At Fort Worden State Park there is a small garden of rhododendrons. The first ones are in bloom in mid-March and they continue through the spring. It’s nice to be able to visit and see some signs that the more monochrome winter is actually being replaced by springtime colors.
It’s still winter (we got snow on February 27th), but we are all looking forward to spring and the blooms of wild and domestic plants. (the snow smashed my crocus) But there’s still some reminders from last year’s summer blooms, like this remnant ocean spray that was catching some sunlight through a gap in the tree cover.
Nice to see these blossoms out the other day … but then we had another couple inches of snow. But that’s springtime weather too, I guess. Well, early spring, anyway.
I think this may be a Pacific Fritillary, but it doesn’t look completely like the photo in my guide book. Some of the fritillaries I’ve taken photos of in the past look very close to the book, so I’m cautious.
One of the most heavily hiked trails in the Olympic National Park is the High Divide trail. The High Divide is a section of the ridge between the Sol Duc and Hoh Rivers. Overnight reservation permits are required and get booked up months in advance.
The first section of the High Divide loop follows the Sol Duc River Trail and then heads up along Bridge Creek (which is not easily accessible at most locations). The image above shows the trail climbing from Sol Duc Park to Heart Lake (shown below). I have hiked the trail to Heart Lake several times without continuing along the rest of the High Divide loop. The reasons to do so usually involve weather … or, early in the season) lots of snow left on the ridgeline.
The trail to Heart Lake climbs up into and through some of the finest samples of mountain meadows in the Olympics. (see above) There are many small streams, keeping the flowers well watered and providing a water source for thirsty hikers.
On the return, it is worth the short side trip to Sol Duc Falls (shown below).
