Rain Forests of the Olympic Peninsula

Transcription

1 Updated - February Where, when, and how to discover the best photography in America Published since 1989 Red cedars in the Hoh Rain Forest Rain Forests of the Olympic Peninsula The early morning darkness beneath the canopy of the rain forest is not easily disturbed by the rising sun. The dense groves of ancient cedar, spruce, and maple are thickly draped with long, flowing beards of moss. I found a scene from a Tolkien netherworld in the Hoh Rain Forest on the western edge of the Olympic National Park. I was a hundred miles west of Seattle, deep in the woods, and ready well before dawn, to photograph a scene I had visualized for a long time. The rain had stopped, but I was still covered with a yellow poncho and my camera was wrapped in plastic. The image I was seeking was a view from high above the ground, looking downward across the sorrel, moss, and mushrooms covering the forest floor. I wanted to capture the feeling of the drizzle and damp mist, chilling the air. I didn t want to include any of the sky, now just barely visible through the trees. Light coming through the hanging mosses and the yellow leaves of the maples was transformed into a warm glow. The drops of rain on each shamrock-like sorrel leaf began to reflect this soft, indirect light from the misty sky. As the sun rose over Mount Olympus, the morning sky began to lighten the many shades of green, and shadows began to open beneath trees that were no longer just silhouettes. In the background of my camera s viewfinder were the cascades of Mineral Creek. In the foreground were tiny, yellow button mushrooms covering the sides of fallen logs and dinner-plate-size mushrooms pushing up through the sorrel-covered forest floor. The high camera angle gave me the image I wanted. By the time the clouds parted and the fog lifted, the time for photographing the rain forest had ended. As I made my way back down the Hoh River, the pink light of sunrise was fading from the glaciers below Mount Olympus.

2 issue 9 - page 2 The Rain Forest When you visit the Olympic rain forest, you will experience the ultimate forest primeval, the luxuriant woodland in a setting of ancient tranquility. This is not the tropical rain forest, the dense, suffocating, exotic jungle, overgrown with foreign foliage and inhabited with dangerous animals and poisonous creatures. In this temperate rain forest, a lush growth of ferns, flowering plants, and mosses are saturated with an incredible amount of constant rain, throughout much of the year. New evergreens seek space on decaying nurse logs to find a place to grow. Abundant fungi in the form of bracket fungus and mushrooms, in a thousand shapes, colors and sizes, live on dead and decaying organisms to recycle nutrients in a delicate web of interdependency and a closed cycle of woodland life that has gone on for hundreds of centuries. These wide, flat, river valleys were carved by glaciers and scoured by the erosion of fast running rivers. Dense forest growth absorbs much of the moisture and grows at an even faster rate. In this rain forest grow some of the largest trees in the world. Some grow to 300 feet. The world s largest Sitka spruce, Western hemlock, Douglas fir, and Western red cedar are all in the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault river valleys. Most of these ancient trees were growing here a hundred years before Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. The Elwha Valley has been dammed and filled by Lake Mills. Several streams are worth a visit by photographers searching for good waterfalls. Follow a detailed topo map to find Madison Creek, dropping about fifty feet over a waterfall, about two miles from Highway 101. Wolf Creek Falls are harder to find, but if you turn left on the gravel road, just past the Elwha Valley Ranger Station and drive almost to the end, you ll spot a sign marking the Trailhead to Lake Mills -.4 miles. Follow the ten-minute trail down to the river and around the ridge to the right. Wolf Creek drops about forty feet into a small canyon. If you want to discover the best locations for photography in the rain forest, drive out to the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center. The word Hoh is an Indian word meaning fast white water. This wild river is fed by three of the largest glaciers on Mount Olympus. In summer, when the glaciers melt the fastest, this river is a light gray color and filled with the rock flour scoured from the mountain by the moving glaciers. In the Soleduck Valley, a road sign marks a trail to a small, accessible spot at a cascade on the Soleduck River where you can set up your camera and wait for the salmon to come leaping up the chutes and over the rocks. It all happens very quickly. Since the river is bordered with tall forests, the light levels are usually low, unless you arrive at noon on a sunny day. Bring a flash unit for this endeavor. I have had some success using my electronic flash to capture the leaping salmon on their spawning runs up the Soleduck River. You may have to wait several hours to capture a few good images or you may be lucky and arrive at just the right time.

