Travel Blog {Washington Trip: Lower Gray Wolf Trail}

August 19, 2015

Travel Blog {Washington Trip: Lower Gray Wolf Trail}

Funny story--if you are reading this and currently have no children, you may not fully understand. When we pack for long trips with Beckham we are overwhelmed by the idea of forgetting something for him. While only packing the essentials we try to travel as light as possible, but we always forget something. This time, it turns out, we forgot to pack food for our trip. So here we are in the middle of the forest with no grocery store in sight. It is day two of our adventure and we need something to fill our tummies before our long day of hiking. After driving for awhile we come across a brand new gas station/deli/coffee shop/miniature grocery store. We both grab a 0.99 cent maple bar for breakfast and a few packages of Ramen to cook on our hot plate later that night.

We started our trek to hike the Lower Gray Wolf Trail. From Brinnon we drove North catching glimpses of the ocean through the thick trees. From Interstate 104 we drove roughly 25 miles on dirt roads to reach the trailhead. At that point I was extremely grateful that we were driving my Grandparents' SUV. We were deep in the forest completely surrounded by giant, towering trees and old growth. It was wet and smelled like dirt and I loved it.

The trailhead was nothing more than a clearing in the thick trees. The air was brisk, which surprised me. The temperature had been in the upper 80's (and dry) which was abnormally warm for this part of Washington.

I wore my Treva's which ended up being a blessing and a curse. They are lightweight and comfortable, but they provided little to no traction on the slick rocks. Fortunately the slick rocks were few and far between, but when we met, I carefully avoided their slippery tricks. My handy walking stick also helped!

Our hike was 4.2 miles each way making it an 8.4 mile round trip. During the first half we gained little to no elevation. The trail was well maintained. The second half of the hike, the trail led us up the mountain and away from the soothing sound of the Gray Wolf River. In total we only gained about 800 ft elevation, but since it was gained mostly in the second half, it felt like so much more!

Once we reached our destination, we sat on the rocks in the river and enjoyed some snacks. The time we spent quietly enjoying the serenity of the moment was one of the highlights of our trip. Both of us sat in complete silence, our only company was Mother Earth.

As I sat there soaking my feet in the cool, mountain water, I thought about how at that moment we were the only two people on the planet that were enjoying this spot that Mother Earth lent us. No one on the face of the Earth was sitting where I was sitting or seeing the beauty that I had the privilege to see. For a brief moment in time, Travis and I were the only two people in the world. It felt amazing. It's funny how the Earth can make us, as humans, feel powerful when in reality we are tiny little creatures, powerless without our precious Mother Earth. I met rocks and trees and dirt that could tell me the story of the beginning of time. I soaked my feet in water that has eroded its way across countless places. And somehow, in that moment, I felt like I could do anything.

By the end of our hike both of us were completely exhausted. We were awaiting our paychecks to be deposited so we were extremely tight on money (I'm talking dollars and change haha)! On the way back to Brinnon we spotted a roadside diner that would put any fast food restaurant to shame, Fat Smitty's.

The cheeky name made me chuckle, but once I saw a towering statue of Fat Smitty himself showcasing an equally gigantic burger, I knew that we had to stop! My hiker gut was screaming and I couldn't bare to pass it up. We decided that we could spare a few dollars and split a meal. We sat outside enjoying the rare Western Washington sunshine and ate chicken strips and steak fries. Honestly, they were the best chicken strips I have ever eaten. Ever.

The entire inside of the restaurant was covered floor to ceiling, in dollar bills. We asked the employee if they had ever counted the money and she told us that five years ago they took the dollar bills {on the walls} down and that alone was over $10,000 dollars. She said they donated the money to the local Boys and Girls Club. I thought that was awesome!

Once we made it back to our cabin in Brinnon we both enjoyed the serenity that often accompanies life in the forest. I flipped through a few books on the bookshelf and ultimately chose to read a few chapters of "A Passion For Nature: The Life of John Muir" which just so happened to be what my little adventure heart needed. I wrote and Travis made our five star Ramen dinner on the hot plate. We walked down the road to the wild blackberry bushes and picked to our hearts content!