CASCADIAN SERIES: 6 Day Olympic Backpacking
Back Country Wonder, Front Country Bliss
Olympic World Heritage Center “Rainforest, Peaks & Beaches”


Come enjoy the Cascadian Series with EverGreen Escapes and KAF Adventures

This all-inclusive and one-of-a-kind journey is the perfect combination of luxury and ruggedness.
One of the only trips of its kind in the Cascadia you will not only experience the back country of the Olympic World Heritage Center, you will have the pleasure of authentic and refined lodging, fine spirits and foods traditional to the area, and shops and stops that encompass the culture at the heart of the Olympic Peninsula.

We’ve partnered with KAF Adventures on the Cascadian Series of adventures.  This allows us to showcase our acclaimed front country touring experiences with exclusive access to the rarely visited backcountry of the Olympic World Heritage Center that few ever see. Our Escape Artist Naturalist Guides will combine their expert natural history knowledge with unique lodging experiences, gourmet fare with a regional flair and local brew and wines both before and after your journey through the majesty and wonder of the Olympics.  On the trail, you will be led by one of KAF’s professional mountain guide through the famous “Quinault River Drainage” route from Quinault to Dosewallips.  This carefully crafted this trip, offering both cultural and wilderness enrichment, is a journey that you will remember for decades.

This 6 Day Olympic Backpacking trip is suitable for all backpacking abilities. Beginners are certainly welcome.

Dates:
August 22- 27, 2012

You’ll be backpacking through a wilderness wonderland – take a look…
Located in the northwest of Washington State, Olympic National Park is renowned for the diversity of its ecosystems. Glacier-clad peaks interspersed with open vast meadows are covered by dense and giant old growth forests, among which is the best example of intact and protected temperate rainforest in the Pacific Northwest.
The park also includes 100 km of wilderness coastline, the longest undeveloped coast in the contiguous United States, and is rich in native and endemic animal and plant species, including critical populations of the endangered northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and bull trout.
Olympic National Park features spectacular coastline, scenic lakes, majestic mountains and glaciers, and magnificent temperate rainforest. It is the lowest latitude in the world in which glaciers form at relatively low elevation. Its relative isolation and highly varied rainfall have produced complex and varied life zones.
Olympic also contains a great wealth of geological formations. The rocky islets along the coast are remnants of a continuously receding and changing coastline. The biological evolution, ecological variety and sheer splendor of Olympic National Park make it a truly awe-inspiring and special place.

Trip Highlights:

• Experience the Olympic Peninsula and the Olympic World Heritage Center
• Welcome Reception at Port Ludlow Resort
• Hurricane Ridge
• Native Art Gallery and witness the indigenous art of woodcarving
• Lake Crescent
• Rialto Beach
• Town of Forks – mystical town featured in the famous “Twilight” Series by Stephanie Meyer
• Ruby Beach
• Kalaloch Beach
• Lake Quinault
• Quinault Lodge
• Hoh Rainforest
• Hood Canal
• Tacoma Narrows Bridge
• 3-days 2 nights backpacking experience through towering old growth rain forests with KAF Adventures
• Learn technical backpacking skills, ecology of the Pacific Northwest, and environmental ethics (LNT)
• 6 to 10 miles per day backpacking on moderate terrain through the Quinault Drainage and the Dosewallips drainage.
• Celebratory dinner and stay at Alder Brook Resort & Spa

Escape Plan (An overview of the Guided Olympic Backpacking expedition):

You will start your tour off at Seattle’s REI flag ship store.
The biggest outdoor retailer on the west coast, REI will be the place we preform our gear check for the backpacking section of the tour.
Next, we will enjoy a short drive to the ferries venturing to Port Ludlow. Aboard the ferry, enjoy crisp ocean air and magnificent views of Puget sound and the Olympics. Once back ashore, we will share a magnificent dinner and a cozy stay at the beautiful Port Ludlow Resort.

During day 2, we will visit Sequim, the Native Art Galleries and Port Angeles for shops and tea – then we’re on our way to majestic Hurricane Ridge Road.
Here we get a glimpse of the 922,626 acres [373,120 hectares] that comprise Olympic World Heritage Centre. The paved road winds up over 5,000 feet [1,524 meters] to Hurricane Ridge, a justifiably popular mountain citadel that puts visitors at the edge of the parks exceptionally jagged peaks. From the meadows at the summit, visitors get a superb 360-degree view that embraces the surrounding mountains, the strait, the San Juan Islands, a chunk of mainland Washington, and even a fair bit of British Columbia!
Further on, our drive takes us through the beautiful Elwha Valley and along the rushing Elwha River. Then, all of a sudden, you’ll feel that you’ve been transported into Fjord land when the glacial carved, crystal clear, 12-mile long Lake Crescent appears.
Next, we travel through old growth forests, meadows and farmland as we make our way to the famed Hoh Rain Forest, the not-to-be-missed attraction here on the Olympic Peninsula. Moist ocean air from the Pacific brings over 150″ (record of 211″) of annual rainfall to this area, which, along with presence of Sitka spruce and “colonnades” (row of trees that grew atop downed trees called “nurse logs”), qualify the west-facing valleys of the Olympics as the only temperate rain forests in the northern hemisphere!
We venture off to one of the few drive-to beaches in the area, a beautiful spot to enjoy the surf and watch shorebirds, eagles and seals. First Beach is a mile-long crescent known for surfing-size waves and occasional whale spottings. Time permitting, we will take a walk to Second Beach, popular with photographers and reached by way of a .6 mile forested trail that leads to a stunningly beautiful 2 mile long sandy stretch of beach with sea stacks and tidal pools. Along the way we often spot eagle’s nests above the tree-line. After a long day, you’ll enjoy an evening dinner and a cozy stay at the famous Quinault Lodge in the southern portion of the park.

