Olympic National Park

My mom has many nice roses in her gardens; and before we drove to Washington I admired some in the morning light.

Jeri is looking back at me as we descend the trail to Beach 4, a few miles north of the Kalaloch Lodge.

Before descending the trail to beach 4, I looked out over the beach, and enjoyed this view.

The descend to Beach 4 included these pleasant steps through the forest.

Bees were collecting food from the flowers; this may be a Bombus sylvicola (forest bumblebee), or possibly a western bumblebee (Bombus occidentalis). It seems to like the Cow Parsnip (Herecleum lanatum) flowers.

These yellow flowers were common in much of the park. I think they are fan-leaf cinquefoil (Potentilla flabellifolia), although I can hardly distinguish those from slender cinquefoil (Potentilla gracilis var. flabelliformis). That insect with a copper thorax and a black cylindrical body with yellow spots looks like a sweat bee, but it is instead some sort of hover fly or bee fly. There are thousands of species of such flies that look like bees, and I can only tell you that this cute little guy is some sort of fly; not a bee.

Arthur stands on Beach 4 (Kalaloch Beach), with people on the rocks behind him. There is a prominent although rather small sea stack behind him at Starfish Point. Olympic National Park has several beaches along the wild west coast, and we visited a few of them. Beach 4 was our first stop.

These are the gelatinous egg capsules laid by female market squid (also known as Pacific loligo squid or opalescent inshore squid). There were clusters and lone egg capsules scattered all over Beach 4 when we arrived. Messy.

There are some nice sedimentary rocks of the Olympic Subduction Complex at Beach 4. They have been brought to the surface and turned over by earth forces so that you can walk over the turbidites (layers of limestone,sandstone, and shale resulting from flows of sediments across an ocean or lake floor). These rocks are less than 24 million years old, and were formed at considerable depth on the ocean floor.

This tide pool at Beach 4 held some giant green anemone (Anthopleura xanthogrammica), which I recognize from my early childhood growing up near Laguna Beach, as these are common all up and down the North American Pacific coast. The sea anemone with red color are probably aggregating anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima), although I suppose they might be painted anemone (Urticina grebelnyi), a northern species we did not have in southern California.

Ocher Sea Stars (Pisaster ochraceus, also known as purple starfish) are also common on the Pacific coast; they come in three colors, and here you see two of those: yellow and purple (there is also a maroon red color version). The stalked barnacles (gooseneck barnacles; order Pedunculata) have a nice colony going on the rock above the sea stars.

Here we found a tube worm colony in a concave hollow in a rock; with sea anemone and sea stars all around it. These hollow tubes are the homes of feather duster worms (probably Eudistylia vancouveri).

Beaches on the Washington coast can be covered in stones, pebbles, tiny pebbles, or sand; and the stones and pebbles tend to be tumbled by the sea to form satisfying smooth disk shapes.

Many of the stones on the Washington coast were carried to the ocean by glaciers bringing them from the Cascade mountains or the Olympic mountains. While most of the rocks are dark gray, there are always a few red, green, yellow, and white stones that might catch the attention of someone looking down as they walk along the beach. Here are some lovely little pebbles Jeri found at Beach 4.

I enjoyed wading into the ocean and tide-pools, but my wife and sons kept their shoes on. It was time to go back to our car and drive into the rainforest, so Jeri and the boys were heading back.

Jeri found a Pacific razor clam shell (Siliqua patula), at Beach 4, and we all admired the soothing pale blue color of the interior of the shell.

The trail to Beach 4 ends with a driftwood bridge across a small stream.

We collected some interesting stones, and then photographed them before leaving them at the beach when we returned to our vehicle. This speckled conglomerate stone was especially eye-catching.

Arthur took this close-up photograph of a common ocher sea star next to the colony of northern feather duster worms (Vancouver feather-dusters).

Looking out from Beach 4 at Destruction Island and the 29 meter tall lighthouse (constructed in 1890-91), which has been decommissioned. Destruction Island is about 30 acres in size, and there are no significant islands off the Pacific coast south of it until you get down to the Farallon Islands, which are out at sea a few miles from San Francisco.

We saw many of this Claytonia sibirica in the forests. This very small flower has several common names, such as Candy Flower, Siberian Spring Beauty, Siberian Miner’s Lettuce, or Pink Purslane. You can see an insect in this one. It is native to Siberia and northwestern North America.

Here is the trail up from Beach 4.

