Sol Duc retreat

No computer, no TV, no cell service

Sol Duc resort sits down on the floor of Washington’s Olympic National Park. Sol Duc is said to mean “sparkling water,” and was discovered by non-natives around 1880.

Sitting in the hot sulphur water, about 30 of us watched a man high up on a rickety ladder, replacing a light bulb. It was the most exciting thing going on. About half the conversations were not english. I heard Russian and Korean.

I dropped my head back in the hot pool and looked up at the sky. I saw eagles, ravens, crows, jays, kingfishers, swallows, and robins.

There are three hot pools. One is 96, another is 103, and the hottest is 105, give or take a degree. The swimming pool is 74.

No one looked at phones or tablets so people relaxed or talked to each other. I pulled my phone out to snap a few photos and a man said to me, “why do you have your phone; it’s no good here!” I explained the photo part. Later I saw the same guy on a trail and he said, “gettin’ any good photos?”

If you don’t have the electronics to amuse and distract, you’ll get about 6 hours of free time back. Time goes much slower. I slept long and dreamt vividly. One dream I was with a massage therapist friend and we found a way to climb into the interior of jagged tippy tops of mountain peaks, with ropes to hang from. This was the place where all the jars of fermented foods were stored. I then woke up.

If you ever want to check if you’re dreaming, look at your wristwatch. Instead of 12,1,2,3, etc. it will read something like 3, 2, 9, 12, 5. Time is different in dreams.

In May of 1912, a large fancy hotel opened at Sol Duc. It was a place to soak, play tennis, bowl, and dance. It was grand and elegant. Across from the hotel was a large sanitarium for people to heal with all the fresh air, sparkling water, and sunshine. It was both a vacation destination and wellness facility.

This all went very well until it burned down four years after opening.

Nature is not fragrance free. I smelled pine needles, sulphur, dirt, sunshine, and manure. Salmon, they say, memorize the way their river smells, and this is how they return.
I think about smells that help me come home.

If you meet a cougar, look big and make noise. If you meet a bear, back away and talk in a low voice. If it’s a mountain goat, be loud and throw rocks at it if it becomes aggressive. If you see a mule doing trail work, thank it for its service. There was a warning sign of a bear “frequenting” the area on the trail that I wanted to walk. I was a little nervous but only bumped into a chipmunk, and we both jumped at the sight of each other.

To avoid wasps, bees, and hornets, wear tan and white clothing that is snug fitting. Do not wear loose fitting bright colors.

There are two trails to Sol Duc falls, and both are great. One is a drive to the trail head and it’s .8 miles. The other is Lover’s Lane trial, which starts from the resort. It’s 3 miles each way.

Ancient Groves trail is a short side trail but worth walking through as it passes next to and above Sol Duc river.

I met up with a mule work party. They carried lumber for a platform repair near the falls. This trail was a little dicey, you couldn’t drive anything through- too many trees, non-level areas, creeks, and narrow bridges. The mules picked up their feet and put them down with care. The lumber they toted was 160 lbs.

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It was pretty wild to be unplugged from the world for 48 hours. I ran into some old acquaintances a few days later and they told me how they don’t watch any news. They don’t have a TV, they don’t turn the radio on. I guess they don’t read much either. I hear this from people more than I would expect. My question is, so how do you vote? I saw a bumper sticker that said, “If you don’t vote, you’re making it worse.” I wonder what the salmon would say. They have incredible instincts.