3 issue 9 - page 3 Autumn rains swell the river with clear water again. Winter unleashes the full fury of flood levels, when 200 foot spruce trees are washed and tumbled downstream like match sticks. Even in summer the water is very cold, log jams discourage canoeists, and swift currents prevent hikers wading across. For the National Park visitor, there are at least three levels of trails in most areas in the park. At the Hoh Rain Forest there is a quarter-mile nature trail starting at the visitor center. If the light and the weather conditions are good, you could enjoy a whole day of photography on that short trail. For those who enjoy more walking and have the time, the Spruce Trail and the Hall of Mosses Trail can be covered in about one hour each. The Hoh River Trail to the wildflower-covered meadows below Blue Glacier on Mount Olympus is eighteen miles, one-way and could make a wonderful week-long hike for the experienced backpacker/photographer. You could walk about two hours up the river trail and then slowly work your way back photographing the things you discovered. Carry a raincoat and a plastic bag to cover your camera. You will need a tripod for the long exposures in the low light, a macro lens for the mushrooms, newts, banana slugs, and tiny blossoms. Bring a wide-angle for the huge cedars and spruce and a telephoto in case you spot the elk. Herds of Roosevelt elk graze the meadows along the Hoh River and keep the relatively open forest floor from becoming a dense jungle. Black bears and bobcats are occasionally seen from the trail and you can often spot rotten logs torn open in their search for insects. They search the river shallows for spawning salmon in the fall and can cause havoc with your food supplies in camp. At night, tie all your supplies high above ground between trees with ropes. If you are car-camping, lock everything in the trunk of your vehicle at night. There are no grizzlies in the Olympics. Douglas squirrels can be seen all along these trails opening spruce cones for their winter food cache. I ve seen tiny shrews and deer mice scurry through my camp at night and have photographed marmots in several different parts of the park. Black tailed deer are very common, especially around the parking lot on Hurricane Ridge. Do not feed them or any of the wildlife in the Park. Do not approach the mountain goats you see on the trails of the high country. They were introduced in 1925 and their population has exploded. They are being removed to other parts of Washington State but there are still too many of these camp pests with sharp horns and unpredictable dispositions. Use your telephoto to photograph the mountain goats. One of my favorite waterfalls on the Olympic Peninsula is Soleduck Falls. Sol Duc is an Indian word meaning magic waters. About two miles west of the community of Fairholm on Lake Crescent is a side road off Highway 101 marked Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. Drive all the way to the end of the pavement and park there. Soleduck Falls are about a one-mile walk from this trailhead. The river turns and drops about fifty-feet then crashes through a narrow gorge. A wooden foot bridge crosses just below the falls, but a much better photograph can be made at the edge of the cliffs several hundred feet further downstream. The bugling of a bull elk, somewhere far off in the valley, will raise the hair on the back of my neck. A trumpeting elk still reminds me of the song of the humpback whale.

