It’s hard to be patient … waiting for spring. But it will come and the trees will all be covered with leaves again, hiding their twigs and branches.
Winter Branches
Snow, Trees and Sky
A final image from the recent visit to Hurricane Ridge (Olympic National Park). I thought you might like to see a more ground level shot. The snow is so compacted that we just walked on the surface. This was our lunch spot … we had a picnic table to sit on … and it was clear of snow.
Hurricane Hill
Hurricane Hill is one of the most visited spots in the Olympic National Park both summer and winter. In summer the trail is paved (and thus accessable) and heavily used. The number of visitors is restricted in the winter because the road to Hurricane Ridge is only open on weekends. At 5757 feet (1755 m) the “hill” is a snowshoe and crosscountry ski destination. This winter there isn’t enough snow for much of that … at least at this point. Hopefully, there will be some winter or spring storms dropping lots more snow.
Winter Elwha Valley Views
These were taken during the recent trip I made to Hurricane Ridge. The view above is looking south down the Elwha River valley at the heart of the Olympic National Park. I have hiked the valley a number of times, and it’s as lovely from ground level as it looks from this elevation. Below is looking more west towards the south end of the Bailey Range. The close valley is the Elwha and on the other side of the ridge running along the other side of the Elwha is Long Creek … the ridge is Long Ridge.
Contorted Shore Pines
These shore pines are contorted by the near constant wind along the Pacific beaches of the Olympic National Park. Easy to tell which way the wind blows.