Images of Olympic National Park Coastline – Northwestern Washington, taken in May 2017.

A thin band of sand beaches, towering rock formations jutting out from the sea and wooded wilderness make up the Olympic National Park Coastline. There are numerous points to view and hike all giving a person the tranquil sound of the waves washing onto sand or rocky beaches and the ocean breezes blowing inland giving the air that unmistakable salty smell.

I worked my way to two of these serene spots; Ruby and Rialto Beaches. Ruby Beach is one of the more visited beaches because it is right off of US 101, part of the famous Pacific Coast Highway. Rialto Beach, just north of La Push and the Quileute Indian Reservation, takes a little more planning to get to but is still easy to reach. Once there I began to walk toward one of its more well-known features, Split Rock, when I came upon an obstacle, rushing water flowing into the sea. It was either get wet or turn back. As I looked for my best “get wet” option a hiker named Gary came along and we surveyed the area in front of us. It was clear that Gary knew the landscape and had been here before. He was on a mission, you see he came out here often not only to explore but to pick up all the plastics he could and haul them back to the trash bins where they belonged. After telling him my story he invited me to tag along and he became my personal tour guide leading us to a trail up and over the Hole-in-the-Wall toward Cape Johnson, a trail I would have never know had existed, leading to a view of the beach I would have never seen.

Gary brought back a full garbage bag full of plastics and trash of all kinds earning my respect and strengthening my belief in mankind; true everyday heroes, they’re out there folks…