October 2022November 2022 December 2022

11/16 - Sunny Day Elwha

We weren't up to much, so we took a short walk from the Madison Falls parking lot along the Elwha to where the road washed out and admired the fall foliage, the rushing river and the brilliant day. The mules were gone for the season. Then, we took the little trail to Madison Falls.

Olympic Hot Springs Road past Madison Falls

Across the Elwha

Late fall foliage

The Elwha

The gap where the road was cut

Another view across the river

And another

Yet another

The tree of gold

The road again

Madison Falls

Almost bare trees near Madison Falls

More of such

Keywords: elwha

11/15 - Elk Along Route 112

Here's another sign that winter is coming. The elk are back down in the lowlands. We spotted a herd along route 112 and stopped to take a few pictures and let some of them cross the road.

An elk, posing for us

The scene

Another elk

Ready to cross the road

Elk crossing

More elk

The elk scene

Keywords: winter

11/14 - Changing Seasons Along Lake Crescent

We wanted an easy trail with a bit of sun. For us, that meant the Spruce Railroad Trail along the north shore of Lake Crescent. It used to be a forest trail. Now it's more of a road, much wider and paved, but it's still a pretty walk along a pretty lake in a great mountain setting. The trail itself was just below the the snow line, and it has always been easy going. Highlights were some fall colors and the setting.

A higher section of the trail, up 50-100 feet into the land of the snows

A glimpse of Storm King

Exposed rock

The bridge at the Devil's Punchbowl

High contrast forest

Storm King again

There's still a bit of the original wild trail.

Rose hips

More of the trail

The Barnes Creek valley

There was a little bird there, but we were not quick enough on the shutter.

A bit of fall color

Along the lake

A more cooperative bird on a tree

That bird again

Ferns along a snowy section

More forest

Keywords: lake crescent, spruce railroad

11/14 - Autumn at the Arboretum

We had an errand to run in Seattle. We left lots of extra time, but we lucked out with no Hood Canal Bridge closing, ferries running on time with lots of free spaces and minimal traffic, so we stopped and explored the Seattle Arboretum. They have a great winter garden, but we were a bit early for that. The witch hazels were still in waiting, but there was a lot of great fall color.

Fall color

More color

Even more color

The have a great collection of trees.

An unusual color

More trees as one would expect in an arboretum

The path

Autumn color - thank you, thesaurus

And more

And yet more

And even more

There was quite a show.

A mix of colors

Another great tree

Some of the first wItch hazel to bloom

Keywords: seattle, winter

11/04 - Little River in the Rain

The Little River Trail is another great rainy trail. The Little River may be little, but it puts on a good show especially in the rain. We'll confess, we wore rain pants and rain coats and broad brimmed rain hats and waterproof boots. We were prepared. It rained the whole time, but we managed to stay comfy and dry.

The forest was surprisingly bright. Gray days mean fewer shadows, so one can see farther through the forest and in greater detail. It also helped that a lot of leaves had fallen, so we had a wonderful mysterious sense of being in an enchanted forest. Perhaps it was the proximity to Halloween. Perhaps it was the rain.

The trail starts on DNR land, but about 35-40 minutes in, it enters the national park. The trees get older and the forest gets wilder. Then the trail descends and follows the river more closely. We headed upstream pausing to admire the rapids and the full river lapping fallen logs. We made our way to what we call the Healing Pools. It's a good spot to settle with one's feet in the water after a hard week of hiking. We didn't do that this time, not on a cold day in the rain.


Crossing the Little River's other branch

Along the trail

A mushroom

More of the trail

More mushrooms

Descent to the river

A river view

Logs over the river

More river

Another look at the Little River

Another fallen log

Blue and gray water, green forest

Logs and rapids

A bit of snow on the trail

Another peek at the river

Fall foliage

No caption necessary - It should be obvious.

More snow

More trail

Another gateway

The footbridge

An old stump

A skull in the haunted forest

Keywords: halloween, little river, autumn

11/03 - Marymere Falls, Late Fall, Early Snow

We haven't been getting out to Marymere Falls lately. The recent rains reminded us that the falls are worth a trip. The signs were good. We were greeted by a rainbow across the lake as we headed west on route 101. There was a thin layer of snow on the ground when we pulled into the parking lot. We headed along the trail, under route 101, and entered the old forest, dark and bright with a dusting of snow.

There was a woodpecker in one of the trees, so we stopped for a while and watched as the bird hammered away at the side of a tree totally unfazed by an audience. Then we walked on. There was snow on the floor of the forest, but brilliant yellow foliage almost glowed around us. It was the last of autumn and the start of winter.

Barnes Creek was in good flow with its icy currents, and Marymere Falls itself roared heartily. This trail is always a wonderful walk through northwest pacific forest, but with the snow and rain it was almost magical.


Welcome to Lake Crescent.

Snow on logs, a hint of coming attractions

Clouds over the lake

Our cooperative woodpecker

That woodpecker again

and again

and again in a great profile

Autumn meets winter

The magical trail

More trail magic

and more again

Water meeting stone at Marymere Falls

Barnes Creek from the foot bridge

The falls meet water

Marymere Falls

The falls again from higher up

Snow in the forest

A view down at the creek

Another river view with the footbridge

Barnes Creek yet again

More seasonal magic - and it's almost time to reset our clocks.

The forest trail in transition

A last look up the creek

Keywords: autumn, barnes creek, marymere falls, winter

11/01 - Halloween

We take Halloween very seriously. The fall is when the trees lose their leaves and their needles thin revealing their skeletons, some in fantastic shapes. The colors change as the world readies for the quiet and retreat of winter. It's also the harvest with one last round of fresh local produce. All of that, and it's a great warmup for the holiday season.

Lenore in her web - We have no idea whose brain that is in the cauldron.

Halloween dinner

Pumpkin and oyster soup

Tomato eyeballs stuffed with bacon, arugula, tomato and mayonnaise

Bat burgers with melted gruyere and kimchi

Keywords: halloween, autumn, winter

11/01 - Getting Back in Shape on the Lake Angeles Trail

We really like the Lake Angeles Trail. It is barely 15 minutes from our house and is both beautiful and a good hard workout. It starts out climbing and keeps on climbing, 2400 feet from the parking lot to the lake. It mainly passes through second growth forest though there is a lovely stream to cross on a footbridge about 700 feet up. We just start hiking and climb and climb until we tire. Then we turn around and take it easy on the way down. Now that the rains have come, there is more water in the stream and the footing is better. It is time we starting climbing again.

The stream

The trail

An old log

More flowing water

Even more water, sort of a theme with us now

Yes, that's water.

Old log in the forest

Last few berries

Ground cover with berries

Dark trees

More dark trees

The big rock about 500 feet above the parking lot

Almost back down

Keywords: lake angeles

October 2022November 2022 December 2022