Category: Olympic National Park

If I’d had the courage to attempt Enchanted Valley by myself, I’m sure I would have enjoyed the flowers, the scenery, and the wildlife, but I wouldn’t have enjoyed it nearly as much I did doing it with “family:” daughter Dawn, son-in-law Rich, Santi (Gavin and Lael’s Spanish big brother), Gavin, and Lael:

I’ve taken many hikes with grandkids and loved every one of them, but there’s something very special about going with grandkids to the same National Park that you took your first hike with your own kids.

It’s comforting to know you’re not the only one that needs a break when you’re trudging uphill carrying a 40+ pack.

It’s reassuring to know that it’s not just old age that’s wearing you down.

There’s also something special about working together to fulfill the most basic needs —like having enough water.

Of course, it’s only later, when you’re safely home, that you realize how much we take for granted.

It’s also nice to have someone to give you a high-five when you’ve overcome an obstacle,

and I’m not sure I would have made it across this bridge if I’d been alone because I really hate high, narrow bridges, particularly when I’m dead tired from carrying a pack six miles before I got to it.

And you can’t overlook perhaps the most important reason to go backpacking, to take the time to just sit back and do nothing at all except look at waterfalls cascading down high cliffs.

This hike was also special in that we got to know several hikers because the valley was crowded with the upper parts of the park inaccessible because of unusual amounts of snow. I didn’t really take pictures of them because I tend to avoid taking pictures of people without first asking their permission.

However, Santi wanted his picture taken with “Kris the Mountainman” who was especially generous to us and shared campfires with us two of the four nights we were out.

He’s a park volunteer and hoping to get on as a Park Ranger. I’m sure everyone in our group thought he would make a great one. He certainly knew the area well and was helpful to all of us.

I don’t think that I could justify the Enchanted Valley hike just on the basis of the wildlife we observed, but I did enjoy the wildlife and saw one bird I’d never seen before. Perhaps the most surprising discovery was the high number of Robins and Song Sparrows

we saw there. I have a hard time imagining a Robin outside a backyard.

I missed a beautiful shot of a Red-Breasted Sapsucker that Dawn spotted at close range, but I did manage to get a shot of this female Blue Grouse that Santi spotted,

the first time I’ve ever managed to get a shot of one, and perhaps the first time I’ve ever seen one.

The most common butterfly was the elusive Tiger Swallowtail, but this small white and black moth/butterfly is one I’ve never seen before (and can’t find in my Insects of the Pacific Northwest):

We never did see the much-sought-after black bear, but we did see two small herds of elk. This shot of the mother and baby (with older brother following closely behind?) was undoubtably my favorite wildlife shot of the trip.

Originally, Dawn had reserved sites higher in the mountain for our five-day hike, but Park Rangers recommended we not try it since there was still six feet of snow in places. Still, Enchanted Valley is part of Olympic National Park, so mountains are definitely an important part of the hiking experience.

This chalet, now used as a ranger station and emergency shelter, guards the entrance to the valley

with clouded cliffs and waterfalls serving as a backdrop.

Even though we didn’t see a bit of rain in our five days there, at times it seemed like we were living in the clouds,

which certainly explains why everything is so green.

Though lined with forests, it’s obvious that the Quinault River is still a major player here,

fed by unseen mountains and melting snow fields even now.

We day hiked another 6 miles up the valley, knowing our way was ultimately blocked by distant, snow-covered mountains fading into the clouds.

Although we were going to try to walk to a damaged footbridge, Pahtah (that’s me) decided after running into one too many washouts that he had better save some energy for the two days it would take to walk out.

The beautiful flowers found on the trail to Enchanted Valley helped to alleviate the fatigue that invariably accompanies carrying a 40 pound pack uphill for 13 miles.

These beautiful Mountain Daisies

were found from the lowest elevation to the highest.

Huge bushes full of Tilling’s Monkeyflower

crowded river gravel at our first Campground and at several places where we stopped beside the river to rest.

Several varieties of wild roses

were also found at our campground and along the trail.

I loved this striking white flower that we saw several times in dark shade, making it difficult to get as sharp of image as I’d like to get.

Though I found several similar flowers in Mountain Flowers of the Cascades and Olympics, I couldn’t really pin it down exactly.

Luckily, I got several chances to capture this picture of a Columbine,

another favorite that I haven’t seen much since I moved away from the Columbia Gorge area.