High Divide!

Last week, we headed into the woods in the Olympic National Park for several days. It was sheer bliss. The weather was perfect for us, the creatures were ready for me and my long lens and the snow was melting out in the high country. We saw 10 bears, oodles of birds, marmots, deer and had a herd of mountain goats join us for a couple days. It was one of those trips where you forget everything you know about responsibility, phones, email, bills, etc. Just bliss. Here are some highlights.

Avalanche Lillies

Bear Grass

Isn't this beautiful? I couldn't get enough. That's Mt. Olympus in the background.

Vil had fun iceberg surfing. I was waiting for the dunk, but it never happened.

One of our camps was at Heart Lake. Fitting name, wouldn't you agree?

I joined a gang out there.

How cute is the smile on the baby here? This just melted me.

Good story. Birds and I don't get along. Not that I don't love them, because I do... I just have a real hard time with beaks and claws. This bird literally chased me- dive bombing. It was a great laugh for V who watched and I screamed, shouted, tripped, waved my trekking poles and ducked as this little feathered number screeped and thrashed above my head- each time I went near Heart Lake. We never did figure out where the nest was that she was likely protecting. Funny- it was just me- not V.. that she didn't like. I think it was my yellow shirt...right...that was it. Eventually, I had a good conversation with her and told her that I was one of the good-guys.

Lots of bears like this one were our neighbors on the hillsides. Each night we went to bed knowing there were several bears within view. They left us completely alone thanks to responsible food practices and bear canisters. Aren't they gorgeous?

Brook trout, caught on the fly! Too many to count. Endless fun, too.

Sardines!

Check out this baby marmot. It was the first time we'd ever seen one this young. It was very wary about being outside the safety of it's burrow. What a precious! Young marmots stay with their family in their burrow for up to 2 years.

These marmots are the Olympic Marmots and are a special type found no where else in the world. They look every similar to their cousins the Hoary Marmots, but vary a bit. They hibernate September through May and are active during the summer. Olympic Marmots are Washington States official endemic mammal.

Yup... it's heavy too. I'm a mule.