On the Way to Second Beach

About 10 years ago we spent several weeks exploring the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington State. This corner of the country is home to rain forests and here, a virgin forest of ancient cedars covered with moss and dripping with foggy condensation. To get to Second Beach, we took a trail through this forest. At times I wondered if we were still on the trail, but there were others, too, bound for the beach.

This forest goes straight out to where the beach meets the forest. One moment you are in a dripping and scary forest, and the next minute, out on a wide flat beach with sea stacks, and behind you, an edge of a forest that all looks the same! Luckily, the exit to the forest and entrance to the beach is clearly marked, otherwise, I doubt few people would make it back to the parking lot.

I don’t think I have ever seen anything as magical as this forest. Nor, do I think, have I ever visited a rain forest. It was very quiet and eerie, but I recall birdsong, dripping water, and the fact it was so quiet even with others nearby. The trail was covered with fallen cedar needles and moss was thick everywhere. A hush pervaded and could be felt like a blanket, yet it was comforting and joyful at the same time. Seeing such beauty reminds us other, older times, and the magic in the natural world.