August Issue of Backpacker

Be sure and check out the current issue of Backpacker magazine on newstands now. It includes another one of my images of Mount Olympus from my traverse of the Bailey Range a few years ago.

Not only was this a very successful trip for me, it has also furnished a number of images that have seen the pages of various publications, probably more than any other trip I have done. It's a trip I would like to repeat soon.

I coupled this traverse with the Skyline High Route for a fantastic 8 day trip crossing the Olympic Mountains from north to south, starting at Sol Duc and finishing at Lake Quinault. I highly recommend this trip for its fantastic scenery, solitude and abundant wildlife.

This image was taken at the very begining of the trip, just above camp near The Catwalk on the shoulder of Cat Peak. It affords a pretty excellent view of the Mount Olympus massif and is a non-technical, albeit long, destination.

Hurricane Hill, Olympic National Park

At the end of Hurricane Ridge, a very worthwhile destination in its own right, lies a sweet former lookout known as Hurricane Hill. While you will be hard pressed to view Mount Olympus from here, the Bailey Range that the Greek goddess is hiding behind is impressive. Add to that views of Port Angeles, the Straight of Juan de Fuca and Vancouver Island, and you will feel like you won the lotto!

Until the 1950's, a road actually existed all the way to it's summit, where a lookout cabin was perched. Both are gone now, though the base of the cabin still exists. It's not hard to understand why someone would want to spend extended time in such a beautiful place.

Today Hurricane Hill is reached by a short trail - 1.4 miles long to be exact. Since it starts high, the entire distance has supreme views as it traverses through meadows. Wildlife is plentiful as well; we saw three bears, several marmots and many dear while enjoying our hike last weekend. When I returned in the evening for photography, I was greeted by a mother grouse and her chicks. Well, greeted might not be the right term. I don't think they were happy that I was sitting and laying on their section of the trail for these shots!

The Hurricane Hill trail is totally melted out right now, and flowers are out in force. They were a little early during our visit, but I suspect that they will peak in the coming week - possibly this weekend?

This visit was considerably different than my first visit to the area on a winter overnight snowshoe several years ago!

If you are looking for a place to take the family, including young ones, this is a great choice. Hurricane Ridge is just a short drive up from the town of Port Angeles. For nearby camping, consider Heart of the Hills campground just inside the park entrance, a personal favorite of mine.

Of course, Hurricane Ridge alone is worth a visit,
with its expansive views into the interior of the range and...oh, I guess I already covered that. I hope you find time to visit this wonderful gem!

New Web Site!

I'm excited to announce that I have gone LIVE with my new web site! Yes, the address is the same; only the presentation has changed!

This has been a taxing project because it has involved more than just a redesign. This is a brand new web site, built from the ground up. I say the ground up, because I went back and diligently worked with each image, using newer photo editing software and technique for web presentation.

It's still a work in progress; I have many out-of-state galleries to complete yet, and will do so soon. Check back often!

I hope you enjoy this new representation of my work.

www.mountainscenes.com

Busy, Busy, Busy!

June was a slow month of blog updates for me. I have multiple projects I've been wrapped up in, and had actually hoped to have announcements out by now for for two of the bigger ones. I also still have all my Death Valley images from early April to edit and share, with my Glacier National Park trip just a few weeks away! No stress here!

My first project has been an update of my web site. Well, update is not accurate. It's a brand new web site. It's been a bigger project than originally planned as I realized I wanted to slim down the content, and re-edit my images using more current software and digital darkroom technique. I am also being much more thorough with my SEO on each individual page and image. It's been a lot of work, but I think it will be worth it.

My second major project isn't quite ready for sharing yet - sorry. You'll just have to stay tuned!