A few days after returning from Hurricane Ridge, I went for a small day hike in another area of the Olympic National Park, Staircase, which skirts the Skokomish River. Densely forested, with gorgeous mosses blanketing the forest floor and surrounding trees, I hadn’t visited the area in several years. A beautiful new suspension bridge has been installed after a winter storm washed the old one away several years ago. The bridge completes a nice and easy hiking loop which crossing the river and follows its banks there and back again. I was accompanied by friend Avi, who gladly took me up on a dare involving touching the Dog Vomit Slime Mold. Yes, this is a thing that totally exists and yes, it is absolutely disgusting, which makes me want to poke at it with sticks all the more. We also saw a ton of gorgeous Indian Pipe which is otherworldly in appearance and has many medicinal uses.
