description=Relentless rain, crashing waves, and ever-present tides erode this once solid piece of basalt on Sooes Beach in Olympic National Park in Washington. What remains are pockets of sand with a metallic gold luster. The coastal portion of Olympic National Park encompasses some 50 miles of rugged and pristine Pacific waterfront. Many types of terrain are here: stretches of beach made of fine-grain sand, cliff-backed beaches of coarse-grain sand, and slippery boulders covered with seaweed, barnacles, and anemones. ìÄ
