Hoh Rain Forest © 2010 Bo Mackison
One of the more popular places to experience on a hike in the Olympic National Park in Washington state is the Hoh Rain Forest. It is one of a handful of temperate rain forests in the Northern Hemisphere that are in a protected area. Much of the forest in the surrounding region has been logged in the last century, and many areas still show the scars of uprooted trees. This makes the Hoh Forest that much more sacred.
The forests proximity to the Pacific Ocean brings an average of 140 inches of annual rain to the forest and mist adds another 30 inches each year. A visit to the Hoh in the summer is the driest choice – only four inches of rain falls in June on average. We walked the trails for several miles and though there was evidence of moisture everywhere, we had only a few drops fall on us.
This is surely one of the greenest places I have ever seen. Bright green everywhere I looked.
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It certainly looks green. You are definitely not in Tucson. 🙂
Nope, not Tucson by a far cry! Nice place though, this green rain forest!
Green, lush, and gorgeous. I can almost feel the wetness. I love the way you captured the path winding in the background and the way the tree branches form arcs and circles. Beautiful.
It also confirms what I’ve been thinking this past month: All the rain we’ve had has made the Bogs look like a rain forest. 😉
It was a great path for hiking. Solitary, a sacred place. Then after a mile, the rush of the nearby river. We actually sat on the river rocks and ate lunch, but warily. A mama elk had charged at a couple of visitors that strayed to near her babies the day before. But really, it’s their home, not ours. We are merely visitors and need to treat the forest and her creatures with the utmost respect!
Nice shot! I’ve always wanted to go there, just haven’t gotten around to it yet. It is indeed a precious place.
It’s an almost “Tim-Burtonish” scene with bent-over trees and such vibrant green. Must have been a delightful hike in that verdant forest on that little winding path. Ah, so awesome.
That’s one “hidden green” that should remain hidden and sacred. Such lush foliage. I can practically smell the rich earth and dampness and myst. 😉 Did you see any hobbits about?