RHH's photos with the keyword: elwha valley

This old cabin is one of several, the remains of early settlers, along the Hume Ranch trail in the Elwha Valley of Olympic National Park. The sign at the cabin reads: "Michael's Cabin was named for Cougar Mike who made his living hunting predators with hounds and maintaining trails and phone lines. He was best known for his marksmanship hunting cougar. As one local recalled, 'He was a live-wire who really moved out through the woods.' He lived in Ludden's Geyser House after Ludden died in 1927. (The clearing to the north is still visible where the house stood.) Michael moved to Riverside on the Soleduk River when Olympic National park was established. He died sometime during the 1950's. The cabin was built on Michael's property in 1937 by Jay Gormley and Gus Peterson for overnight use as they traveled to Olympic National Monument to maintain trails and help keep the phone lines open. They also built cabins at Elkhorn and Hayes."

Taken while hiking the Humes Ranch trail in the Elwha Valley of Olympic National Park. This was quite typical of the forest along the trail and I believe it is mainly Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii. In places the trees grew so close together you could not see through them.

This was the third orchid we found on our trip to the Olympics, the Long-spurred Piperia, Piperia elongata. We found many of these along the Humes Ranch trail in the Elwha Valley, an area of Olympic National Park we had not hiked before. These flower spikes are a a foot to a foot and a half tall (30-45cm) and by the time the flowers open the leaves at the base of the plant have withered away leaving the flower spike standing alone.