Sweet, Sweet Phlox

I turned the Saline Canine into the Alpine Canine for the day. She and her buddy and I made our way up Mt. Townsend, one of the best wildflower hikes in the Olympics (and one that also allows 4-leggeds, for those seeking such options). With the late onset of summer, almost everything was just hitting its peak, so our timing was perfect. Even the native Pacific rhododendron, Rhododendron macrophyllum, was still in full bloom.



I did this climb a few years ago from the other direction and remembered it being beautiful (and a lot shorter), with views of the still-snowy bigger Olympic peaks and Puget Sound. A late start had me wondering if we'd even make it out of the rhododendron forest into alpine flower territory, but we did. I knew we were getting close to open alpine scree when I smelled the sweet and fragrant phlox that I knew to be scattered around the mountain.

One of my first real flower finds was a chocolate lily, Fritillaria lanceolata, one of my favorite alpine flowers. I saw only one plant, but I was able to snap a few shots of it...albeit using the cantankerous macro function on the old clunker--can't wait to get the Canon back!


While not as rare, the columbine were gorgeous, their reds and yellows especially bright in the late afternoon light against the green backdrop of the forested lower elevations.


While I didn't linger long looking for every last species, I did see more than a handful of flowers in different hues and was able to breathe some clean, phlox-scented, alpine air while I was at it. And at least one of us kept the Douglas squirrels on their toes.