4 issue 9 - page 4 Marymere Falls One of the most accessible waterfalls is Marymere Falls, a ninety-foot ribbon of water that drops from the Olympic Mountains. The upand-down, mile-and-a-quarter trail starts from the Storm King Visitor Center and Ranger Station near the Lake Crescent Lodge. The trailhead to Enchanted Valley is found at the end of the south shore Lake Quinault Road, about eighteen miles east of Highway 101. The vertical cliffs of Chimney Peak, White Mountain, Mount Anderson, and Mount Steel surround you and glaciers hang high overhead. You ll loose track of the number of waterfalls dropping from every stream above this glacially-carved valley. I have photographed many elk along this trail and have seen mountain goats in the Enchanted Valley. There is a Park Service shelter, built in 1930, you may want to use if the weather turns wet. Bring your sleeping bag, cook stove, and all the other gear you ll need for a three-to-five day adventure. You can actually cross the Park and the Peninsula by continuing about eleven miles east over the Anderson Pass and down the Dosewallips River to the Hood Canal and the town of Brinnon on Highway 101. Highway 101 circles the peninsula. The Quinault River Valley and the rain forest along Graves Creek have been a favorite place of mine to photograph. Walk a short distance to discover the beautiful streams and cascades or pack all your survival gear into the Enchanted Valley and discover one of the most beautiful valleys you will ever see, about thirteen miles from the end of the road. If you are not a well-conditioned hiker or ready for the longer explorations, there are plenty of places to enjoy the scenery from the window of your car or along short, easy trails to magnificent viewpoints. Even though most of the Olympic National Park is rugged, inaccessible wilderness still uncrossed by any paved roads, windows offer glimpses from the edges of the woods. The High Country The first rays of the rising sun touched Mount Olympus after painting the thin wisps of clouds with streaks of gold. From the top of Hurricane Hill, I was ready with my Nikon. It was a cold morning down in Port Angeles at sea level. Up at 1750 feet, well above the clouds, the air was crystal clear and the panoramic view of the sunrise was about to be added to my collection. Hurricane Ridge is seventeen miles, a thirty-minute drive, up an easy, seven-percent grade. Stop at the

5 issue 9 - page 5 Visitor s Center for a map and a copy of the small booklet called the Guide to the Hurricane Ridge. It will be very useful on your exploration of the high country. Subalpine firs are the straight, pointed evergreens that cover the ridges and the warmer southern slopes of the high Olympics. This ridge is named for the strength of winter winds when adverse weather conditions (some winters bring twentyfive feet of snow to these mountains) bend and twist the young firs. They eventually straighten as they grow older. Growth is slow beneath so much snow and a two-foot tree may be almost a hundred-years old. The Meadow Loop Trail is a paved, gently-sloping, quarter-mile trail and the easiest trail on Hurricane Ridge. Without stopping for photographs, it takes fifteen minutes to walk this trail. The Cirque Rim Loop Trail explores the edge of the alpine meadow where you ll see the effects of snow and ice. Most people can walk that loop trail in about a half-hour. The steeper, forty-minute, High Ridge Loop Trail will take you further up the slope for views of Canada, the North Cascades and Mount Olympus. Drive a mile-and-a-half to the end of the road. Park at the Hurricane Hill trailhead. This used to be an old Forest Service road that led to a fire look-out up on the summit at 5757 feet. The trail is paved with asphalt to control erosion and keep hikers off the fragile meadows. It s a fifty-minute walk up to the summit, so plan to leave your motel in Port Angeles at least an hour and a half before dawn if you want to be in the best place for a panoramic view of the Olympics at sunrise. You can see 10,778-foot Mount Baker to the northeast. To the north are the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island. Visible due south are the East, Middle, and West peaks of Mount Olympus. West Peak, at 7,965 feet, is the summit of Mount Olympus. The mountains protected northern flanks are shrouded in perpetual snow drifts and glaciers. The sixty glaciers remaining in the Olympic National Park are a reminder of the ice age, when vast glacial ice sheets carved the straits of Juan de Fuca and the Puget Sound, and isolated these mountains from the mainland. Late September brings autumn colors to this high mountain ridge. The meadows are covered with the remnants of wildflower displays, so colorful a few months ago, but now just shades of brown. Enjoy a solitary alpine experience and discover some wildlife, pack a lunch, and walk the trail through Badger Valley to Moose Lake. It s nine miles to the trailhead at the end of the road at Obstruction Peak. Some wonderful high-country walks start from this spot. A sign marks the trail to Badger Valley. It s a narrow, steep descent down the switchbacks into Badger Valley. You'll pass cascading streams and cross meadows deep with wildflowers. Macro photographers will love these trailsides in July. I have seen deer and mountain goats and have heard the soft, clucking sound of the blue grouse in Badger Valley. The walk down into Badger Valley is fast and easy, but you will have to climb twelve-hundred feet to get back up to the trailhead. You can return over the even more scenic Grand Lake Trail to the parking area on Obstruction Peak.

