Kaleberg Archive for Keyword: flowers, Page: 1

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04/01/25 - Elwha to Altair Now that spring is here, we've been hiking from Madison Falls up along the Elwha to the Altair Bridge. Most of the route follows Olympic Hot Springs Road, but the road is cut off by the river not far from the trailhead, so we take the detour through the hills around the old, now flooded, campground. We were well rewarded. Our goal was skunk cabbage, and there was lots of skunk cabbage, especially past the ranger station as we approached the bridge. It grows in the drainage ditches and flooded areas of forest. We also saw the fawn lilies. The first few are out with their delicate stalks and lovely hanging flowers. There were also a few trilliums, not many, but enough to convince us that spring has come.	A fawn lily
Our first trillium of the season


Skunk cabbage	The old work area across from the ranger station
Skunk cabbage in the forest
The view from the bridge
	The road is getting tired.
	A fiddlehead

	The mules are back in town.

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trilliums

06/28/24 - Hurricane Ridge Once again we climbed Hurricane Hill. We got the last parking spot at one of the picnic areas and hiked 1/4 mile from there to the main trailhead. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the alpine flowers were in bloom. There was the heady sense of phlox, paintbrush, lupines, pask flowers and a host of others which is our way of saying we don't remember their names. There were no marmots, but there was a herd of deer down below the trail. We were surprised to see so many. We also saw an Olympic blue grouse getting ready to mate. We had never seen this before, so we're putting our photos in another post.	The Olympic Mountains
Another view	Melting snow
Pask flowers	More alpine flowers
The side spur we often take	A butterfly on a corn lily
A view north	A herd of deer below
Avalanche lilies	More avalanche lilies
Paintbrush and friends	Another mountain bouquet
Lupines in the middle	Phlox all over
Another mountain view	Another rock garden
More phlox	Western wall flower
Paintbrush	Pink paintbrush with corn lilies

Keywords: flowers, hurricane hill

06/24/24 - Little River Trail We didn't get very far on the Little River Trail, just to the "healing pools", a section of the trail where it is easy to get down to the river and wade. The cold water does wonders for one's feet. Along the way, the spring flowers had given way to the summer flowers. There were trilliums with their pods but no flowers, but the blood root and Pacific dogwood were in bloom.	A bit of the trail
Bloodroot	Can you spot the trilliums without their flowers?
Another bit of trail with a nurse log	More of the trail
Pacific dogwood	More dogwood
Even more dogwood	Down by the Little River
Another bit of the river	A huge trillium
A bit of a robin's egg	One of the "canyons"

Keywords: flowers, little river, spring, summer, trilliums

06/22/24 - Dungeness Highlands If you park at the Dungeness Spit parking lot, odds are you are going to head down to the Dungeness Spit, but you might consider staying up in the highlands and following the bluffs and the trails for some spectacular mountain views. It's summer, so the fields are changing color, and the spring flowers are past. It's another easy walk, and a good place to explore if you can't get far on the spit during high tide.	There are a lot of little birds, but they are usually not as easy to see as this one.
Mountain view	Poppies
The thicket is always so inviting in the summer.	One of the fields
Another field	The trail
A peek at the mountains	A field of a different color
Old trees by the strait	Twisted trees line the bluffs

Keywords: dungeness, flowers, spring, summer, trails

06/11/24 - Hurricane Hill - To The Summit We really enjoyed our return to the high country last week. We had to head back up to Hurricane Ridge again. This time, the road to the Hurricane Hill trailhead was open. Even the bathrooms at the picnic areas were open. The closest parking lot was full, so we parked at the next closest, so we had a ten minute walk to the actual trailhead. The views were as spectacular as ever. Even more flowers were in bloom with a lot more phlox, glacier and avalanche lilies, some lupines and many others. We were horribly out of shape, so we made numerous stops once we got past the saddle and started the steeper part of the climb. It was exhausting, but we were rewarded with incredible views, even more flowers and a number of marmots.	A typical view
More view with wildflowers and mountains	More mountains
And even more	A marmot
Phlox in the right foreground	Only a few patches of snow left
The cirque as seen from the summit, already showing some blue	That's blue snow melt
Pask flowers	More flowers
Another marmot	A publicity shy marmot
Another, or possibly the same, publicity shy marmot	A more cooperative marmot - The presss thanks you.
A marmot in context	Glacier lilies
Avalanche lilies	More avalanche lilies
Lupines	The green glow on the old stump
A rock garden	Paintbrush and friends