Ravens are more common than crows in much of the Northwest, but along the coast these smaller birds with fan-shaped (rather than wedge-shaped) tail feathers are crows; and these specifically are Northwestern Crows; slightly smaller and with a slightly different call than American Crows. (photo by Arthur Hadley-Ives)

The Hoh River, known to early European Explorers as the “Destruction River” or “River of Sadness” because the local people attacked and killed sailors who came ashore to gather fresh water and supplies. The Quileute language uses “Ohalet” as the word for fast moving water or snow water, so that is one likely origin of the current name.

Many visitors in the Hoh Rainforest stopped to admire the clear water and study this little forest stream flowing into the Hoh River.

The Hoh Rainforest was crowded with visitors on the sunny, warm Thursday afternoon. We hiked on the Hall of Moss trail and then Arthur and I hiked on the Hoh River Trail a short distance. This is a view of the trail leading up to the Hall of Moss trail.

The Hoh Rainforest (and the Queets Rainforest, and the Quinault Rainforest) are all in the Olympic National Park, and all get about 3810 mm of rain (about 150 inches) in average years. The ground is covered with ferns, and on the trees grow moss, lichen, and ferns.

Maple trees (Vine Maple, Acer circinatum; and Big Leaf Maple, Acer macrophyllum) in the Hoh Rainforest tend to be covered in club mosses and beard lichen (genus Usnea).

The Hall of Moss nature trail has this arch over it, where a maple tree bent over, and then continued to grow.

In the rainforest the dominant ferns are Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant) and Western Swordfern (Polystichum munitum), but there are many other species as well. Other plants such as goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) and Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) are also common.

The appropriately named banana slug (genus Ariolimax) is also frequently seen in the rainforest.

Beard Lichen hangs in the sun.

This maple tree on the Hall of Moss nature trail at the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center made me think of a person with arms raised up toward the sky. The moss and lichen on the tree could be tattered clothing.

This tree in the Hoh Rainforest seemed to me like it was actually a group of young trees growing on a dead snag, but the moss and lichens have so covered everything so that it all seems like one tree. Anyway, even if it is just a single tree, it has a curious and fantastic shape.

This is a view of the Hoh River a mile or two downstream from the Hoh Rainforest visitor center.

This gruesome scene shows a spider with victims on a white flower, which seems to be some type of sandwort (genus Sabulina).

In Forks, Washington we bought groceries and paid our respects at the Loggers Memorial. Many of my ancestors and family members in the Pacific Northwest going back several generations either did work as loggers or had to clear land; one of my grandfathers was actually killed in a logging workplace accident. It is a dangerous occupation, even now.

We arrived at the Sol Duc resort in the evening, and after setting up the tent in the campground I went to the resort to reserve a slot to use the hot springs the following day. These are the cabins at the resort. I am sure that the campground is a much better value.

The campfire allowed us to cook our dinners after we set up our tent.

After clearing away our dinner and food, we enjoyed the campfire as the sky grew dark.

We let the boys sleep in to well past 9:00 in the morning. Our tent was cozy, although Jeri felt cold. Arthur and I slept on the ground, while Jeri and Sebastian were on cots.

Along the trail to the Sol Duc Waterfall we saw Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) in great profusion on the forest floor. Bunchberry is sometimes called Canadian Dogwood, and it is related to the dogwood tree, although it is a plant low to the ground, and not a tree.

Walking through the forest of the Sol Duc valley toward the waterfall gave us an opportunity to appreciate the charming old growth trees.

Sebastian and Arthur seemed to enjoy the hike. The last time we went on this hike (in 2000), Arthur spent most of the hike in my arms or on my shoulders, as he was only about 16 months old.

The Canadian Bunchberry plants with their simple bright flowers rising out of the moss made the forest floor attractive.

The trail to Sol Duc Falls crosses some tiny streams that come tumbling out of the mountains toward the Sol Duc River. This one, quite near the falls, splashes among a field of moss-covered rock scree without much of a stream bed.

Long before you arrive at Sol Duc Falls you can hear the roar of the water pouring into the chasm carved into the rock by the Sol Duc River over thousands of years.

Sol Duc Falls seen from the footbridge over the Sol Duc River

Looking down into the slot carved by Sol Duc Falls.

