We never read the books and we didn’t see the movies but our daughters were Twilight teens an when we heard the setting of Forks was a dozen miles from the second most visited site in Olympic National Park, we decided to go vampire and werewolf with a tenting trip in the Hoh rainforest.
Following the only road that circumnavigates the Olympic peninsula, Roxie stayed at PAC Beach while we took the 100 mile journey up the coast and into the remote and carefully preserved rainforest called Hoh. With more than 130 inches of precip each year, the Hoh is the wettest place in the lower forty eight, comparable to the Amazon. When you think rainforest, you might think monkeys, toucans and ashy faced aborigines with poison dart blowguns, or maybe you don’t. Whoops, that just might be us recalling a scene from Anaconda. Either way, we were on our way to a vegetated area, mostly covered with trees, that receives at least 75 inches of rain per year and harbors a great diversity of plant and animal life.
The first hour of the trek was a hypnotizing stretch of deforestation, wildflowers and construction with the second hour winding the long stretch of wilderness coast for access to dozens of rocky beaches. There are so many they are numbered. 1-6 then Ruby Beach in the south, La Push then first, second, third and Rialto in the north. The ones on the Indian Reservations (like Twilight’s La Push) were covid-closed, but a hour on Ruby showed us everything we wanted to see.
Popular with the Zen seeking surf crowd, Ruby Beach is a draw for its sea stacks (rock formations that stand out in the surf), tide pools and homemade lean-to shelters built out of drift wood. A little enlightenment and a quick nap looked tempting but we kept moving in order to get a Hoh campground before they were all gone.
Providing fuel for our rant on National Park reservation systems, the reservation-only campgrounds on the coast en route to the rain forest were a wreck. Fully reserved months in advance, visitors cued up hours before the 11 am check out time to try and grab a reservation no-show. We passed on that nonsense, heading into the heart of the Hoh, a 100% first-come, first-serve campground. True to experience, turn-over at mid-day was high. After setting up camp in empty site 74 only to be informed by the ranger that we had to relocate because it was supposedly taken, we broke down camp and reset in ranger-confirmed open site 89. For the record Mr. Ranger, no one ever came into 74 – just sayin’.
A short walk from the campground we found the Hall of Mosses, a loop trail of ancient towering trees in a world of snaky roots, crystal clear creeks, and soft moss. It felt like Marble Creek deja-vu in the Mt Baker-Snoqualmie Forest. Not as wet, but just as mossy. Ambitious back packers geared up for a multi-day hike following the Hoh river to Mount Olympus. We took the less ambitious route back to camp to read and cook dinner over the fire.
Rain fell throughout the night and into morning with the high canopy of the giant cedar and fir trees serving as nature’s umbrella. The -10 degree sleeping bags were too warm but the natural rain relaxation music made up for the discomfort. The tent pitched in a nearby clearing had to be packed up wet. Breaking down a wet camp is hard, but something we had done before. Since we would eventually have to pitch the tent again at Roxie if and when the sun shown, that would be an inefficient three set-ups for one nights rest. With Boss smelling a bit waterlogged with all of the damp gear in the back seat, we made the 12 mile exit from rainforest to coast with the windows down.
The sign for Forks, WA was calling with an intensity like Edward Cullen’s stare. We needed produce and unless we were looking to add chips, soda or beer to our breakfast omelet, Forks had the closest real grocery store around. The town has dedicated itself to preserving its waning superstar status from the Twilight novels by placing cut out pictures of Robert Patterson and Kristen Stewart in every store window.
The Chamber of Commerce has a Twilight museum and four page self-guided tour where you can find Swan House at 775 K Street and Bella’s bedroom on the top floor. The bold print says you can take pictures, but please don’t disturb the residents of the house. You can also find Dr. Cullen’s parking space on 5th street next to the administration building. We stopped Forks Outfitters where Bella used to work, which is inside the Thriftway, where you can buy potatoes, spinach and hiking shoes under the same roof.
After an admittedly short tour de Forks, the nearby rugged coast and the inland dense rain forest, we are here to tell you that the vampires have moved on. Fortunately, the cloudy, rainy, at times stark, and at times complex beauty of the west side of the Olympic peninsula remain unscathed by fame and fortune. If you ever find yourself feeling sullen, deeply introspective, and exceedingly attractive like the stars of Twilight, Forks is right here, still waiting for you.
