Hiking along the Hood Canal

By Mom of TJB and MMB February 17, 2015

We spent President's Day weekend at a little cabin on the Hood Canal. I got to take my first ferry ride to Bainbridge Island and then we drove to a small town called Brinnon, on the Olympic Peninsula. We tried to rush out of the house to catch the 7:20pm ferry after work on Friday but we didn't get there early enough and had to wait over an hour because of traffic. We remembered almost everything, except the iPads, but sometimes it is nice to get away from technology for a few days and have limited cell phone service so you can be present with your family.

Theo and I slept most of the two-hour journey and when we arrived, Theo started crying uncontrollably and we couldn't figure out why. Finally, he said, "Where did Grandma and Grandpa [Pastorius] go?" He thought we were going to their cabin in Wisconsin, poor guy (that was our fault for using the word cabin to mean two different places to a two-year old). He preferred to sleep in the pack-n-play rather than the big bed which meant I got to cuddle with mom and dad in the king bed. It was so spacious! Theo woke up early the next morning and we all fit comfortably - four across.

Our weekend was very relaxing. The Hood Canal is the largest salt water fjord in the US and is rich with sea life, like oysters and clams. We stayed near a large marina and Theo enjoyed watching the fishing boats out on the water. Lots of naps, rock throwing, and an occasional waterfall hike. Theo LOVES throwing rocks. It was the first thing he did when he woke up on Saturday, then he threw rocks at the waterfall, and again after his nap. He's an addict! We saw three big waterfalls - Rocky Brook, Murhat and Falls View Falls, which were part of the Olympic National Forest. Theo hiked the whole way while I hitched a ride in the baby bjorn.

On Sunday, we planned to drive up Mount Walker for a picnic lunch with panoramic views but the road was closed for the winter and Mom and Dad didn't feel like hiking up the 2-3 mile trail with 2200' of elevation with us on their backs (I say they need to start working out but that's just my opinion). We decided to have our picnic in Dosewallips State Park along the tidal flats and get back so Theo could throw some rocks into the water.

On Monday, we drove up the coast to the old port town of Port Townsend. Theo and Daddy went to the lighthouse and beach to throw more rocks while the ladies went shopping. The weather was perfect all weekend - baby blue skies, surrounded by snow capped mountains, a light breeze, and highs around 60 degrees (sorry Boston, I heard you just had another blizzard). It feels like spring! The daffodils are popping up and the tulips are started to sprout. Our peonie tree and rhododendron's are starting to bloom as well.

We (eventually) made it on the Kingston ferry after sitting in line with hundreds of other travelers coming back to Seattle after the holiday weekend and were unfortunate to have missed one due to bad luck but we arrived home shortly after sunset. Overall, we had a great trip and would definitely go back but we have so many other wonderful trips planned, who knows when we'll make it back. Next up: San Diego in March, San Juan Islands in May, and then Chicago, Minnesota and Vancouver in June.