March 2019April 2019 May 2019

04/27 - Little River Trail and Trilliums

We headed up Black Diamond Road recently and took the Little River Trail for a ways. It's a wonderful forest trail, and right now it is at peak trillium. They are everywhere along the trail, brightening the rich greens and dark browns of the forest.

The trail starts with a descent to a bridge over the river, but for a fair way it is just gentle up and down and pretty easy going. There are ferns and salal and, here and there, some rather large trees. The trail follows the river, and eventually runs along it. We even stopped to soak our feet for a bit. The water was icy.

The real treat was peak trillium. The forest floor seemed to be lined with them, and they were all in full white bloom. Some were alone, and some were in clusters. We'd walk along and remark that we hadn't seen a trillium in a bit, and, as if in response to our concern, there would be another series of them.

This isn't a heavily used trail, but it is a pretty one, and it's in great shape for hiking. And, if we haven't already mentioned it a few times, there are lots of trilliums.


A stretch of the trail

A trillium

Another stretch of the trail

A trillium cluster

Yet another trillium

The Little River

Another cluster of trilliums

More of the trail

We soaked our feet at that little massage waterfall

A trillium almost in bloom

A close cluster - Maybe we need to invent a term for these.

Mushrooms

The trail again

The river again

More mushrooms

The trail is easy going.

Did we mention trillium clusters?

Twisted trees by the trail

The trail through the forest

Keywords: trillium, little river

04/25 - Lake Angeles Trail and Trilliums

We've been getting back into shape, and that means climbing the Lake Angeles Trail. It's a great training trail in that it heads up steeply for 2400', but even shorter climbs offer a wonderful forest hike. To our surprise, the first trilliums were in bloom, mainly along the lower reaches of the trail. We didn't make it much past the foot bridge over the stream about 720' above the trail head, but we heard reports from other hikers that the lake was accessible. That gives us something to work towards, though it may be a while.

One of the trilliums

Lingering snow

The foot bridge

More snow in the shadows

The trail

Dramatic lighting on the trail

Another look along the way

Second growth forest

Another trillium

Yet another

and yet another

Keywords: lake angeles, trillium

04/15 - Spring Flowers on the Elwha Detour

We finally followed the Elwha detour from where it leaves Olympic Hot Springs Road about a half mile past Madison Falls to where it rejoins the road past the old Elwha campground. It's a 250 foot or so climb, but it goes through forest, and the forest is full of columbines, trilliums and other spring flowers.

The detour trail heads up past a work area at the end of the service road and then heads higher to a junction with the Cascade Rock trail. There are glimpses of the Elwha along the way as it follows the ridge past the washout. After the junction the trail goes down a bit, then up a bit, then slowly descends behind the old campground. There is a sturdy tributary of the Elwha running between the trail and the collapsed campground pavilion.

The trail lets out a bit past the washout but before the ranger station and work area. It took us about 45 minutes from Madison Falls, so it would be another 15 or 20 minutes to the Altair bridge. We didn't make it that far, at least not this time.

A perfect place for columbines

Columbines

and more

and more

and even more



Other spring flowers

The trail ahead

One of the many trilliums

and a pair, overlapping,

and another

and yet more

Skunk cabbage, a sure sign of spring

The old campground pavilion across the new Elwha channel

More of the trail

We forget what this is called

Mysterious rock overhangs and mysterious caves

A glimpse of the high country

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trillium

04/09 - First Trillium of the Season

It has been a long hard winter. The signs of spring have been late in coming, but yesterday, while walking down to the Dungeness Spit, we saw our first trillium of the year. It may be coming slowly, but spring is on its way.

Keywords: dungeness spit, spring, trillium

March 2019April 2019 May 2019