The next morning, we drove to the Hoh Rain Forest. This spectacular example of a temperate rainforest receives up to 12 feet annual precipitation, which helps foster the giant conifers that dominate the forest. The Hoh also sustains a variety of maples, which host an abundance of epiphytes (plants growing upon other plants). Here, Chris stands next to a colossal Bigleaf Maple.


A plethora of mosses, lichen, ferns, and other plants compete for space and limited sunlight in the branches…


and the forest floor. Gazing upon this ethereal scene, I couldn't help but envision fairies flitting about (If you've never seen the movie "Fern Gully", go rent it today!)


Born high on glacier-capped Mount Olympus and fed by snowmelt and rain, the Hoh River descends 7,000 feet to the Pacific Ocean. It gets its milky, slate blue color from glacier flour, the sediment that the glacier has ground from rocks.