The Olympic Mountains are not very high -- Mount Olympus, the highest, is just under 8,000 feet -- but they rise almost from the water's edge and intercept moisture-rich air masses that move in from the Pacific. As this air is forced over the mountains, it cools and releases moisture in the form of rain or snow. At lower elevations rain nurtures the forests while at higher elevations snow adds to glacial masses that relentlessly carve the landscape. The mountains wring precipitation out of the air so effectively that areas on the northeast corner of the peninsula experience a rain shadow and get very little rain. The town of Sequim gets only 17 inches a year, while less than 30 miles away Mount Olympus receives some 200 inches falling mostly as snow.

A number of new theories have been presented recently regarding the origin of the Olympics. Geologists continue to discover new information that contributes to the debate. The following theory is one that has been traditionally accepted for a number of decades.

These mountains have arisen from the sea. For eons, wind and rain washed sediments from the land into the ocean. Over time these sediments were compressed into shale and sandstone. Meanwhile, vents and fissures opened under the water and lava flowed forth, creating huge underwater mountains and ranges called seamounts. The plate(s) that formed the ocean floor inched toward North America about 35 million years ago and most of the sea floor went beneath the continental land mass. Some of the sea floor, however, was scraped off and jammed against the mainland, creating the dome that was the forerunner of today's Olympics. Powerful forces fractured, folded, and over-turned rock formations, which helps explain the jumbled appearance of the Olympics.

Radiating out from the center of the dome, streams, and later a series of glaciers, carved peaks and valleys, creating the beautiful, craggy landscape we know today. Ice Age glacial sheets from the north carved out the Strait of Juan Fuca and Puget Sound, isolating the Olympics from nearby landmasses.

Surrounded on three sides by water and still crowned by alpine glaciers, the Olympics retain the distinctive character that developed from their isolation. Several plants and animals are unique to the Olympics -- examples of how genetic diversification occurs when geographical isolation exists. The most striking example is the Olympic marmot, with its distinct chromosonal and behavioral patterns. Others included Flett's violet, Piper's bellflower, Olympic Mountain synthyris, Olympic chipmunk, Olympic snow mole, and Beardslee and Cresceti trout, as well as others.

The Ocean

More than 60 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline form a vital component of Olympic National Park. This coastline has remained little changed except for the impact of the pounding surf and storms. It looks much as it did when American Indians built their villages thousands of years before European explorers arrived. Today the Hoh, Jamestown S'Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Skokomish, Quileute and Quinault continue to live along the peninsula's shores where their ancestors arrived so long ago.

If you squat down and spend some time just looking, you will be amazed at what you see as your eyes start ferreting out objects that look like rocks, but which in fact are small sea animals. Slowly extending your horizon, you may see some raccoons feeding on shellfish that are reachable now that the tide is out and the danger of the surf is withdrawn. You are likely to find the footprints of shore birds all over the beach, but you will also find those of bear, deer, raccoons, river otters, and a host of other creatures.

The sheer quantity of flotsam and jetsam cast upon the beach is astonishing. Probably the most exotic are the glass floats that Japanese fishermen use to support their nets. It takes the ocean currents about one year to carry the floats across the Pacific to the Washington coast. Among the debris cast upon the shores are huge trees felled from inland stream bank sites by rushing rivers and washed out to sea. They are repeatedly thrown and banged against sand and rock. Limbs are removed and trunks are sanded smooth by the action of the waves. Finally a great storm may toss them high on the beach to join many others.

The Forest

There are four basic types of forests on the Olympic peninsula: Temperate rain forest, lowland, montane, and subalpine.

Temperate rain forest is found at low elevations along the Pacific Ocean coast and in the western-facing valleys of the peninsula where lots of rain, moderate temperatures, and summer fogs exist. Sitka spruce is the dominant tree, but trees typical of the lowland forest also grow here, including western redcedar.

The lowland forest grows further inland from the coast, and above the rain forest valleys. You will not find Sitka spruce here, but you may see grand fir. Western hemlock will probably be the most common tree, although stands of Douglas-fir may prevail where fire or drier conditions caused by the rain shadow give these trees an advantage. Western redcedar is never an abundant tree, but its gradual disappearance is a true indicator that the upper limits of this zone have been reached.

Gradually the lowland forest gives way to the montane forest. Unless you are an expert you may have difficulty recognizing when the change occurs. If silver fir is present you know that you have moved into the montane zone, but in drier parts of the park, the montane zone may look much like the lowland forest, with the exception that the western redcedar will no longer be present.

As elevation increases, temperatures cool and more moisture falls as snow; growing seasons get shorter and the subalpine zone takes over. Silver fir grows here as well as in the montane zone, and in the western portion of the park may be prevalent. The presence of subalpine fir, mountain hemlock, or Alaska cedar groves assure you that this is the subalpine zone. The lower portion of the subalpine zone consists of continuous forest, but in the upper part of this zone the forest thins out. Delightful alpine meadows graced with wildflowers and glacial lakes often intermingle with stands of firs. Subalpine fir is especially well adapted to the heavy snows and cold temperatures experienced here. Its spire-like shape sheds snow. It also extends its lower branches under the snow, often putting down roots from them where they touch the ground. When the snow melts the trees may be surrounded by skirt-like arrangements of longer, lower branches.

