By Nikolaj Lasbo, Digital/Social Marketing Manager

One of the first things our group saw as we dropped down into the silted banks near the mouth of the Hoh River were cloven-hoof tracks.

Strange tracks along the river's bank. Photo by Nikolaj Lasbo/TNC

Looking downriver toward the mouth, we saw a familiar outline that could only belong to one animal well-familiar to our Olympic Peninsula staff: the Hoh llama, which we’ve now dubbed “Tina.”

The "Hoh River Llama" at the mouth of the Hoh River. Photo by Nikolaj Lasbo/TNC

If you remember from a few months ago, Forest Manager Kyle Smith stumbled across the same llama much farther upriver at our Hoh River Reserve. The Llama crossed the river nearly two years ago and has naturalized into the Hoh landscape—now a sightseer of the Hoh Rainforest’s best attractions.

We came to sightsee as well on a journey around critical areas in the Hoh River Valley and surrounding areas. Nature Conservancy in Washington staff stopped by the new Hoh River Recreation and Conservation Area, land transferred to us in June from the Hoh River Trust. Alongside the bright blue waters of the Hoh, large trees dangling with hanging moss and ferns create a fantastical, lush setting to explore.