365 Inspirations—124: The Grandeur of The Olympic Peninsula

Forest on path to Sol Duc Falls

"Come forth into the light of things, 

Let Nature be your teacher."—William Wordsworth

Today was one of the most spectacular days this year in Washington State and we just so happened to be in one of the most spectacular places on earth to enjoy it. We had a book event in Sequim yesterday and today we woke up to bright SUN and very warm weather. After a lovely breakfast with my parents, we hit the road and headed to Sol Duc in the Olympic Peninsula.

Sol Duc means "sparkling waters" and the name is very fitting. The hot springs were discovered by the Native American Indians in the area and people have been coming to these springs and this area for over 100 years to soak in the healing waters.

Before our dip in the springs, we went on a 6-mile hike through pristine forest to Sol Duc Falls. The alpine air and chirping of various birds and insects made the entire place feel alive. The pine trees seemed to be stretching out their vibrant green branches to touch us as we passed. Even young fern were pulsating in a patch of grass along the edge of the path.

We were immersed in this healing place and it felt heavenly. I felt the need to run through the forest. I wanted to feel my heart pound in my chest and feel just as alive as all the plants that surrounded me. I wanted to burst forth and lose myself amongst all this life.

For a while,  I had lost the pack of hikers that were once in front of me. Even my husband Yoon was no longer behind me. I knew we'd catch up with each other eventually and I took pleasure in being completely alone for some time.

We met up again close to the falls and had lunch in a sunny spot by a tree. We decided to hike over the falls and loop around back to the hot springs.

Once at the springs, we ran into one of Yoon's yoga students. It was synchronicity playing out again. She must have been right behind us on our hike. We enjoyed the hot springs together and then Yoon suggested we all go up to Hurricane Ridge, a Switzerland-esque viewpoint, on the way back. You almost felt the need to burst out with "the hills are alive..." on the way up.

We were surprised to find the snow quite heavy on the top despite the 70-degree weather down below. People were even sledding.

 We walked up onto a patch of snow and looked out over Puget Sound out toward Canada.

Our friend, who had never been up there before, just kept saying, "This was so worth the drive up!"

We bid our friend farewell and now we are back in Sequim. I feel so rejuvenated! It would be hard to top a day like today.

Is the any place in the world that holds special meaning for you? Have you had a day recently that just seemed too good to be true?