King Tides Transform the Shoreline at the Mouth of the Elwha River

We could hardly believe our eyes! What happened to the sandy spit at the mouth of the Elwha River? It had vanished since our last hike with our Elkhound just three weeks earlier!

I wanted to show my sister, Janett, who was visiting with us for two nights during the Christmas Holidays some our favorite hikes near where we live in Sequim, Washington. The Mouth of the Elwha River where it empties into the Salish Sea was top on our list of destinations. Although the weather was predicted to be rainy, we were fortunate to have partly cloudy skies, no rain and calm winds. So, we loaded up Skye, our three-plus year-old Elkhound into her pet carrier in our Subaru Outback, climbed in, and I drove the short 35-mile distance west on Highway 101 passing through Port Angeles then 112, which is a magnificently scenic journey. Upon our arrival, we were shocked at what we saw! The pounding surf following a series of King Tides, a Bomb Cyclone, and rainstorms fueled by atmospheric river events had swallowed up the sandy spit on the other side of the Elwha River where it empties into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This popular surfing location was rendered virtually un-surfable! And the long beach on the west side of the mouth of the Elwha River, with deep, sandy deposits left by the demolition of the Elwha River Dam, normally strewn with large and small pieces of driftwood, the smaller more exotic pieces used for driftwood creations by local artisans was transformed with dozens of intact trees with giant root balls speckling the beach. Yet, the dramatic changes by nature made for an fascinating adventure for us all!