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.
While Douglas Fir, Hemlock and Western Red Cedar make up the climax forest in the Olympic National Park, Alders are a significant presence in newly disturbed areas and along river banks. I thought this was an interesting stand … seemingly sorted by height. Taken along the Elwha river near the current ‘end of the road’.
Just a couple of winter shots from the Hurricane Ridge of the central Olympic Mountains in the National Park. Even on some cloudy days you can get glimpses of ridges and peaks. I actually like clouds in photos of mountains to break up the solid blue sky and provide another layer of subject. The shot below is taken looking to about the same area. It’s got a much different feel, doesn’t it?
This was taken after the first snowfall of the season (in September) near the visitor center on the east side of the summit of Logan Pass on the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier National Park. It was digging for food … just a last snack before hibernation. Not sure if it was after roots or a marmot.
Mt Pilchuck is a very easy to spot mountain east of Everett, Washington (twenty some miles north of Seattle). This was just after New Year’s Day a couple years ago and shows the low snowpack that year. Normally, this would have been a struggle without snowshoes or cross-country skis … we had our snowshoes with us and we wore them for a while, but mostly because we could and then wouldn’t have to carry them.