Ruby Beach — Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012

Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast

Ruby Beach and Kalaloch A three-day weekend was upon us and we wanted to explore a place that would be new for both of us. We had spent time on the Olympic Peninsula but neither of us had ever been to Kalaloch and the surrounding beaches. What a treat! We started with an afternoon hike from Kalaloch Lodge south. The weather forecast called for snow and it was cold, stormy and wet. We hiked with the wind behind us along the beach for about 1 ½ hours until it started snowing. We stopped for a snack of crackers and smoked muscles, hiding behind a huge piece of drift-wood to protect us from the blowing wind. By the time we returned to the lodge, we were cold and wet but thrilled by the blowing snow and dramatic waves. It snowed most of the night and we awakened to a winter wonderland. We rose at dark in order to explore the beach before sunrise. We were the only ones out and the silence of the snow was magical. Coffee in hand, we retraced our steps from the afternoon before and the beach was transformed into a white blanket of snow. Then to our amazement, the sun rose, the clouds parted, and the sun shown. By the time we returned for a late breakfast, we ran into a fellow hiker who had visited Kalaloch every year at this time for fifty years. She had never seen snow and when we told her it was our first time there, she recommended we run out and buy a lottery ticket! Our next adventure of the day was Ruby Beach. By now the sun was brilliant and the tide was at its lowest low of the day. We walked two hours south from Ruby Beach around two large heads to what we think was Beach 4. Jared had a great time taking photos while I scrambled on some of the large rocks that jutted out of the sand. Destruction Island looked destructive indeed. When we returned to Ruby Beach, Jared took advantage of the windless afternoon to skip rocks in the lagoon. We wanted to explore the Hoh River trail where WTA had done a lot of work, but we talked to folks that had driven the valley the day before and they said they could not get close to the trailhead due to snow. So instead, we stopped to enjoy the Big Cedar Tree before returning home. This is a perfect place for family adventures and I look forward to returning soon.