6 Photograph the Olympic Peninsula

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8 issue 9 - page 8 Old barn in the rainforest The Pacific Coast Few roads reach Washington s northern Pacific Coast and the fiftyseven miles of wilderness beach protected by a long, narrow strip of Olympic National Park. From Ruby Beach to South Beach, ten miles of Highway 101 offer only about six openings or trailheads down to the beach. You ll drive for miles searching for a view of the ocean to discover only a few good places. Unfortunately, they are usually covered with visitors when the weather is good. Photographers looking for the wilderness of the rugged coast, dotted with off-shore sea stacks and miles of driftwood-covered beaches should try three approaches. Cape Flattery is out at the extreme northwestern tip of the Olympic Peninsula. The road out to Neah Bay (Highway 112) hugs the usually calm waters of the strait. A few miles west of the fishing village of Sekiu, the scenery gets interesting. Drive through the small Makah Indian village of Neah Bay and turn left at the sign ( Air Force Base and Ocean Beaches ) marking the way to Cape Flattery. The paved road passes the Makah Air Force Weather Station and becomes a wash-boarded dirt road that leads to a parking area in about four miles. Late afternoon light is best on this coast, so be ready to hike the short trail out to the tip of the peninsula about an hour before sunset. (Bring a flashlight for the walk back.) I ve spotted eagles in the tops of the spruce on these cliffs. The puffins I came to see were safely protected on their nests out on Tatoosh Island at the extreme western tip of the lower forty-eight states. From this point, you look out on the longest stretch of unbroken ocean on Earth. Flattery Creek drops over hundred-foot cliffs in a waterfall that can only be seen from a boat off the coast. The sea is so deep off these cliffs the waves don t break but crash into caves in the cliffs and make a strange moaning sound. The most isolated, and maybe the most beautiful, beach you will ever discover, lies about eight miles to the south. Follow the same signs through the village of Neah Bay toward the Air Force Base and Ocean Beaches but this time turn left across the concrete bridge over the Waatch River. Follow this road six miles, passing through the private property of the Makah Indian Reservation. When you can drive no further, park and follow the now-undriveable road over Portage Head. About a mile and a half further, the road reaches the edge of the bluffs. Below you is Shi-Shi Beach, about three miles of wilderness beach. In the distance, below the cliffs, are sea stacks and arches,

