A mature hemlock forest is a product of antiquity. While their young are poorly equipped to grow in the open, they are uniquely capable of surviving in the shade. So, when an Olympic forest is left undisturbed for many centuries, the patient hemlock, with its progeny, will eventually out survive other species and perpetuate itself indefinitely. This majestic forest was found clinging to the sides of the moist Hoh Valley where man’s only imprint is a trail snaking through the woods. Its impressive 200 ft. tall trees may have had their beginnings in an evolutionary process stretching back 1,000 years!