Outdoor Life

Hiking History: Lake Crescent

Legend has it Lake Crescent is haunted. In 1940, some fisherman found a mass floating in the water that ended up being a body. It was perfectly intact, preserved by the near freezing temps of this deep glacially carved lake. The woman’s dead flesh was described eerily as “Ivory Soap” caused by a chemical reaction between the minerals in the lake and the fats in her body.

The woman was identified as Hallie Latham Illingworth, a Kentucky native and waitress at the Lake Crescent Tavern. Three years earlier she had disappeared just before Christmas. She was married to a local man who was well known for his womanizing and who had regularly beat her. It is said that she showed up to work with black eyes and bruises on her neck and arms. Her husband was eventually arrested for her murder, which occurred after a particular fight got too violent and he ended up strangling her to death. Her body was weighed down by weights and thrown into the depths of the lake. She became known as The Lady of the Lake and is still said to haunt the lake that entombed her after her horrific death.

The reason this lake perfectly preserved Hallie’s body and has such frigid temperatures is because of its depth. It is the second deepest lake in Washington after Lake Chelan with a max measured depth of 624 feet, although some unofficial measurements boast depths of over 1000 feet. According to the local native people’s history, Mount Storm King, the mountain that looms over Lake Crescent, was formed because of a battle between two tribes, the Quileute and the Klallam. The Mountain Storm King became angry at the fighting and threw a big boulder at the men. The boulder blocked the river and formed Lake Crescent, killing all of the warriors. Geological history backs up this native story. There is evidence of a landslide occurring that would have been big enough to raise the level of an older smaller lake, into the lake it is today.

The Spruce Railroad Trail, ambling along the northern shore of the lake, is a great place to get to know this lake. The trail has its own history. It was built in 1918 to move highly sought after spruce trees to be used in airplane construction for World War I bi-planes. The war ended before the trees could be used for their intended purpose, but the line remained open for logging until it was abandoned in 1951.

The trail is flat with peek-a-boo views of the sapphire colored water of the lake. The highlights of the trail include a quaint wooden bridge over a crystal clear pool known as the punchbowl, a popular swimming and diving spot. There are also some remnants of former railroad tunnels and even one that has been restored that you can walk through. It is just long and curved enough to get very dark inside for a brief time. I walked through it alone without a headlamp and definitely felt out of my comfort zone in the pitch dark for a minute or two. But I held onto a handrail, scooted a little quicker, and survived to claim a small victory.

Another area to explore is the Storm King ranger station on the western side of the lake. The ranger station made a home of an old settler’s cabin that has been restored over the years. From here there is lake access and a dock, where on a crisp autumn morning, I sat alone for a long while watching fog form and cling to Mount Storm King and Pyramid Peak and disappear. Interestingly, Pyramid Peak once hosted a lookout built in 1942 that was used as a spotter station to spy any possible approaching Japanese aircraft during World War II.

 

There are a few trails that start from the rangers station, including one that heads south across the highway to Mount Storm King and Marymere Falls. The trail crosses Barnes Creek and Falls Creek in deep woods that makes you feel miles from the highway. I had a particularly magical moment watching a young deer on this section of trail that will stick with me for a long time.

After a short distance, the 90 foot high Marymere Falls ribbons down through rock and forest and flows down to a placid creek, punctuated by yellow and orange leaves in the fall. The lovely name was bestowed to the falls by Charles Barnes, a homesteader and member of the Press Expedition through the Olympic Mountains, in honor of his sister Mary Alice Barnes.

 

     

Road Trip

Lake Quinault

The Lake Quinault Lodge on the Olympic Peninsula makes a great spring getaway destination. My husband and I headed there last year about this time. This is the kind of place to go when you wish for a misty rainy day, but last year was dry and we ended up having beautiful sunny weather. We didn’t complain too much.

The historic lodge is v-shaped with open arms to the shores of Lake Quinault. At it’s heart is a giant welcoming fireplace and a large lounge space with big comfy sofas, perfect for curling up and reading a book. Outside the massive yard begs to be walked on with bare feet. Famously, a towering totem pole shaped rain gauge climbs the chimney to measure the rainfall in feet.

Like much of the western Olympic Peninsula, the Quinault is a temperate rain forest. This southwest portion of the peninsula is the wettest, racking up an average of 140 inches a year. That’s almost 12 feet! The area around the lodge is criss-crossed in ten miles worth of trails through the forest.

This is the land of the giants. You may just find yourself under the largest Alaska Cedar, Coast Douglas Fir or Sitka Spruce in all of Washington. You don’t have to go far to feel the majesty and breathe in the energy of the impressive trees.

We wandered a bit further into the valley on the North Fork Quinault River trail. The trail follows the river for what feels like forever into the heart of the Olympics. This trail is just as green and impressive as it’s famous neighbor, the Hoh River trail, but much less crowded. In fact, we only ran into a few people on the 10 miles of trail.

With some trails under our belts, my husband wanted to try some fly fishing on the river. Last year the rivers were extremely low in this area, but he still wanted to see if he could get some nibbles. I’m not much of a fisherwoman (is that a word?). In fact, I’m pretty good at getting the hook anywhere except for in the water.

But I could sit on the banks of a river for hours. Just watching and listening calms me and I love lounging around on the shores and reading a book. But this trip I decided to try something new. I brought my paints and sketchbook and practiced a bit while the sun set.

My sketches were not good but I enjoyed picking out the intricate details of a river smoothed rock or every jagged edge of a tree limb. To sketch a place means to observe it in all it’s being. Like a meditation, it occupies the mind even if just for a little bit. The whole weekend in Quinault was rejuvenating. There is just something energizing about all those trees…

16756185919_c07afa7a83_z

 

510XxP1DgHL._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_A Pacific Northwest Nature Sketchbook by Jude Siegel
From choosing a palette and mixing colors to exercises for perfecting your sketches, Jude takes you through the sketching and watercolor painting process from beginning to finish. She focuses on natural subjects like rocks, trees, water and mountains and sprinkles in many of her own paintings of her favorite places around the northwest. Jude lives in Oregon and teaches workshops. You can find more about her and the book on her website.

 

 

 

 

 

Hikes Featured in this Post:
North Fork Quinault River
Quinault Lodge Loop