My solo hike

On Monday I went on my first solo hike in the Olympics. I was looking at a map of the Olympics and I realized that despite having gone hiking there every year since I learned how to walk, I still have not been on the vast majority of the trails. There is still so much of the Olympics that I haven't even seen. So rather than sit around like I've been doing most Monday Tuesdays, I decided to go hiking. My trail was a 7 mile trek up to Royal Lake located in the North-East corner of the park where I would camp and than come back the next day. I expected it to be rainy, so I packed everything in plastic bags. On Monday morning, as I started driving out, it was rainy. But after I crosses the Hood Canal bridge, it lessened up, and even stopped. At the Ranger Station in Port Angeles I got a Bear Canister and the Ranger told me to be careful of snow on the road and the trail. As soon as I started hiking it became apparent that neither was going to be a problem. The path was a little soggy, and as I got higher, it even started to snow a little bit. Must have been one of the first snows of the season. The higher I climbed the more the snow stuck to the leaves and grasses until it was even on the path. I met one guy coming down, the only other person I saw, and he seemed disappointed with the weather, I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I got to Royal Lake earlier than I expected, I didn't have a watch, but there was still a lot of light, so I continued up the path hoping to find a campsite with a better view. But the snow just kept getting deeper and the trees sparser, so after enjoying the view I want back to the lake. That night was cold. I guess my sleeping bag was inside out or something because I could not stay warm. I spent most of the night fantasizing about turning on the heat in the car. The next morning everything was frozen. The path crunched underfoot and there was a skin on all the puddles and part of the lake. The sky had also cleared up and much of it was blue. I enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the car and promptly turned on the heat. I posted the photos on facebook, you guys should all go look at them.