Increasing elevation causes even more severe climatic conditions. Trees become fewer, shorter, and more misshapen. Trees may be mere shadows of their cousins living lower down the mountain. Here a 100-year-old tree may be only three feet tall. Eventually tree line is reached, beyond which trees do not grow, but a profusion of wildflowers often rewards your eye in a vivid display that is an effective foil to the scenery below, now visible because the trees no longer block the view.

From seashore to mountaintop Olympic is blessed with an incredibly rich plant community created by varying environments.

The Rain Forest

The temperate rain forest in the valleys of the Quinault, Queets, and Hoh rivers are protected and contain some of the most spectacular examples of the Sitka spruce community. This ecosystem stretches along the coast from Oregon to Alaska; other temperate rain forests are found in several isolated areas throughout the world. What defines a rain forest quite simply is rain--lots of it. Precipitation here ranges from 140 to 167 inches -- 12 to 14 feet -- every year. The mountains to the east also protect the coastal areas from severe weather extremes. Seldom does the temperature drop below freezing in the rain forest and summertime highs rarely exceed 80 F. The dominant species in the rain forest are Sitka spruce and western hemlock; some grow to tremendous size, reaching 300 feet in height and 23 feet in circumference. Douglas-fir, western redcedar, bigleaf maple, red alder, vine maple, and black cottonwood are also found throughout the forest. Nearly every bit of space is taken up with a living plant.

Glaciers

Glacial ice is one of the foremost scenic and scientific values of Olympic National Park.

There are about 266 glaciers crowning the Olympics peaks; most of them are quite small in contrast to the great rivers of ice in Alaska. The prominent glaciers are those on Mount Olympus covering approximately ten square miles. Beyond the Olympic complex are the glaciers of Mount Carrie, the Bailey Range, Mount Christie, and Mount Anderson. In the company of these glaciers are perpetual snowbanks that have the superficial appearance of glacial ice. Because they are lacking in the criteria below, they are not true glaciers.

True glaciers are structurally three layered bodies of frozen water. The top layer is snow; the middle neve, or mixed snow and ice; and the bottom layer is of pure ice, which is quite plastic in nature. Crevasses or deep cracks in the glaciers form as the ice is subjected to uneven flow over alpine terrain. Another structural feature is the bergschrund, which is a prominent crevasse-like opening at the head of the glacier where the ice has been pulled away from the mountain wall.

The rate of glacial flow is quite variable and Olympic glaciers are "slow-moving" in contrast to some in Alaska, which occasionally move at the rate of several hundred feet per day for short periods of time. There is no great advance of Olympic glaciers today, but there is not a rapid melting back of the ice either. Forward surges in glacial flow often occur after a number of very heavy winters and cool summers, but such activity has been relatively infrequent with Olympic glaciers in recorded time.

The climate influencing Olympic glaciers is wet and temperate. This is clearly shown in the Mount Olympus complex of glaciers which receive the full impact of Pacific storms. The average annual precipitation is about two hundred inches; most of the moisture coming in the form of snow. Snow nurtures the glaciers in the accumulation zone or at the origin of the ice. Most of the melting or ablation occurs near the termini or snouts of the glaciers. A vigorous glacier will be maintained by a heavy accumulation of snow in the winter and only average melting during the summer. The freezing point in late spring and precipitation in early fall appear to be critical items in relation to this gain and loss. Excessive melt before and after the normal melt season would result in an impoverished budget for the following year.

The movement of glacial ice, past and present has produced striking geological features in the Olympic mountains. The lake basins, U-shaped valleys, and jagged peaks are the products of massive glacial erosion that occurred many thousand of years ago when the year around climate was much colder. This erosion process continues today, but on a much smaller scale. As glaciers advance and retreat, rock is plucked, transported, and deposited by moving ice. The deposition of rock results in medial (middle), lateral (side), and terminal (end) moraines. In many cases, a glacially created bowl (cirque) at the head of a valley will be dammed by a terminal moraine to create a lake basin. The finely ground rock created by the glaciers often makes the glaciated rivers look milky when the glaciers are melting.

The glaciers on Mount Olympus, especially the Blue Glacier have been studied intensely since 1957 by scientific groups seeking valuable data on the composition of an Olympic glacier and how the ice responds to the climate from one year to the next.

Access to the Olympic glaciers is by trails and cross country routes. The most visited glaciers in the Park are the Blue and Anderson. From the Hoh Rain Forest, the upriver Hoh River Trail leads eighteen miles up to the snout of Blue Glacier. Anderson Glacier can be reached by hiking the Dosewallips River Trail for eleven miles or from the west side by the East Fork of the Quinault River for sixteen miles. To visit the other glaciers requires more mountaineering knowledge and time.

Travel on glacial ice is a specialized skill of mountaineering requiring the basic use of climbing rope, ice axe, crampons, and good judgment by the individual climber when accompanied by experienced leaders. The presence of snow bridged crevasses on glaciers is a very great hazard to climbers and no one should attempt glacier travel alone. Self evacuation from a deep, steep walled crevasse is nearly impossible.

The National Park Service hopes that you will have many opportunities to visit the glaciers of Olympic National Park or to view their ice splendor from such vantage points as Hurricane Ridge and Deer Park, which is a rewarding experience in itself.

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