails they recommend is in winter and spring, so in that way I'm there at the right time -- but I don't know why that is (I haven't read the books carefully, except the pages with the hikes themselves described on them). Perhaps they are muddier in the summer and fall, so the cold helps the path be firm? Or, because it is rainforest, perhaps there is better greenery in the spring? I don't know, but I'm quite excited to find out, and am of course taking my camera.

More rainforest facts:

• Located in the largest true wilderness area in the contiguous United States, the Olympic rainforest is one of the world's very few temperate rainforests. (Other temperate rainforests may be found in Chile and New Zealand.)
• Some of the largest trees here measure 300 feet tall and over 60 feet around.
• In the Olympic rainforest, rainfall averages over 100 inches/year.
• In tropical rainforests, which may be located near the equator, rainfall can average between 100 and 400 inches/year.
• Temperatures in the Olympic rainforest rarely exceed 80 degrees, making conditions excellent for exploring!

(from the Lake Quinault Lodge website -- some distance from where I'll be, but still true)