The Other Side: Finally Meeting the Pacific

"Do you have a bucket list before you leave Seattle?"

This is a question I have gotten a few times over the last month. And the honest answer is, no, not really. Sorry Seattle, but there isn't really anything you have to offer that I have not already seen or done. There is only one thing I wanted to do before I moved back to the East Coast, and it actually had nothing to do with the city.

I wanted to see the Pacific Ocean.

Now before you say "Katie, you live in Seattle, the ocean is right there!", NO. The Puget Sound is not the Pacific Ocean. Not the same.

Anyways as a final hurrah and a trip to say goodbye to the Pacific Northwest, my friend Hilary and I went on a trip into the Olympic Peninsula for three days.  A lot happened in those three days, some of which I want to share, but that is for later. This is about the ocean and me.

The second night of our trip, Hilary and I set out to make my dream come true. We were staying at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort in the Olympic National Park, which is roughly an hour and a half drive to our destination: La Push Reservation. That name might be familiar to you if you ever read a Twilight book. My 16 year old self would have been very excited to visit this place for very different reasons than I am now.

Getting to the reservation involved driving through a series of very dense pine forests. That seemed to stretch on forever. We knew we wanted to have dinner at this restaurant in the main town, but we also wanted to make it to one of the beaches in the reservation.

It should be noted we had absolutely zero internet signal this entire trip, so it was mostly us wandering around with a vague idea of things were.

We eventually managed to find the entrance to the trail to make it down to Second Beach, which is the most famous in the area.

You have probably seen pictures of this beach before, an arch in one of the rock formations there is one of the most photographed stone arches in the world!

*cough* This is the arch.

The trail was short and pleasant. It goes through the woods and had a lot of interesting trees that had magnificent root structures growing above ground. There was a steep hill going down to the beach, and when you emerge from the woods you have to immediately climb over enormous drift wood. I am talking fully grown massive trees.

Then there is the beach.

Sand beaches are pretty rare for the Washington Coast (or so I have been told), and this one was absolutely perfect. The wide expanse of glittering sand stretched fairly far in either direction, and just offshore were massive rock islands (not sure that is the right word for this) that jutted far out of the sea. It was, quite simply, stunning. It was a clear and sunny day, and the sun had just begun its descent, meaning everything was very bright (and the rocks in the my pictures are very dark).

There were quite a few people on the beach, but it wasn't crowded. It seemed like people were gathering to watch the sunset.

I was taking as many pictures as I could, but mostly trying to take it in. I was finally at the Pacific Ocean, and was overwhelmed with that feeling you only get when standing on a shore looking out into the endless expanse of an ocean, knowing that there is absolutely nothing but water for thousands of miles in front of you. I felt very small, like a child, absolutely in awe of what was before me. I had to touch it. It's not enough to be there, I had to feel the water in my hand. Spoiler alert, it was cold, but I was absolutely delighted. I ended up chasing the waves back and forth like a little kid, taking pictures of sea foam and otherwise just being a goof.

Very important sea foam

Weirdly enough I am not a water person per say. I am not a strong swimmer, and I hate being on boats, but being near the water gives me energy and puts me at peace at the same time. Living away from water, whether it be a lake, river, ocean, what have you, makes me pretty miserable.

This beach centered me, awoke that deep connection to the land beneath my feet I have always felt and often lose when I spent too much time in a city. I didn't want to leave. Unfortunately, Hilary and mine's stomachs had other ideas. Because of our need to feed, we could not stay as long as we would of liked. However my brief time with the Pacific was not over. As I mentioned, the restaurant we wanted to go to was right on the shore, next to the town harbor.

They had beautiful large windows overlooking the ocean, and we managed to get the last table of the night. The sun slowly made its way towards the horizon, and by the time we were ready to leave, it was a full blown sun set.

A sunset over the ocean. This is something that doesn't happen on the east coast. It is something I have always wanted to see, always longed for. And now it was there, lighting up the harbor I stood in.

I am very lucky to have stood where I stood, and seen what I have seen. I am very grateful to have been able to have this experience (Thank you Hilary for driving me out there), it is one I will cherish forever. When everything is crazy, the world is falling to pieces, and change is rocking my world, these are the memories I cling to, that keep me balanced.

I hope to see the Pacific again someday, but for now, this brief acquaintance will have to do.