The Great Olympic Blowdown

We had a windstorm a few weeks ago here at Alderbrook Resort and Spa that made quite a mess. 20 trees fell across our trails, leaving broken bridges and tons of debris in its wake. While I was glad to have job security, I thought I had it tough…

That is until I learned of the Great Olympic Blowdown, which just passed its centennial anniversary. On January 29th of 1921, wind speeds reached nearly 200 miles per hour across the Washington Coast and Olympic Mountains. The storm brought down over $150,000,000 worth of lumber (valued over $2 billion today). 1,500 trees laid across just a 3 mile stretch of road. A firsthand account recalled watching a tree 6 feet wide snap off near ground level, with the top of the tree nowhere to be found.

So next time a tree falls on our trails, I will think back to the poor lads of 1921 that had to cut their way out just to get to town. At least I have a chainsaw.

Safe travels,

MS