View of Sol Duc Falls from the platform along Sol Duc River Trail, which continues from here up toward the end of the valley and the passes to higher slopes and the snow-covered mountains. Few visitors go beyond the falls on backpacking journeys, compared to the many who make the slightly-less-than-one-hour hike from the parking lot to the falls and back.

Jeri at Sol Duc Falls

Sebastian smiling at Sol Duc Falls, with his cute pandemic mask over his chin.

Arthur at Sol Duc Falls

Eric took the photograph, but you can see Jeri, Sebastian, and Arthur at Sol Duc Falls.

Jeri took this photograph of Arthur, Sebastian, and Eric at the stream on the trail to Sol Duc Falls.

The trail up the Sol Duc Valley past Sol Duc Falls is level and easy, but the trail has many stones and roots, presenting hikers with tripping hazards.

The Sol Duc River roars down the valley away from Sol Duc Falls.

The old shelter near Sol Duc Falls (Canyon Creek Shelter), constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers in 1939, and the last trail shelter from the CCC era still in Olympic National Park.

This False Lily of the Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum) flower was fairly common along the forest trails. It is a lovely and non-toxic ground cover. The flowers will turn to white berries, that turn red when ripe. Although edible, these were not highly prized by humans, but mice and deer seem to like them.

Bracket fungus on the end of a cut log. Trees that fall over trails in the national park generally have segments cut out and removed, but are otherwise left where they fall.

We noticed many lovely Queen’s Cup (Clintonia uniflora) flowers along the trail to Sol Duc Falls.

This Queen’s Cup flower seems to be an ornament for whatever dryad makes this tree her home.

The roots of this old snag form a tunnel.

We noticed this lettuce lichen (Lobaria oregana) in the Sol Duc forest, where it lives on old growth Douglas Fir trees.

After the short hike to Sol Duc Falls and back, we went to the hot springs to soak for a while.

Back in the Sol Duc hot springs, which we had last visited 21 years earlier.

When the hot springs seemed too hot, we could go into the cool swimming pool.

After Sol Duc, and a stop in Port Angeles for some gas and groceries, our next stop was a picnic area up on Hurricane Ridge, where this mule deer came up to us to join in the picnic.

The friendly deer who approached us on Hurricane Ridge while we had our lunch just stood near us calmly munching and browsing on plants for a few minutes, and then slowly wandered off.

After our picnic lunch, we proceeded to set out on Hurricane Hill Trail, mainly just to go along and see what sort of wildflowers we could find. Immediately we noticed some Avalanche Lily (Erythronium oregonum) flowers, a fairly common flower in the higher elevations of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains from Northern Oregon up to British Columbia.

Another view of the lovely avalanche lily.

I used a higher shutter speed to darken the white flower and bring out the contrast with the shadow in this shot of an avalanche lily.

The glacier lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum) grow in concentrated patches in the alpine meadows, and this this little group of lilies was next to a mound of snow. There were some white flowers mixed in with the glacier lilies, but we were not close enough to get a good view of them, although I suspect they could be either Columbian Windflower (Three-leaf Anemone, Anemone deltoidea) or else cutleaf anemone (Anemone multifida).

A patch of glacier lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum) at Hurricane Ridge.

Glacier Lilies appear early, often being the first flowers after snow melts. On June 18th when we visited Hurricane Ridge, the snow was still thick in patches, but areas with good sun exposure (south slopes) were showing flowers such as these.

The glacier lily is a common flower in the Pacific Northwest, and it is a lovely flower to admire.

Almost any meadow in the Pacific Northwest over 1500 meters (4900 feet) in elevation will show glacier lilies in June.

One final glacier lily.

David Douglas was an extraordinary explorer and botanist in the tradition of William Bartram, who came to the Oregon Territory from Scotland, and spent much of the years 1824-1834 exploring lands that have become the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. The Douglas Fir is named for him, and so is this lovely alpine flower, the Smooth Douglasia (Douglasia laevigata)

Close-up view of the lovely blossoms of Smooth Douglasia, a rare flower that can be found soon after the snow melts on rocky slopes in the Cascades, the Olympic Mountains, and some of the coastal ranges.

This smooth douglasia cluster has petals that are narrow compared to some of the other plants we saw, demonstrating a bit of variation within Douglasia laevigata.

Colorful mats of smooth douglasia on the slopes of Hurricane Ridge along the Hurricane Hill trail, photographed on June 18th, 2021.

Mountain Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja parviflora) was growing in abundance in June, as were mats of spreading Phlox (Phlox diffusia). In this image you can see the two growing together, with the paintbrush rising from the phlox.

