Spruce Railroad 12 km Volksmarch on the Olympic Peninsula - Friday, August 4, 2023

High on our list for this trip to the Olympic Peninsula is meeting and hiking with our great friend, Diane Howell Evans. Thanks to her advice, we walked the 12 km Spruce Railroad Volksmarch at Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula. 

The morning was lovely. We were up early because this rails-to-trails hike is very popular. We had to arrive before 9 am to find a parking space close to the trailhead.

Much to our delight, the trail is wide and paved, making it easy for three people to converse while we walked. All along the way, Lake Crescent glistened in the morning sun.

Me and Diane Howell Evans at
the trailhead. [Photo by Bob Alton.]

The railroad was built during the First World War to ship Sitka spruce east to build airplanes for the war effort. It was completed in only six weeks, but the war had ended by then. Trains used the railway until 1960 to haul lumber from the forest to the sawmill. 

The trail runs on or next to the World War I Spruce Railroad bed and pleases the eye with excellent views of Lake Crescent. The Spruce Railroad Trail connects the North Shore and Lyre River trailheads. 

Bob and Diane Howell Evans.

A new tree grows out of a nurse log.

Lake Crescent is a deep, glacier-carved lake.

The lake is commonly reported to be 624' deep. Measurers of that depth from 50 years ago were limited to 624' by their own sounding gear. More recent equipment has measured it at 650', but it may be much deeper in parts. 

Interesting fact: Lake Crescent is home to the Beadslee and Crescenti trout, two types of fish found nowhere else in the world.

There is so much eye candy here that I got my fill of sweet vistas: the sun glimmering on the lake, madrona trees with their peeling bark, the giant coniferous trees, and people out enjoying the day.

Two old railroad tunnels are points of interest on this trail. One tunnel is long enough that you need a flashlight if you want to see where you're putting your feet!

Bob and Diane in front of the first tunnel
(the longest one).

Madrona tree against sapphire blue Lake Crescent.

This trail is easy to walk or bike.

With water this crystal clear, we could see
fish swimming in the shallows.

Diane and I are in front of the second tunnel.

When you exit the second tunnel, there is a piece of broken, twisted rail alongside the trail. (See photo below.)

A short section of the old rail is on the 
left in the photo.

Fireweed.

Lake Crescent is 11.8 miles long.

The inflow source of the lake is Barnes Creek, and the outflow is Lyre River.

This was our 12 km walk turn-around spot.

Horses and bicycles use the trail as well.

On the way back, we took a short side trail to see the Devil's
Punch Bowl instead of going through the long, dark tunnel again.

This trail surface was more rugged.

Devil's Punch Bowl is a lovely, crystal clear, aqua-blue swimming hole. There is a bridge over a deep pool where people were bravely leaping in. The water is frigid; we heard swimmers who jumped in say it took their breath away.

Devil's Punch Bowl climb-out spot.

Bob is on a boulder by Devil's Punch Bowl. 

This is the bridge for the brave swimmers
who want to leap in.

More jumpers may be going in. We didn't stick
around to watch because it took them too long
to think about it.

After 12 km, we made our way back to Diane's car. All of us were very hungry. We stopped at the Fairmount Diner for lunch. Afterward, Diane dropped us off at our truck.

When we returned to the RV park, we moved our 5th wheel, so the guy who had just purchased the other lot could move into it. 

This rented lot looks a lot like the one we moved from!

And then finally, we started packing for the cruise to Alaska on the Norwegian Bliss. We're excited to get together with family and friends for this cruise we've been planning for 1-1/2 years. 

Our petsitter from Rover.com met us at our RV when she got off work. Hadley is qualified to take care of our two cats. She used to be a vet tech, which means she knows how to give a cat insulin. We like her a lot and trust her to take care of Sunnie and JoJo for a week.

Packing for a week in Alaska was no easy task. Weather forecasts predicted cold temperatures, rain, and wind for most of our destinations. We had so much luggage!

For dinner, we used all the fresh produce in the refrigerator and our leftovers. In the morning, we are off to my brother's place where we will meet Michael (our son) to carpool to the parking lot for the ship shuttle. Frank will keep watch over our truck for the week. Thanks, Frank and Gina!

Let the adventure begin!