Day 8: To Kalaloch

8/13/22

4 am! Good Morning! We backed our bags and head out from Aberdeen to Kalaloch. I was sweep with Andre, which means we were the last to leave and the last to arrive at the new destination. If riders stopped up ahead of us, we waited for them. The first half of the ride was cool, a bit breezy, and a slight drizzle, and it remained that way until lunch, which was 30ish miles into our ride. Since it was an early morning, lunch was a godsend; our stomachs grumbled as we rolled onto the gravel pathway. The spread was sandwiches, fruit, chips, pies, cookies and lots of cake. Halfway through lunch it started to RAIN, Andre and I were cold and wet, but determined to ride.

Our next stop was Olympic Rain Forest, which holds the worlds largest spruce. Ironically as we entered the rain forest, the rain stopped and the sky cleared up. We rode down the winding hills until we came to the Quinault lake…. Breathtaking! The water was clear and calm, and the trees were green and effervescent, I wish the picture did the scenery justice. Next to the lake was the spruce with the fattest bottom in the world.

We continued to ride until we were swept by our safety van and brought to our campsite at Kalaloch. As the van pulled up, we saw our tents directly in front of the pacific. The rest of the night was filled with friends, frisbee, curry dinner, sunsets, campfires, proposals and friends. The PERFECT end to the day.

-Danielle, DW'22