9 issue 9 - page 9 the Point of the Arches, named by Captain George Vancouver in The trail is steep, so use the trees as handholds to reach the beach. An old shipwreck can be found below Portage Head and a long line of sea stacks and small off-shore rocks can be explored at low tide. (Pick up a free tide table at a ranger station.) You will probably only want to make this trek if the weather is clear and sunny, but dense fog or stormy winter weather is most appropriate in this setting. Use the openings in the arches to frame the shore line or the setting sun. In the winter and spring, California gray whales can by spotted spouting off this coast on their migrations between Alaska and Baja California. In 1970, tidal erosion exposed a group of five-hundred-year-old Ozette Indian homes, perfectly preserved by an ancient mud slide. Thousands of artifacts of these warriors, whalers, sealers, fishermen, hunters, and craftsmen were discovered there and are now on display at the Makah Cultural Center in the village of Neah Bay. This is a great place to enjoy an hour on a rainy day and learn about the history of the Indian tribes that lived on this coast over two-thousand years ago. One of the longest stretches of wilderness beaches reaches from Cape Alava, south to Rialto Beach. The trailhead can be reached by driving out to the north end of Ozette Lake. You can also explore the southern end of this wilderness by driving out toward the town of Forks on Highway 101 and taking the coast road out to La Push and Mora. About eight miles out, take the well-marked right turn toward Mora and Rialto Beach on the north side of the Quillayute River. Pick up a tide table at the ranger station and enjoy the day on the beach. You will discover that the northern beaches are rocky and covered with larger stones, while the southern beaches are broader and more sandy. There are five Indian reservations on this part of the Washington Coast: the Makah, the Hoh, the Quinault, the Ozette and the Quillayute. The Quillayute River enters the Quillayute Reservation on its northern boundary and blocks access to the small town of La Push. You will have to drive five miles, back up the road and take another road down to the small Indian village of La Push. This is probably the best place to stay if you would like to hike, explore, and photograph the Washington Coast for a few days. Right on the Pacific, the Quillayute Indian Tribe operates the La Push Oceanside Resort. Less than a mile up the road towards the town of Forks is a paved parking lot. From the trailhead at the Quillayute Reservation s fish hatchery, it takes about fifteen-minutes to reach Second Beach and the site of many more sea stacks, off-shore needles, and arches. First Beach can be reached from the cabins at the La Push Oceanside Resort. Third Beach involves a much longer walk, up and over a steep trail. The Weather Mount Olympus rises from sea level to almost 8000 feet to intercept moisture-rich air masses that move in from the Pacific. These mountains, isolated from other ranges of the Pacific Northwest, create their own climate. As moist marine air masses climb the western slopes of the range, the air cools rapidly and moisture drops as rain, and, at higher elevations during winter, as

10 issue 9 - page 10 snow. The Hoh Rain Forest is the wettest spot in North America with a seasonal average rainfall of 145 inches. That s more than twelve feet, every year. Blue Glacier on Mount Olympus receives about five-hundred inches of snow per year and advances about five inches per year. So much rain falls on these western slopes of the Olympics that little is left in the clouds to fall on the eastern slopes of the Peninsula. Sequim (skwim), lying in the rain shadow of the Olympic Range, is one of the driest towns in the Pacific Northwest. With an average rainfall of only seventeen inches a year, it actually receives less rain than any West Coast town north of San Diego. Farmers in the area must irrigate their fields. You will find much of the winter snow still covering Hurricane Ridge in early June. Snow banks protected on the shady, north-facing slopes will remain until summer. July and August are usually the driest months. I ve heard locals say that summer extends from the last weekend in July until the first weekend in August. Hot days are rare on the Peninsula. Summer days and nights can be chilly, especially at higher elevations. The coast can be foggy and cold during almost any month of the year. The first snowfall of autumn closes the road to Hurricane Ridge. It is usually not plowed until late December and then kept open the rest of the winter for access to the ski activities on the ridge. Winter photography can be enjoyed along many of the trails at lower elevations and especially along the coast. A cold, crisp winter day is an excellent time to explore and photograph an isolated Pacific beach. Plan your trip If you fly into Seattle, Washington, to start your Olympic Peninsula photo trip, travel westward toward Port Angeles and then circle the Olympic Peninsula in a counterclockwise direction. If you are going to be driving north from California, or flying into the airport at Portland, Oregon, drive the loop around the Peninsula clockwise, starting in the Lake Quinault area. If you fly in on this trip, reserve a rental car that has a trunk to lock your camera equipment out of sight. Consider visiting Seattle, either before or after your expeditions into the Olympic Peninsula. You will need two or three more days to visit Seattle s waterfront with great seafood restaurants, the Space Needle, the Pacific Science Center and the museums and theaters of the 1962 World s Fair site called Seattle Center. Don t miss the architectural delights of Pioneer Square, the underground walking tours of the old, original city that remains beneath the new Seattle, and the Museum of Flight, a world-class exhibition telling the story of flight from a Pacific point of view. From Sea-Tac International Airport in Seattle, it is a short drive north, into the city, and down to Pier 52 on the waterfront, where you can catch the Winslow Ferry. Seattle has the nation s largest fleet of vehicle / passenger ferries and riding one for the first time is a thrill. They run every forty-five minutes except during early- morning hours. You ll enjoy a thirty-minute trip across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island. Follow the signs on Highway 305 to Highway 3, across the Floating Bridge on the Hood Canal to

