Lost Basin, Olympic National Park.

Lupine at Lost Pass, with Sentinel Peak and Hayden Pass beyond.

Lost Basin is set deep within the remote backcountry of Olympic National Park, at the headwaters of the Lost River.  It is most often approached via the increasingly wild Dosewallips River Trail.  This is a long backpack in, and includes an additional 5.5 mile walk up the washed out Dosewallips River Road to the trailhead.

The trail itself follows the steep walls of the Dosewallips River through lush forest and across many stream crossings.  There are many campsites along the way, beginning with Dose Forks at 1.4 miles, and ending with Dose Meadows at 12.6 miles, shortly before the trail climbs to Hayden Pass.  From here, one can leave the main trail and follow a steep, primitive trail up to Lost Pass and meander into the beautiful rolling meadows of Lost Basin.

In early August, the flower show is profuse here and bears, goat and deer roam the meadows.  I wrote an article entitled "Finding Lost Basin" for Washington Trails Magazine a few years ago, detailing a particularly enjoyable trip.

The image above is one of my favorites from the trip, and is appearing in the May issue of Backpacker Magazine.

More images from this beautiful area and other highly scenic places in Olympic National Park can be viewed in my Olympic Gallery.

See you on the trail!

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.

Backpacker Magazine

This past summer I spent a lot of time out of state. I visited Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park (yes, I still owe you THAT story!), the Oregon Coast, John Day Monunement, the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area...oh, you get the idea.

So it has been fun to see the rewards from some of these trips in publications.

The image shown here is from my first evening of a seven day backcountry trip in Glacier National Park, known as The North Circle.

Before I left for the trip, I shot an e-mail to the photo editor of Backpacker Magazine informing her of my planned itinerary, in case there was anything I could help her with. She replied back that the magazine had no plans for any Glacier NP stories this year, but to have fun.

Less than a week before my departure, I received a request for images from the EXACT trip I was doing! Did I plant a seed? I can only wonder.

As a result of my submission upon returning, a few of my images were selected to appear in the pages of the magazine to support a story on - get this - The North Circle!

The image of the double-page spread is the best scan I could muster given the tools at my disposal. I would submit that the actual pages offer a much better viewing - available at a news stand near you! ; )

Oh, and a special plug for my friend Jon Cornforth, who's beautiful image from Saguaro National Park, AZ graces the front cover of the magazine.

Backpacker Magazine

If you get a chance, be sure and pick up the August issue of Backpacker Magazine. The cover is an excellent scene straight from the Dolomites in Italy, captured by PatitucciPhoto.

Oh, and your's truly is also represented within its pages. ; )

Backpacker Magazine

As many of you know, I have been a regular contributor to Backpacker Magazine over the past couple years. My most recent appearance is in the current January issue, available at news stands now. The image is of my good friend Dale Mckee on the Blue Glacier during my second ascent of Mount Olympus in Olympic National Park.