It’s getting colder and staying damp … signs that autumn is starting to move into winter. The first snowflakes of the fall/winter are in the forecast for this weekend (but temps too warm for it to stick around long). I saw this image and it reminded me that the warm, sunny weather will come again. This is the Upper Dungeness in the Olympic National Forest in the eastern corner of the Olympic Peninsula.
The Dungeness River runs north out of the Olympic Mountains into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There are no dams and the water is clear (no glaciers in this section of the Olympics). The Upper Dungeness trail runs along the river for the first couple miles before climbing to higher elevation. It is a very pleasant hike, the river cools the air even on warm days.
This is the view north from Constance Pass, the divide between the Dosewallips valley and (above) the Dungeness River Valley. You can just make out some of Vancouver Island around the Victoria area across the Strait of Juan De Fuca. This area is mostly in the Buckhorn Wilderness area of the Olympic National Forest, not in the Olympic National Park.
Along the ridge near Constance Pass are a couple of rock shelters (shown below). I haven’t been able to track down their origin. However, they must have provided a welcome windbreak during stormy weather.
Took a hike up the Dungeness River in the North Olympics. This was the view from our lunch spot. What really amazed me about this image was the huge boulder on the left bank that is covered with ferns. I wish I had carried a telephoto lens …