During the next 3-day backcountry portion you will learn backpacking skills with the best backpacking guides in the NW, KAF Adventures!
While backpacking through the BEST scenery in the Olympic National Park, you will learn camping and navigation skills, how to travel and camp in the back country, wilderness ethics and ecology through experience. You will also walk through a landscape of moss covered trees and large ferns to stunning waterfalls hidden in the mountainside. If the season is right, we will be admiring the brilliant wildflowers that throng the meadows.
We will be watching for wildlife, too: Olympic marmots, Roosevelt elk, and black-tailed deer often show up, even black bears are fairly common. Situated among steep cliffs, peaks and dense rain forest, this backcountry trail is truly hidden treasure of the Olympics reached by very few.

After a breathtaking 3-day backpack, we will finish the trek on the drier side of the park.
From here, we’ll follow the curved shoreline of Hood Canal, which offers spectacular scenery and the chance to enjoy the beauty of the region while cruising along U.S. Highway 101. This scenic roadway hugs the edge of the deep-water fjord where Orcas occasionally visit and giant octopus sleep deep beneath the surface.
We’ll have time to enjoy a short beach walk to provide you with up-close insight into the world of sea cucumbers, sea anemones, giant Pacific octopuses and sea slugs. And this great trip is culminated by a celebratory dinner at the famous Alder Brook Resort. Here we will have the opportunity to enjoy a reflective time with your new found friends and family over a bonfire looking back into the glacial fed park.

This experience is unmatched, and not to be missed! It is a chance of a lifetime to explore the breathtaking scenery of the Olympic National Park.

Escape Plan Snapshot:

DAY 1 – Front Country Bliss “ Ferries, Marine life & Hats”
(MT, L, AT, D)
• Sleep: The Resort at Port Ludlow
• Escape Plan:
o Depart Seattle at 3pm – Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge Island
o Welcome Reception at The Resort at Port Ludlow
o Dinner at the famous Ajax Café in on the waterfront in historic Port Hadlock
- “A little out of the way… but way out of the ordinary.”

DAY 2 – Front Country Bliss “Birds, Beaches and a Hurricane”
(MT, L, AT, D)
• Sleep: Lake Quinault Lodge
• Escape Plan:
o Tribal Art Gallery, Wood Carving and Totem Poles
o Beautiful Lake Crescent
Hurricane Ridge
o Forks, Twilight, & Remote Beaches
o Rugged Ruby Beach
o Lake Quinault & Big Cedar Trees!
o Dinner overlooking Lake Quinault

DAY 3 – Backcountry Wonder and backpacking experience “Rainforest, Cedars and Waterfalls” (B, L, D)
• Sleep: Camping at O’Neal Creek or Pyrites Creek
• Escape Plan:
o Rainforest Hiking
o Up the Quinault drainage from the Graves Creek Trailhead

DAY 4 – Backcountry Wonder and backpacking experience “Peaks, Meadows & Views” (B, L, D)
• Sleep: Camping at Honeymoon Meadows
• Escape Plan:
o Rainforest & mountain backpacking
o Travel to Honeymoon Meadows or Diamond Meadows into the Dosewallips drainage

DAY 5 – Finish Backcountry Wonder and backpacking experience; “Discover the Dosewallips Drainage” ; Front Country Bliss “Hood Canal, Beaches & Critters”
(B, L, D)
• Sleep: Alderbrook Resort & Spa
• Escape Plan:
o Rainforest & mountain backpacking
o Hike out to the trailhead and vehicle in the Dosewallips drainage towards the washout
o Celebratory Dinner at Alderbrook Resort & Spa

DAY 6 – Front Country Bliss “Hood Canal to the Emerald City” (B)
• Escape Plan:
o Hood Canal Sightseeing
o Transportation across the famous Tacoma Narrows Bridge back to Seattle

What’s included in this backpacking trip? Take a look at these great amenities:
Downtown Seattle Hotel pick up and drop off, highly qualified naturalist backcountry guide, travel in adventure-outfitted Mercedes Van or Jeep, “On Safari” lunches, select gourmet fare with regional flair, scrumptious morning tea with pastries, afternoon tea, select Washington wines, local fresh fruits, refreshments, overnight accommodations, all entry fees and comprehensive naturalist commentary.

Details:

Tour Length: 6 Day / 5 Night
Tour Code: CS50
Pick up: Downtown Seattle Hotels
Depart: 1:00p – Day 1
Drop off: 12:00n – Day 6
Activities: Hiking, backpacking, nature walks, interpretive beach walks, waterfall viewing, marine and wildlife spotting, birding, ecological and geological sightseeing with naturalist interpretation
Interests: Forest ecology, backpacking, rainforests, geology, marine biology, native culture, waterfalls, sustainability,botany, natural and local history
Meal Key: B – Breakfast / MT – Morning Tea / L – Lunch / AT – Afternoon Tea / D – Dinner
Tour Cost: $2250.00 per escapist based on two escapists / $300 single supplement

Minimum escapists to operate adventure: (6)

So let’s get out into the Olympic National Park backcountry! Enroll today by contacting EverGreen Escapes at experience@evergreenescapes.com or call 866.203.7603

And if you’re interested in more guided backpacking trips with, take a look at our other adventures in this series:

CASCADIAN SERIES: Back Country Wonder, Front Country Bliss
~ North Cascades National Park Loop ~

Thank you for exploring the North Cascade Loop with EverGreen Escapes & KAF Adventures!