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11/04/22 - 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


11/03/22 - 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


11/01/22 - 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


10/24/22 - Elwha to Altair - After the Rain

At long last, it has rained. We had a long dry stretch, all of September and most of October. Hurricane Ridge Road was closed for repairs, but they promised to re-open it on the 21st. Naturally, we expected the rains to come on that date and the road to the Ridge to be closed due to snow. Our forecast was accurate. On the 21st, the rains came. It snowed on the Ridge. Hurricane Ridge Road did not reopen, but we, down near sea level, had lots of long awaited rain.

We decided to head out from Madison Falls and check out the Elwha River as far as the Altair Bridge. There were wonderful puddles, wet dirt and wet pavement. We weren't the only ones enjoying the puddles. We spotted a frog beside one. Even the park service mules looked happier, though we can't be sure. The river looked a lot less tired. It seemed like the foliage was waiting for the rains to change to its autumn colors, and now that the rain had come there were browns and reds and golds. The colors were muted by the drought, but they were there.


At the start of the trail

Autumn color

A glimpse of the river

A proper view of the Elwha

Wet pavement never looked this good.

Still plenty of green

Park service buildings

The Elwha from the Altair Bridge

Another view from the bridge

A log caught below the Altair Bridge

More of Olympic Hot Springs Road

Another view of the river

Autumn color and misty mountains

Autumn fields

Mist and color

More of the wet road

The green forest thinning

A bit of trail

A dramatic bit of trail

That frog by the puddle

Another view, same frog

Mules in the field

The river at the parking lot

Keywords: autumn, elwha, hurricane ridge


10/22/22 - Little River Trail With Woodpecker

It rained. At long last, autumn has begun. We celebrated with a walk along the Little River Trail. The leaves are thinning, others are turning bright yellow. The river is running more briskly. We saw slugs and snails and many mushrooms. We also saw a woodpecker hammering away oblivious to any audience.

An old stump in the forest

The trail accented with gold

Another bit of trail

Little River and a log

More of Little River

Cool water

Less clumsy people could cross on those logs.

A snail

A shroom

More mushrooms

And even more mushrooms

The green skull - Halloween is coming

Slight mist on the trail

Woodpecker

Woodpecker

Woodpecker

Woodpecker

Woodpecker

A golden bowl

A freshet

Little River again

Keywords: autumn, little river


10/12/21 - A Side Trip to Madison Falls

After heading up to the Elwha Gap, we took the short side spur to Madison Falls. It's a short, easy, paved path to a pleasant little waterfall just minutes from the parking area. There was plenty of autumn color too.

Along the trail

A first peek at the waterfall

Madison Falls

Some autumn color

More color

That color again

Misty skies and mountains

Keywords: autumn, elwha, waterfall


10/11/21 - A Short Autumn Walk to the Elwha Gap

We took a short walk along the Elwha River starting at Madison Falls where the road ends. The mountains were misty and topped with early season snow. The autumn foliage was near its peak. We walked past the mule camp and around the bend for some good views of the river recently nourished by the seasonal rain. We stopped at the gap in the road cut by a hearty new Elwha tributary.

Misty, snowy mountains

Some fall foliage

Foliage hidden in the forest

Bright yellow and bright green

The river

Another view of the river

More color change

Autumn is here.

Further up the river

The might Elwha

The gap

Downriver at the gap

Upriver at the gap

A vertical view, even more dramatic

The road showing its age

Bright red

Bright yellow

The mules - We always say hello.

The Elwha from the parking area

Keywords: autumn, elwha


10/03/21 - Hurricane Hill - High Country Autumn

There were definite signs of autumn and winter coming up at Hurricane Hill.

Our first frost of the season

More frost

And yet more frost

Frost in the shade

Dry flowers

A golden field

Autumn color

Autumn color below

Another richly colored field

And another colored field

Corn lilies, now mere skeletons

Green, gold, red and blue

Another field

Another view below

A blue grouse

Red, green and white

Dramatic foliage

More drama

Even the walk from the picnic area to the trailhead showed signs of fall.

Keywords: autumn, hurricane hill, winter


10/01/21 - Little River After the Rain

Now that it is raining again, after a long dry summer, we returned to the Little River Trail. Since the trail follows the Little River, it is at its best in the rainy season. The best part is about 35-40 minutes out where the trail leaves DNR land and enters the national park. We were not disappointed on our last hike. The river was lively, the trail smelled of rain and there were drips and droplets about.

A portal

False [mock] Solomon's seal late in the season

A bit of the river

A green scene

Another bit of river

One of the foot bridges

The Little River aflow

A bit of autumn color

Devil's claw

Another stretch of river

Did we remark on the rich green?

Another bit of trail

An inspiration to us all

Wet leaves

Forest trail

Keywords: little river, autumn


09/29/21 - High Country - Autumn Color

Text of entry goes here

Gold and red

More autumn color

A view across the river valley

The trail

Another bit of color

Red foliage around a lake below

Did we mention autumn color?

Red and green, a bit early for Christmas

The trail through red and green

Those two colors again with rocks for white balance

Another bit of trail

Autumn colors set ablaze by morning light

More intense color

Calmer colors

The Plains of Mars

Color by the trailside

Golden grasses

More red

More lakeside color

Keywords: autumn, obstruction point


01/20/20 - Dungeness Spit

The autumn tides make it hard to take long walks on Dungeness Spit, but in January they start to get better. We went out with the tide at five feet and falling. The beach was broad and sandy which made for easy going. There was even a rainbow to make things even nicer.

