Living – Places: 8
2012 (continued)
In the autumn of 2012, we took a trip to the Olympic peninsula.
At Heart o' the Hills campground, we found a great hiking trail.
The trees are spectacularly tall.
Garima and our dear friend Chiara standing in front of the roots of a long fallen tree.
The enticing trail.
It's really hard to capture the scale of a forest like this.
In other areas, the forest was too thick to see through, except for just a glimpse of the sky.
Some of the ferns were 4 - 5 feet high!
The trunk of a very recently fallen tree.
The trail took us through an enchanting forest that seemed to change at every bend.
This shot gives an idea of the scale of the forest.
In some areas, the trees were heavily bearded.
The bearding adds a whole different dimension to the forest.
When I think of the Olympic rain forest, images like this are the first that come to mind.
Poetry in slow growth motion.
Character.
Autumn ferns dressed in camouflage.
One of the most beautiful stands of ferns I saw.
Ferns growing on the old trunk of a long-fallen tree.
At one point, Garima spotted this magnificent banana slug climbing a tree.
It was nearly as long as her hand and retracted its stalks when she pointed at it.
A family of mushrooms growing in the roots of an overturned tree.
Bracket fungi on a long march up a trunk.
One thing that is amazing in the rain forest is that stuff grows on every available surface. Here, bracket fungi are growing on a trunk, and a whole little ecosystem is perched on top of one of the fungi.
A side view of a bracket fungi showing its many layers of growth.
Bracket fungi from above.
And from below.
One of the larger bracket fungi we came across.
With my fingers for perspective.
Another thing that fascinated me is the every cut log end seems to sport a different ecosystem. Here, a family of bracket fungi.
This cut log end is being shared by some delicate white fungi and some equally delicate green plant.
This is a forest of macro and micro scale. Little micro ecosystems are growing on every available surface, like this giant fallen log.
A little community of green climbing up a tree trunk.
Another carpeted fallen log.
A closeup of the carpet … a forest in miniature.
A nice arrangement.
Another little forest.
This is one of my favorite of the little plants there.
Delicate vibrance.
A lush carpet.
A well cloaked ancient tree.
The next generation. Someday long after we're gone, this may tower over the forest.
On the way down from Heart o' the Hills, we got a nice glimpse out over Port Angeles of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Upon returning home to Colorado, we were greeted this morning by our own brand of bearded trees.
