Hoh!

Here's how I pictured Washington: Green from all the rain, lots of mountains that aren't quite as dramatic as the Rockies and rugged beaches.

What I didn't picture was mossy trees in a huge North American rain forest. But that's what I saw a whole lot of -- especially on the Olympic Peninsula's Hoh Rain Forest.

The place is surreal. Even in February, it was lush, green and humid. Hundreds of elk darted in and out of the trees as my friend Chuck and I walked along the muddy dirt trail. The Hoh River babbled mere feet from us.

Gorgeous waterfalls trickled down from the Olympic Mountains. Huge trees had fallen decades ago and stretched sometimes 100 feet along the trail. Their massive roots curled 20 feet into the air.

The 17-mile trail eventually leads to Mt. Olympus. We didn't follow it nearly that far. Instead, we stopped at 5-mile Island -- a rocky piece of land jutting out into the river.

The trail itself is a good adventure. We had to jump creeks at certain points and crawl over those big downed trees. Even though the trail wasn't too steep, it's still a strenuous 10-mile haul.

The best part: The trip back to Seattle takes you through Olympia, where you can eat at Old School Pizzeria.

The details:
Hoh Rainforest Trail, from the visitor center to 5-mile Island
Location: About 20 miles southeast of Forks, Wash.
Length: 10 miles
Beginning elevation: 200 feet
Peak elevation: 700 feet
Difficulty (out of 5): 2