Autumn along the eastern Olympic Peninsula

I’m presently in Washington for a research trip, but the weekend provides some non-work time to explore the magical Pacific Northwest. I drove up to Whidbey Island from southern Washington, but decided to travel along the eastern edge of the Olympic Peninsula instead of the usual route through Seattle. This afforded the chance for more scenic stops and a ride on the ferry, which I love.

Maples and conifer forest along Hood Canal.

Some jagged peaks in the Olympic range from the
Mt. Walker lookout point in the Olympic National
Forest.

The last few days have been sunny and relatively warm in the northwest, a pleasant and unpredictable occurrence this time of year. Autumn colors are in full glory, with bright yellow leaves of big leaf maples particularly abundant. Perhaps because the sun is lower on the horizon as the days shorten at these higher latitudes, colors seem rich and lighting is particularly attractive. The rain and clouds will return to dominate the winter and spring, but I’m fortunate to be up here during a brief window of pleasant weather.

Coastal marshes at the mouth of the Duckabush River
that empties into Hood Canal.

Mt. Rainier in the distance from the Olympic Peninsula.

Reflections of moonlight on water near Port Townsend.

Olympic National Forest.

Paradise

Mt. Rainier from the east.

The luminous peak of Mt. Rainier is omnipresent in central Washington, visible near Olympia, looming in the east from Seattle, and touching the western horizon from the edge of the desert of central Washington. At over 14,400 feet, it is the highest member of the Cascade Range and dwarfs the nearby mountains.

For my second visit to Mt. Rainier National Park, we camped for two nights at Ohanapecosh, a low elevation campsite in the southeast corner of the park. The afternoon we arrived we detoured to a short trail starting at the White River campsite on the road to Sunrise. A trail ascended from dense forest near the campsite and followed the frigid turbulent water of the White River. The Emmons Moraine Trial branched towards the south, crossing the White River with a narrow footbridge constructed of a single log. The water jumbled over boulders in such a rush that spray danced into the air. Across the river the trail continued upward along a ridge that overlooked the terminus of Emmons Glacier and its moraine. This valley to the south was barren higher up (perhaps old ground the glacier used to occupy), forested with short trees farther down, and adorned with a beautiful turquoise lake farther still. The lake wasn’t on any map I had seen of the park. I learned that Emmons Glacier is the largest glacier in the lower 48 states.

Left: Unnamed alpine lake near the White River. Right: White River and Emmons Glacier.

On the south slopes of Rainier lies Paradise, a popular stopping point and gateway to the snowy alpine. On the second morning I set out with my two oldest to wander up the slopes of Paradise looking for wildflowers. Most of the Skyline Trail area was still under snow. In street shoes, we were not well prepared, but we hiked on the firm snow anyway, gaining enough elevation to have excellent views of Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Adams to the south.

Glacier (Nisqually Glacier I believe) on the
south slope of Mt. Rainier visible from Paradise.

When we started the hike most of the bright slopes of Rainier were still visible, framed by a deep blue sky. A few clouds tightly hugged the mountain near the summit, wisping off the east side of the peak. A large patch of grayish white clouds quickly moved in and obscured the top of the mountain. Nisqually Glacier, when it was visible, was a ribbon of ice streaming downslope from near the summit, cracked and shining aquamarine light in places.

Up to an elevation a little above the visitor’s center there were meadows of yellow alpine lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum) and white avalanche lilies (E. montanum), each species generally clustering together with its own. At somewhat higher elevations however, the main flowering species changed to Trollius laxus (American globeflower), paintbrushes, and pink-flowered alpine shrubs where snow was not covering the ground. Chipmunks scurried about; marmots foraged more casually, largely ignoring hikers crisscrossing the snow trying to follow some semblance of trails. Lines of backpackers with ice axes, helmets, and better footware streamed by us headed for the pure white drifts of snow and ice above.

References

Turner M, Gustafson P. 2006. Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Cascade Range peaks visible from the southern slope of Mt. Rainier. Left: Mt. Adams. Right: Mt. Saint Helens.

Paradise mammals. Left: Marmot. Right: Chipmunk bounding across a snowfield.

Firs on the slopes at Paradise.

American globeflower.