The rainbow and rollers

The spit with lots of sand

Salt water

Lots of broad beach

Driftwood

More driftwood

Still more driftwood

A natural sculpture

Looking down at the spit

Keywords: autumn, dungeness spit, tides

Keywords: autumn, dungeness spit, tides


10/23/19 - Hurricane Ridge - Early Snow

There has been snow up at Hurricane Ridge for a while, but the road is still usually open. The Switchback Trail to Klahane Ridge is closed while they repair the road which is down to one lane there. The Hurricane Hill Trail is closed, because the twisty little road to Hurricane Hill is covered with snow and ice. The ridge, however, is reachable and navigable, though we recommend good boots for the snow and some icy patches.

The views are spectacular with the Olympic Mountains covered with fresh snow. It isn't very deep, so the richly colored late autumn grasses still cover areas. Call the park, 360 565 3131, before you go to make sure that the road is actually open since they'll close it for snow falls, white outs and heavy fog. Still, if you can make it up there, the ridge is beautiful.


Autumn grasses

Snow and trees and mountains

Scenery

Further away

A bit more snow

The forest

The Olympic Mountains

Klahane Ridge

More of everything

The Olympic Mountains again

More autumn color

More mountains

More snow

Hurricane Hill Road

Mountain light

Keywords: autumn, hurricane hill, hurricane ridge, klahane ridge


10/06/19 - Lake Angeles Trail to the Bridge

We've been recovering from colds, so we haven't been getting out as much as we would like. Still, we made it up to the bridge across the stream about 700 feet or so above the parking lot. That's how we measure things. The gray light made the greens more intense, and there were signs of autumn everywhere.

This is where we stopped.

Water not yet under the bridge

A nice view of the bridge we did not cross

Green with dark water

Forest

Changing color, Pacific dogwood

Little mushrooms

The trail

Some red and green

More mushrooms

An early spirit of Halloween

Keywords: autumn, lake angeles


09/13/19 - Klahane Ridge - A New Season

It's already autumn up on Klahane Ridge. We drove into to the clouds after a fresh rain. The trail closes next week so they can rebuild the road, so we went on the first relatively dry day. The trail was wet. There were sparkling drops of water glistening on the lupine leaves. The clouds curled about the ridge. Visibility varied and the sun brightened and dimmed setting off the colors of the late summer, early fall foliage. There were no views of the distant Olympics. Not even Sunrise Point was visible. Still, the views were spectacular in their own way.

A misty scene

Less mist, more green

Rock plants

Late phlox

Clouds rising from the north meet the ridge.

The view north, no mountains in sight

Mist playing with the mountains

Pink yarrow, a mutant

Late summer foliage

Another bit of trail

Mist hiding the stone fingers

Another green carpet

More mist, more green

Berries of some sort

Drops of water on lupine leaves

Magic carpet beside the trail

More fog and cloud

Deeper in the cloud

The cloud thickens; reason one not to store your data in the cloud.

Keywords: autumn, klahane ridge


09/12/19 - Klahane Ridge - More of the Season

It was a spectacular hike. The clouds kept changing, now growing thicker and darkening the landscape, now thinner letting in light.

Late flowers

More green and fog

Ox parsnip by the trail

A last lupine



Clouds above

Clouds beside

Clouds thickening

A passage

Late summer grasses

The texture of the garden

Bright green and mist

More bright green, more mist

Paintbrush

Another passage

Lower and thicker

Fog in the umbrella forest

Carnivorous plants on stone

Keywords: klahane ridge, autumn


10/28/18 - Autumn on the Sol Duc

The Sol Duc Resort and hot springs just closed for the season, but the falls are still there as is the Sol Duc River. We dropped by to check out the salmon. The ranger at the entry station warned us that we had missed the migration, but we might see a straggler or two. We stopped by the cascade and watched for a while. We did see one straggler make a mighty leap. Then we lost sight of him or her in the foam.

The cascade

Sol Duc Falls

A pretty, most likely poisonous, mushroom

Downstream from the falls

The forest

Keywords: salmon, sol duc, autumn


10/10/18 - Japanese Garden in Seattle

The fall is our favorite time to visit the Japanese Garden in the Seattle Arboretum. The trees have been chosen for their autumn color, and the landscaping sets off the color beautifully. There was plenty of brilliant leaf color when we were there, though we were before the peak.

View from a stone bridge

Some color

More color

Across the pond

Another pond view

One of many turtles

Even more color

Colors and pods

Another view with stepping stones

The pond again

Even more color

Keywords: autumn, seattle


09/26/18 - Dungeness Spit to the Lighthouse

We are getting into the autumn tides which make it hard to get out to the Dungeness Spit. The walk takes from three to four hours, and when the tide is above three feet, it can be rough going. We managed to catch a good tide in late September and, much to our surprise, made it all the way out to the lighthouse for a ten mile round trip walk.

As usual, the spit was hypnotic. It's a long narrow strip of beach that just heads out to sea. On one side of the path is Strait of San Juan de Fuca and on the other side there is a low rise decorated with driftwood and beach shrubs. The best walking is down towards the water. Above there is sand, rocks and pebbles.


An overview of Dungeness Spit

A hypnotic walk

More of the spit

Beach life

The bay protected by the spit

The lighthouse in the distance

The lighthouse as we approached

The spit on our return walk

Ribsy - one of our landmarks, about a mile out

Keywords: autumn, dungeness spit, tides


11/19/17 - Elwha River and Madison Falls

Olympic Hot Springs Road along the Elwha has been closed at Madison Falls again. This time because of flooding. We took a walk up along the road. Indeed, there was a stretch of it under water. We made the most of our wandering and got some nice views of the river. We also checked out Madison Falls. This has been a wet autumn.





Keywords: autumn, elwha, olympic hot springs


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