Keywords: flowers, high country, hurricane hill, hurricane ridge, marmots

05/18/24 - Lake Angeles With Frogs We've been trying to get back into climbing shape in hopes of being able to climb in the high country. We made it a little past the log bridge on the Lake Angeles Trail that starts near Lake Dawn. The spring flowers are about, but the special treat was, once again, frogs. There were the usual trilliums and violets and orchids, but also tiny little frogs perhaps the size of a fifty cent piece and large frogs over an inch log. They are very well camouflaged, but once you've spotted the first it is easier spotting the second, third and so on.	The log bridge
Water streaming	Water from the far side of the bridge
A trillium	A tiny little frog
Another tiny little frog	A blurry little frog - Autofocus can't do everything.
Yet another frog - the fourth plague	There may be a frog in there.
Or perhaps one here.	Aha! one of the more cooperative larger frogs
Mushrooms	Another mushroom
The forest	A cooperative squirrel
A fawn lily	A violet
More flowers	More Trilliums
Another trillium	Another violet

Keywords: flowers, high country, lake angeles, spring, trilliums

03/22/24 - University of Washington Cherry Blossoms It was a rainy day in Seattle when we made our to the University of Washington to see this year's cherry blossoms. We had been following on the webcam, and the flowers seemed to be approaching their peek. The rain may have thinned the crowd a bit. If nothing else, it discouraged picnickers. Still, there was a good crowd, and the flowers were in full bloom and stunning. We wandered the quad admiring this harbinger of warmer weather.	Our first view
A magnolia joining the fun	Another view
Across the way	Cauliflory
Flowers growing from the trunk	We don't really need all these captions.
	Another flowering plant with a wonderful scent

Keywords: flowers, seattle, weather

03/21/24 - West of Morse Creek We often hike west from Morse Creek down to the strait. It's a nice, easy walk and doesn't involve a lot of driving. It looks like the trail is passable again, at least on foot. We checked out the flowers and did our best to spot a woodpecker who just wouldn't pose for the camera.	Some forest floor flowers
Down by the strait	The dike detour
A hard to spot woodpecker	Not cooperating
More of the trail	And a bit more

Keywords: flowers, morse creek

10/18/23 - Morse Creek West There's a tricky curve along route 101 where it crosses Morse Creek east of Port Angeles. The road turns and descends, then it turns more and rises again. There's a parking lot for the Olympic Discovery Trail where it crosses Morse Creek at the lowest point of the curve. We often head west from there following the trail down to the strait and then along the water. The trail heads into Port Angeles and continues west, but we don't get that far. We get down to the sea and enjoy the scenery and salt air, then we head back. It's a good place to watch the leaves change. There are a lot of maples along the way, so the trail gets covered with lots of leaves. It's hard to say when we have peak foliage. This isn't New England. Still, it's near its peak now and will soon be passing.	That's the Girl Scout Wall, a retaining wall painted by a group of Girl Scouts some years back.
The trail lined with leaves	More of the trail
Ghost foliage on the dike by the strait	Some of the last coin flowers
A sunnier view	More fall color
Yet more	One of the "art" bicycles
The art of fallen leaves	A darker section

