Mt. Townsend north and south summits, and Windy Pass, Olympic Mountains

 

Mt. Townsend is one of the most popular high elevation day hikes in the eastern Olympics. Both the north and south summits are at just over 6,200 ft. There are multiple routes to take to the summits; the upper Mt. Townsend trailhead is the most popular, the Dirty Face trailhead is the hardest, and the Silver Lake way trail is the longest. One of my favorite stops in the east Olympics is Windy Pass and the panorama view of the deep Silver Creek Valley, accessible by branch trail about a mile from the Mt. Townsend summit or along the route from Silver Lake.

Cool weather and marine clouds at Olympic National Park's Rialto Beach

Although it was hot and in the upper 80s around the greater Puget Sound area, the coast stayed true to form in the lower 60s today. Marine clouds made it a nice day to explore the coastline with a low tide but made it a challenge for photography. I captured a few good shots of a Giant Green Sea Anemone resting in a tidepool, a starfish clinging to a pool sidewall, and a sea stack near Hole-In-The-Wall. Panorama photos just were not going to happen today.
 

Silver Lake in the Olympics

 

One of my favorite day hike locations in the east Olympic Mountains. Upper Silver Lake sits just a bit over elev. 5,000 ft. There are three ways to access the lake: 1) via the Mt. Townsend trail and deviate at a trail split to traverse over Windy Camp, 2) via Dirty Face over Mt. Townsend and then over Windy Camp, or 3) via the way trail accessed above the trailhead for Tubal Cain. The easiest route is option 3, a 7.5-mile round trip with a one-way elevation gain of about 2,000 ft. For more hiking fun after reaching the lake, continue up the steep path on the west side of the lake to the upper ridge and another 1,000 ft. gain for views into the adjacent Quilcene River Valley.