When we plan out our week-long hiking trips with friends Chad and Shannon, we usually compile a list (okay, a spreadsheet, because I’m a nerd) of hikes we are interested in, and then once we arrive in our destination and survey the area, the weather, the trail conditions, and our overall itinerary, we start prioritizing hikes. Sometimes we are able to hit them all, and sometimes we have to pick and choose.
And we are all pretty old school, so my husband always brings a paper map, and we have stickers and arrows and notes in marker all over the place as a way to literally map out our itinerary and destination routes.
So far on our Olympic National Park trip, we’d done numerous hikes, but most of them were quite short or very easy, and so it felt like we needed to get at least one substantial hike in on this trip.
Mount Storm King Hike vs. Lake Angeles Hike
One of the hikes we frequently heard or read about going into our trip to Olympic National Park was Mount Storm King. It was advertised as a four-mile strenuous hike with 2,000 feet of elevation gain, with steep ropes at the summit, and the possibility of snow. I was game to try it, but not everyone in our party felt the same, so we started to consider options for a Plan B hike.
I came across some other bloggers talking about how they’d done Mount Storm King, but they preferred the underrated hike to Lake Angeles. Their opinion was that Mount Storm King was a lot of effort and the payoff wasn’t commensurate, and that the Lake Angeles hike was slightly less challenging but more enjoyable and rewarding. So, I made the suggestion to our group.
The Lake Angeles hike would be roughly the same amount of elevation gain as the Mount Storm King hike, but just under eight miles round trip, which is about twice as long as the Mount Storm King hike, making the Lake Angeles hike less steep. So, we decided that’s what we’d do.
Lake Angeles Hike
We got up that morning at our vacation rental in Forks, WA, our basecamp for our Olympic National Park hiking trip, ate breakfast, grabbed snacks, and headed east to Port Angeles, WA, and onto Hurricane Ridge Road to the trailhead for the Lake Angeles hike.
On our way to the trailhead, we drove past Lake Crescent again, and we were compelled to make an unplanned stop because it was incredibly glassy.
After spending several minutes at Lake Crescent, we continued on our way to the trailhead for the Lake Angeles hike.
Even though this hike was reportedly easier than the hike to Mount Storm King, the entire route up to Lake Angeles was a steady uphill climb. I don’t think any stretch of the trail offered a reprieve. It was a little bit grueling and we were all happy to reach the lake.
But we did get to see some unique flowers, a mushroom, and even a small toad along the route.
We even encountered a really pretty creek crossing while on the hike to Lake Angeles.
After what felt like an endless climb, we finally made it up to a partially frozen Lake Angeles, where we took a break, had our snacks, captured some photos, and then started back down.
I think all of us were happy to return to the trailhead after this one!
| Lake Angeles | |
|---|---|
| Total Distance | 7.78 mi |
| Total Time | 4:04:44 |
| Total Ascent | 2,474 ft |
| Max Elevation | 4,257 ft |
Bowling at Sunset Lanes in Forks, WA
After the Lake Angeles hike, we headed back to our basecamp in Forks, WA, where my husband and I executed the prank we had planned for this trip months prior.
Rewind to when we were all discussing our plans and itineraries in advance, Chad asked us if we ever went bowling. We said, “Well, we aren’t bowlers, but we are open to going bowling.” He explained that through his research, he found that Forks had a bowling alley, so on one of the open evenings, we could consider fitting in a round. We agreed that sounded fun.
From that brief discussion, the wheels in my and my husband’s heads were turning. After a bit of hilarious brainstorming, we came up with an idea to get matching custom bowling shirts made that we would spring on Chad and Shannon on the night we were to go to the bowling alley.
I searched and searched online for just the right vintage-looking shirts on which we could also get custom lettering. As if the ridiculous matching shirts weren’t enough, we decided that three of us would have “I’m with Chad” printed on ours, and then Chad’s shirt would read “I’m Chad.” So, we traveled with these custom, matching shirts and kept them hidden until near the end of our trip, when we suggested we’d better get our night of bowling in before we run out of time.
So, we all retreated to our rooms to get cleaned up from our hike and change clothes for bowling. My husband and I donned our red and black bowling shirts and casually walked out into the living room, where Chad and Shannon were waiting. They looked up at us and immediately started laughing. And we assured them they would not be left out, and revealed their shirts. Once they read the shirts, the laughter got out of control. So, at around 6:00 pm on a Thursday, all four of us marched out to our vehicle to depart for the Forks bowling alley.
We knew we looked absolutely ridiculous, especially in broad daylight, but we did not expect the hilarity that ensued inside the bowling alley.
The four of us approached the entrance, opened the door, and all five people who were inside turned and stared at us. You could almost hear the record needle scratch.
Immediately, the bearded fellow, who was wearing suspenders and no filter, said out loud in a very serious and staccato tone, “What. Is. This.”
We could not contain our composure.
That same bearded fellow then asked with an element of concern, “Am I bowling for my soul?”
Perhaps it was the “Twilight” influence coming into play by one of the Forks locals, but apparently, our red and black shirts channeled underworld thoughts. We laughed even harder. Mistaking us for a legitimate bowling team, the guy working the counter asked us if we had traveled with our bowling balls and shoes or if we needed to rent them. Again, we laughed and explained that we weren’t even bowlers, so yes, we would need to rent both.
It turns out, we are terrible bowlers, but it was a super entertaining time for the nine of us at Sunset Lanes bowling alley that early evening. (Oh, and of course, Chad won.)
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