Keywords: flowers, morse creek, port angeles

08/06/23 - Mount Rainier - The Skyline Trail - Part 1 With access to our local national park restricted, we decided to make a quick trip to Mount Rainier. We don't live that far from Mount Rainier, so we decided to drive there, spend a night, take a hike in a new high country and then drive home. Mount Rainier is open, but access is tricky. We lucked out and got a room for one night at the Paradise Inn, so we didn't have to worry as much about parking or entry lines. As it turned out, our plan worked. We rose early and were soon on the Skyline Trail heading up the slope with Mount Rainier and its streams and glaciers looming over us. It was a busy trail but beautiful. The flowers were blooming: lupins, mountain spiraea, bear grass and, inevitably, dirty sock plant. It was wonderful. The country around Paradise at Mount Rainier is greener and wilder than the high country we are used to in the Olympic National Park. Those glaciers above melt and form rivers that seem to run everywhere, punctuated by dramatic waterfalls. There was less of a sense of exposure to wind and sun, but so much was familiar. There were lots of hikers. Most were day hikers like us carrying a small pack or a bottle of water. Some were mountaineers with heavy packs and ice axes and clearly on their way to attempt climbing to the peak. There were quiet moments on the trail followed by hiking groups and family get togethers. All told, our trip was a success. We made it to 1050' or so. Our GPS cut out as it often does and didn't restart until they launch a new satellite or the like. As we climbed, Mount Rainier grew closer and dominated the scene. It was spectacular, and we are already planning a return trip.	Mt. Rainier in the distance with clouds
The clouds constantly shifting	Another look up, now closer
Clouds, glaciers and mountain framed by greenery	Lush high country
One of the many streams	A little waterfall
Dramatic skies	Another dramatic view
A stretch of trail	Lush fields and other, lesser mountains
Those distant peaks	Pasque flowers
Another field of color	Yet closer to the mountain
Gray skies but only a light drizzle	Gentians
More of Mt. Rainier	Buttermilk sky
There's a waterfall a bit left of the center.	That waterfall
More scenery	A stream down below

Keywords: flowers, high country, mount rainier

08/05/23 - Mount Rainier - The Skyline Trail - Part 2 Here are some more pictures from our hike on the Skyline Trail up Mount Rainier.	More dramatic sky
Pink paintbrush	A small stream
A rocky scene	Just a bit of lupine
More high country	More flowers
More rich green	Another waterfall
Another artistically framed photo	Rocks, rich green and glaciers
Green country	Bear grass among others
A tiny stream doing its bit to keep the high country green	A valley view
More corn lilies	Forest and green
More green	A typical array
Bright flowers	A lone mushroom
More flowers	A field of flowers

Keywords: flowers, high country, mount rainier

07/26/23 - Obstruction Point - Part 2 Here are some more photos from our magical journey to Obstruction Point and beyond. Back in 2020, we had worried that COVID would have made the high country off limits. We were wrong. It was a great year for the trails and wildflowers, but this year, 2023, has been different. The fire that destroyed the lodge also destroyed the electrical power system, the water pumps, telecommunications and the septic system. The lodge was going to be closed for renovations, but the park service had made arrangements. The fire changed that. Instead, they have had to limit the number of visitors, so we haven't had much opportunity to explore. We made it up to Obstruction Point despite this. We were hoping to do some more hiking in the area, but a cougar attack led to the closing of the Lake Angeles Trail, Heather Park and Klahane Ridge. It's a sensible precaution, but this is not going to be a great year for the Kalebergs and the high country.	A view from near Eagle Rock
The lakes below	The hiking trail
Yet another mountain view	Mountain garden
Mountain trail	Paintbrush and snow
Harebells	More of the garden
The Olympic Mountains	Snow below
Lupines	Mountain clouds
Another bit of the trail	And yet more
Another peek at the peaks	Lupine leaves
Clouds again	More mountain rock garden
More flowers	A fascinating flower
The staircase	Returning to base

Keywords: flowers, high country, obstruction point, trails

06/16/23 - Butterfly Season We hiked from Madison Falls to the Altair Bridge over the Elwha River. It's basically summer now, so we're watching the elderberry flowers, and we can't help but notice all the swallowtail butterflies. This is a great year for them.	Turk's cap lilies
The summer forest	Along the trail
Paintbrush - a summer flower	More summer flowers
More of the trail, very green now	Elderberry flowers
A glimpse of the Elwha	Trilliums and tiarella past bloom
Yet another stretch of trail	A proper view of the Elwha
From the Altair Bridge looking north	From the bridge looking south
A butterfly showing off	Still showing off
Visiting a turk's cap lily	Close up

Keywords: elwha, flowers, summer

05/03/23 - Elwha Spring We were back along the Elwha. The river is fuller and wilder, and the spring flowers have been progressing. There were lots of trilliums and lots of water.	The trail
A local snake	A local orchid
It turns out these are fawn lilies, not columbines, but we're not going to correct all our old posts.	More fawn lilies
A trillium - We're pretty sure of this one.	The Elwha
Trilliums and tiarella not yet in bloom	Red winged insect - click for a better look
Another trillium	Dicentra - probably
Violets	Another bit of the trail
Another bit of the river	The old pavilion at the old campground
High water	High snow
More high water	And more high water

