PORT ANGELES — Jack Nattinger will be in his favorite place on Earth this week.
The 91-year-old, along with a group of family and friends, will hike into the backcountry of the Elwha River Valley to enjoy the area he once roamed as an Olympic National Park ranger.
Nattinger worked in the Elkhorn area of the park in the 1940s.
Among the areas he most cherishes are the Hayes River, Elkhorn and, most of all, the Elwha River — all of which he’ll visit on his four-day hike beginning today.
“I just love the place, and my kids just said I should go once more,” he said.
“I decided I couldn’t go without a horse, so this gal, Susanna, said she could help — and we’re taking off Tuesday at dawn.”
Nattinger has been practicing for a few months to get his riding legs back, said Susanna Ricks, a family friend and the “gal” who organized the horses for the trip.
“Once we had him up there [riding], he was just beaming — he was so happy to be back on a horse,” Ricks said.
