Summer Hike

The Climb Out of 7 Lakes Basin

This was taken a few years ago when I was more able to wander around the high country. We were on our way up to the High Divide and then down to Hoh Lake and back. (Note that the pack doesn’t have a sleeping bag or other items strapped to it … a sure give away that this is a day hike.) We were camped down in the basin (which requires a hard to secure reservation for camping) and were enjoying the scenic highcountry without having a heavy pack. The 7 Lakes Basin is a frequent camp location to those hiking the High Divide loop trail, which provides some of the most stunning views of Mt Olympus and the central Olympics.

The Dosewallips

The Dosewallips River

The Dosewallips River is one of the major rivers draining the east side of the Olympic Peninsula. The photo above was taken from the old car campground that is now backpack in only, since the road washed out over 20 years ago. (it’s about 6.5 miles – about 10.5 km) It is in the Olympic National Park, but the access road is in the Olympic National Forest. So, who’s responsible for fixing the road? Let’s argue about it for another decade or so…

Below shows the trail not far outside of the campground. It’s beautiful country and it’s too bad that it is so much harder for seniors to access these days.

Dosewallips Trail

Autumn Colors (again)

Autumn Colors (again) – 1

I thought I would share one of the last of the images from our recent hike up the Dosewallips River Trail. The images above was taken with my iPhone 16 Pro Max. Note the lack of a ‘sun burst’ where the sun is peaking around the maple. (for comparison, see previous post https://ajjphotoblog.com/?p=15948)

Below, another view of the Dosewallips River Trail. We both enjoyed hiking this section of the trail where there were lots of dry leaves to kick and crunch. A joy not to have to rake all these! (in the past I spent one day each weekend working on clearing the lawn of leaves this time of year)

Dosewallips Trail with Plenty of Leaves

Leaves or No Leaves

Maple with Leaves

It seems that there are differences in how individual trees in a particular location respond to the advent of fall … leaf coloration and leaf retention. For instance, the image above was taken the same day as the image below … and just a short distance away on the Dosewallips River trail in the Olympic National Forest. I suppose some difference is genetic and some is due to the amount of water each gives in comparison to the other.

Maple without Leaves

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