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trillium

04/24/23 - Little River It's spring, and the Little River Trail is loaded with trilliums. We walked out for an hour, to the second bridge, and trilliums lined our way. The Little River Trail starts on DNR land and heads into the national park, so things keep getting better and better. It's still early in the season, so we expect to see more trilliums and lots of other wild flowers as the season progresses.	A trillium not far from the trailhead
The Little River	More trilliums
A piece of the trail	Another trillium
Another bit of the river	Rushing water
Another view	And another
Yet another trillium	An a happy pair
Blue river	A trillium patch
And another	And yet more

Keywords: flowers, little river, spring, trillium

04/21/23 - Spring Progress Update, Elwha Edition We walked from the parking area at Madison Falls, up along the Elwha, to a bit past the Altair Bridge. We were pleased to see more trilliums and a few columbines in bloom. We're a month into spring, but it still feels like we are behind. Still, it's nice to see a few of our favorites return.	Forest
A trillium	Another trillium
A columbine leaf	Even better, a columbine
The trail, perhaps a bit greener	Another trillium
The Elwha River	Another sign of spring, a mushroom
Back along the road	More forest
A country road	The Elwha from the Altair Bridge
A view of the misty mountains	Maple branches
Along the Elwha	Yet another trillium
More of the trail - Is it greener?	A mossy rock
Along the trail	Another columbine
Yet another columbine far from the main cluster	More misty mountains

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trillium

04/14/23 - Elwha Flower Followup We took a short walk south along the Elwha from Madison Falls to check out the slow progress of this years spring. We didn't get all the way to the Altair Bridge, but we did see some emerging columbine leaves, a few trilliums, a few flowers and an interesting bird.	A toad lily
Columbine leaves	The Elwha
An interesting bird	Another look at the Elwha
Flooding along the trail	The road otherwise
Still lots of snow in the mountains	More flowers - violets
Yay, a trillium	And another
And another, not yet in bloom	A young trillium
Another columbine leaf	And another
Those little yellow flowers we never look up in our plant book	The mules are back in town!

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trillium

04/05/23 - Signs of Spring - Elwha to Altair - Trilliums and Columbines Our search for signs of spring took us to the Elwha River. We parked near Madison Falls and followed the road past the mule camp where we saw our first sign of spring: the mules were back. That was promising. We headed onto the detour trail and saw our first yellow violets of the season along with some of those pale pink flowers that bloom so early. Then we saw our first trillium. It was the only one we saw, but we're pretty sure more will follow. Further down the trail, we saw the skunk cabbage with its faint smell of sulphur. We checked out the river from the Altair Bridge. It was relatively low. The snows have not yet begun to melt. We could see snow on the peaks, some of it fresh. On our way back, we spotted another sign of spring. We saw our first columbines. To be fair, we saw their leopard spotted leaves. They weren't ready to bloom, but when you are desperate for signs of spring, that's close enough.	Yellow violets
Little pink flowers	The harbinger trillium
The trail	The river
The road	Skunk cabbage
The river from the Altair Bridge
Currant flowers	Snow covered hill across the river
Snow

	Flowing water
Columbine leaves
Another columbine leaf	Another leaf
White flowers and	blue flowers along the road

Keywords: elwha, flowers, spring, trillium

04/04/23 - Signs of Spring - Cherry Blossoms at UW This has been a long, cold, rough winter, so we've been seeking out signs of spring. We checked the UW web site and saw that the cherry blossoms were at peak bloom. There was no way we could resist. We drove into Seattle and explored the Quad. It was full of cherry blossoms and people marveling at them. We had thought that selfie sticks had gone out of style, but the Quad was full of them. Even better, it was full of dark gnarly trees with clouds of pale pink flowers. It seems like spring is finally coming even as a cold wind still blows now and then. It was worth driving into town for a taste of the still incoming season. We're in less of a hurry now, but we're still seeking out signs of spring.

Keywords: flowers, seattle, spring

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