A satisfying deep red color can be seen on this mountain paintbrush. Actually, there are many species of paintbrush in Olympic National Park, and this could be harsh Indian paintbrush (Castilleja hispida), scarlet Indian paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), or even Suksdorf’s paintbrush (Castilleja suksdorfii). I don’t have the expertise to distinguish among the species.

A cluster of paintbrush flowers along Hurricane Hill Trail on Hurricane Ridge.

The other common June wildflower (along with the glacier lilies and the paintbrush) up on Hurricane Ridge is spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa). Here is a close-up view of some phlox with a light purple lavender shade in the petals. Although the ranger identified this as spreading phlox, I wonder if it might be tufted phlox (Phlox caespitosa).

Spreading phlox and tufted phlox can range in color from white to purple, with many shades intermediate.

It was a special treat to see some of these rare Olympic Violets (Viola flettii), which only occur in the Olympic mountains and nowhere else on earth (except perhaps in botanical gardens). It is possible that these are the more common and widespread hookedspur violets (Viola adunca ).

There was also a fair amount of lupine blooming on Hurricane Ridge, generally bigleaf lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) and longspur lupine (Lupinus arbustus).

A fairly generic white five-petal flower that was up on Hurricane Ridge; it is probably three-leaved anemone (Anemone deltoidea) or else cutleaf anemone (Anemone multifida).

From Hurricane Ridge trail we could look out over a valley to see people at the end of the Klahhane Ridge trail.

We saw some of this flower and thought it likely to be Alpine Parsley (Cymopterus alpina) or Baker’s Alpine Parsley (Oreoxis bakeri). However, I'm unsure of this identification, and wonder if this might be some sort of member of the Alysseae tribe.

This bird, a gray jay (Canadian Jay, Perisoreus canadensis) seemed curious about the hikers along Hurricane Hill.

The Olympic Mountains seen from Hurricane Ridge.

The Olympic Mountains seen from Hurricane Ridge.

The Olympic Mountains seen from Hurricane Ridge.

The West Peak of Mount Olympus Mountains seen from Hurricane Ridge.

Mount Fairchild (left) and Mount Carrie (right) seen from Hurricane Ridge.

The Olympic Mountains seen from Hurricane Ridge.

A view of the Olympic Mountains seen from Hurricane Hill Trail.

The valley below Hurricane Hill Trail with the highest peaks of the Olympic Mountains (including Mt. Olympus) looming up from the valley.

Mt Angeles seen from Hurricane Hill Trail.

Mount Cameron and Mount Deception from Hurricane Ridge.

Breathtaking view from Hurricane Ridge

The Olympic Chipmunk (Tamias amoenus caurinus) is only found on the Olympic peninsula.

The Olympic chipmunk is not much afraid of hikers, and it was easy to get some close-up images of this cute character.

The delightful and tiny Olympic chipmunk perched on a rock.

This Olympic chipmunk takes a cautious pose, ready to scurry off in any direction. (photograph by Arthur Hadley-Ives)

This buck was hanging out in the trail-head parking lot (photograph by Arthur Hadley-Ives)

Ravens were flying around Hurricane ridge. You can see the wedge-shaped tail that distinguishes the raven from a crow (also, it has a thicker and bigger beak, and is overall larger than a crow).

When the trail to Hurricane Hill reached this point, we decided we had seen sufficient wildflowers, and we turned around to head back to the area near the Hurricane Ridge visitor center.

Jeri and Sebastian have fun taking a selfie.

Sebastian and Jeri are getting a photograph of themselves on Hurricane Hill trail.

Jeri and Sebastian on Hurricane Hill trail.

The Hurricane Hill trail is one of the most scenic routes that you can easily reach by car.

Arthur took this photograph of Eric and Sebastian on the Hurricane Hill trail.

This photograph by Arthur shows Sebastian, Eric, and Jeri on the Hurricane Hill trail. You can see that on one side we had wildflowers close by, and sometimes chipmunks, whereas on the other side of the trail the slope dropped steeply down into the Grand Canyon of the Elwha River, and across that the high Olympic Mountains stood.

Arthur took this photograph of his older brother and his parents.

A family portrait of the Hadley-Ives family: Sebastian (艾世群), Jeri (彭春枝), Arthur (艾德禮), and Eric (艾瑞克).

Sebastian in the Olympic Mountains.