Just getting tired of photos of cool, damp weather. I need to get out into the mountains to soothe my soul. This is one of my favorite hikes … the North Fork Skokomish trail. It was the route that the first (white) explorers followed crossing the southern Olympics in the late 19th century. I enjoy it for the lush greenery … and the fact that you can hike for miles without having to climb a ridge.
The photo above is taken from the Staircase Loop Bridge across the North Fork Skokomish in Olympic National Park. Below is taken from the Loop Trail about half way between the bridge and the trailhead at Staircase.
Starting off in the early morning in the high country of the Olympics, it can be a little be chilly, even in the summer. When I took this image, I thought there was something odd looking through the viewfinder. After clicking the image, I checked the lens and it had acquired a thin layer of condensation on the lens. I cleaned the lens, but the image was a keeper anyway. This is the West Fork Dosewallips trail … frequently hiked by folks coming up the East Fork Quinault and crossing Anderson Pass and exiting the Dosewallips Trail on a cross Olympic National Park hike. (we were dayhiking up LaCrosse Pass from Honeymoon Meadow)
The old picnic table sits near the beginning of the East Fork Quinault Trail that runs up to the Enchanted Valley and Anderson Pass in Olympic National Park. The road used to continue to this point, but it is now trail. The table sits so close to the trailhead that once folks are ‘loaded up’ there isn’t much interest in taking a break at this point. So it’s abandoned to the moss and lichen and time is working its magic.
One of the challenges of camping/backpacking in the Olympic National Park is keeping food away from mice, jays and ground squirrels or chipmunks. While the park requires bear-proof containers or elaborate hanging rituals to keep food away from the black bears, the same containers also protect your food from the smaller critters like the Townsend’s Chipmunk shown here. (in some areas raccoons and crows are even bigger pests)