Washington - Mt. Rainier & Olympic

From July 25 to Aug. 5 I led an Audubon Naturalist Society trip; from Aug. 5 - 12 I was taking hikes on my own. Pictures from both are here.

Mary Jane & Chuck Slugg at Mt. Rainier. Barbara Gordon on the Paradise Meadow trails, Mt. Rainier National Park. Diane Brockett at Narada Falls, Mt. Rainier National Park. Narada Falls, Mt. Rainier National Park. Mimi & Steve Block. Leader David Horn above the Nisqually River. Variable Checkerspot Nancy Bagwell David & Patricia Smith relax after a challenging hike. The merry group at Mt. St. Helens. Spirit Lake, Mt. St. Helens. Olympic National Park entrance along the Hoh River. Seastars & anemones at Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park. Lake Crescent Glaucous-winged Gull White-crowned Sparrow. Rhinoceros Auklet Cape Flattery, the northwestern tip of the continental US. Pelagic Cormorant at Cape Flattery. Nurse log at the Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park. Bigleaf maple tree at the Hoh Rain Forest. Avalanche Lilies. Mimi Block along the trail to Marymere Falls. Hydaspe Fritillary on the Hurricane Hill trail. Bog rein orchid, Platanthera unalascens. Larkspur Exploring tidepools at Tongue Point. A colorful tidepool. A "sea lemon," a kind of nudibranch (or "sea slug"_). Paige Cunningham discovers a red algae in the tidepool. California Quail Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, site of Aug. 5 hike. Cardinal meadowhawk at Nisqually. Thea and Bob Pyle, my hosts for the night of Aug. 5. Old railroad grade through the Chehalis River valley, site of Aug. 6 hike. North Fork Skokomish River, site of Aug. 7 hike. Big douglas-fir along the Skokomish. A side creek on its way to the Skokomish. Klahane Ridge Trail, Aug. 8 hike. Mount Angeles Chestnut-backed Chickadee Piper's Bellflower, an endemic plant of the Olympic Mountains. Sooty grouse along the trail. Olympic Chipmunk Columbine Fog rolling onto Grand Ridge, Aug. 9 hike. Grand Ridge Trail on the slopes of Maiden Peak. Cusick's speedwell Spruce Railroad Trail, Aug. 9 afternoon hike. Punchbowl bridge, Spruce Railroad Trail. Red Crossbill Banana slug Along the Elwha River Trail, Aug. 10 hike. Lillian River Valley, also Aug. 10. End of the Lillian River Trail, which forks off the Elwha. Trail to the High Divide, above the upper Bogachiel valley, Aug. 11 hike. Backcountry volunteers Nicole and Mark on the High Divide. Atop Bogachiel Peak, my first time here in 23 years! Wasn't sure I could do... Heart Lake in the fog. American Pipit Black bear near Heart Lake Tributary of the Sol Duc Rier