Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall — Tuesday, May. 13, 2014

Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast

The night of May 13th, 2014 was was full moon, and I set out to get some moonlit landscape photos. Over near Forks, WA of course a full moon means vampires and werewolves were active, however I didn't see that option under 'trail issues'. A friend and I hiked from the trail-head at Rialto Beach toward Hole In the Wall. We headed out during a low tide, and returned around midnight during a high tide. The tide came up quick while we were on the North side of the Hole, and we had to skirt along a tight ridge of slippery rocks to make it back to the South side. There is a little trail that goes up and over rock formation, in the trees. It's tight and steep though, and may not be for everyone, but in case you get stuck by the tide it may be your only option. We were stoked to have clear skies and a full moon, and to sit around watching the stars and moonlight wash over the sea stacks. It was a fun night for photography. On the way back, we had to contend with some large waves and high tide, and skirted along some driftwood in a few spots. If the swell or tide was any bigger we may have been stuck for the night. I think it was a 6 foot high tide and about a 3-5 foot swell.