Tsuga Mertensiana, a photo by wild trees on Flickr.
There is something very special about Tsuga mertensiana (mountain hemlock). Of course, it's probably fare to say that I would say there is something special about nearly every tree, but as a species, Tsuga m. is especially striking. They grow in some of most weather exposed places, and yet attain relatively large sizes given how slowly they grow. Standing as they often do on cliffs and deep ravines, they are ravaged by wind, buried in snow and brushed by avalanche. To me, this gives them each a different personality, there's something different about each one you meet. This particular fellow is just protected from the windward side of this ridge, but the broken top is evidence of the power of the winter wind. I look forward to visiting here again soon, in late summer when the berries are ripe and evidence of the many feet of snow that surely cover this slope has melted.
Mist on the Old-Growth, a photo by wild trees on Flickr.
Alta Creek. You've probably never heard of it. A wild stream that flows through deep, dark forest from tree covered peaks to the flat bottoms of the Queets. There's something very special about this place: it's in the fog capital of the Olympics. Does that mean it's in the fog capital of the West? Surely the Olympic Peninsula is a place where fog finds its' ultimate expression, where the mists of summer reach a profound beauty and the mists of winter blot out the sun.
This photo was taken from near the top of Kimta peak. The fog streaming in from the coast, the sun setting over the rising bank. I sat and watched this happen with awe, with wonder in my soul. I still feel the emotion of that day, being moved by the beauty of the light, the droplets of water vapor streaming through the air and refracting the light. It was a privilege to see, to be in that place at that moment... this photograph brings me back, reminds me of the rough bark of Tsuga mertensiana, the sparkling green of newly damped needles waving goodbye to the long summer day.