11 issue 9 - page 11 Highway 104 and then Highway 101, which makes a circle around the Olympic Peninsula. Just follow the highway signs. Having a good map also helps. My favorite is the DeLorme Washington Atlas and Gazetteer with 120 pages of highly detailed maps of the whole state. You can order an Atlas of any state online at: before you leave home. If you have the time, make the side trip out to the northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula and visit the Victorian town of Port Townsend. Through the 1880 s, until the transcontinental railroads located their terminals on the other side of Puget Sound, Port Townsend was on its way to becoming the San Francisco of the North Coast. Gingerbread mansions lining the bluff above the busy waterfront are now B-and-Bs and the area is designated an Historical District. Follow the signs through Port Angeles to locate the Olympic National Park Visitor Center. It is located just a few miles above the town on the road to Hurricane Ridge. You will find maps, guide books, information and advice you will need for your visits to the high country as well as the rain forests and the long narrow strip of National Park out on the Pacific Coast. About a half-hour west of Port Angeles on Highway 101 is eightmile-long Lake Crescent, every bit as beautiful as Switzerland s Lake Lucerne or northern England s Lake Windermere. Lake Crescent is 640 feet deep and the bottom is actually below sea level. Steep, thickly-forested mountains rise straight up from the edge of this glacier-carved lake and very little development has spoiled the shoreline. The Indian village of La Push, fifteen miles west of Forks, is the best place to stay if you plan to photograph the beaches and the isolated coastline of Washington State. Right on the Pacific Coast, the Quillayute Indian Tribe operates the La Push Ocean Park Resort. Lake Quinault Lodge is a reason, in itself, to visit the rain forest. This wonderful old coast-of-maine-style hotel has a lobby full of wicker chairs and old sofas. No TV, no radio, and no telephones, but a wonderful restaurant and a large veranda overlooking the lake that s a great place to set up your tripod and watch the sunset. President Roosevelt enjoyed this place in 1937 and so will you. Have a great trip! Lake Crescent

12 Internet Resources U. S. NATIONAL PARKS / STATE PARKS Olympic National Park: LODGING Lake Crescent Lodge: lake-quinault-lodge/ Forks Motel in Forks, WA: Rain Forest Resort Village on Lake Quinault CAR RENTALS HOTLINES WEATHER CONDITIONS The Weather Channel: The National Weather Service: SPECIALTY CLOTHING CAMERA EQUIPMENT My life-long career in photography began at San Jose State University in After college, I enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, serving as a photographer and darkroom technician. In Germany, my skills and experience with equipment and lab work were developed and polished. I took the opportunity to photograph the beauty of nature in the Black Forest. Returning to California in 1965, I produced industrial and military training films for Raytheon Electronics and began showing my color nature prints. From 1969 through 1981, my photography was exhibited and sold in West Coast galleries. During the early 1980 s, I taught color darkroom workshops, then expanded to include field trips. Former customers, who had purchased my framed photographs, wanted to learn photography. My Pacific Image Photography Workshops offered adventures to the Pacific Coast, the Southwest deserts, national parks, Hawaii, New England, Canada, England, and the South Pacific. The workshops evolved into writing and sharing my adventures with others. Photograph America Newsletter provides information on where, when, and how to discover the best nature photography in North America. Photograph America Newsletter is published quarterly (four issues/year) by Robert Hitchman assisted by technical associate/wife, Katherine Post Office Box 86, Novato, CA All contents of this newsletter copyright Robert Hitchman Please don t make copies for your friends. This is a violation of Federal copyright laws. This newsletter survives on subscriptions.