Lake Quinault, You’ve Caught My Heart
© 2022 Nicholas Swatz
Imagine it: You slowly come around the last bend of your drive and your tires crunch the gravel as you find a place to park beneath a giant hemlock. The pitter patter of a light northwest drizzle taps your windshield as you open the car door and your senses are flooded by the petrichor and ancient fir trees. The vibrant green moss that surrounds the entrance to the trailhead entices you to begin your journey. You’re here. The Quinault Rainforest.
© 2022 Nicholas Swatz
You take your first step on the trail and the sound of crunching cedar beneath your feet transports you to a bygone era of a somehow not-so-distant past. It’s all so humbling, walking through this sacred space. Every single inch seems to be covered in lush, green moss. As you approach a roaring waterfall, you’re reminded of why this is: Quinault Rainforest sees an average of 12 feet of rain per year.
Though it seems like the trailhead must be miles away through these dense woods and ferns, you remind yourself that the river is only inviting you to follow it along its journey to the lake, and you must follow.
Along you go, taking in the misty rain, the wisdom of ancient trees, the “circle of life” of it all as you pass a gigantic spruce that fell victim to a windstorm long before our time here, and is now covered with new mammoth trees. It reminds you that our time here is short in the grand scheme of it all, but our impact can last forever.
© 2022 Nicholas Swatz
© 2022 Nicholas Swatz
© 2022 Nicholas Swatz
The flowing water pulls you back in time as you get closer and closer to your destination. The worries of today seem to to float right out of your head as you continue to walk. Perhaps it’s the fresh air, or the stroll through nature. Perhaps it’s the power of the medicine all around you. You notice a bright yellow flower rears its head from the stream: beautiful, but foul-smelling. The original people of this land would’ve used this skunk cabbage, its strong roots for baskets to hold their catches of salmon, and a poultice from the leaves to soothe headaches and sore muscles.
© 2022 Nicholas Swatz
In fact, the original people of the Quinault Rainforest Valley would have found these forests and waters robust with food and resources, and because of the mild climate, life here would have truly been quiet and simple with much room to take in the incomparable view.
Lake Quinault has definitely made its way up the list of “must visit” places when I get stressed out. It’s impossible to bring worry with you here, and in my opinion, it remains one of PNW’s most beautiful little corners.