Elk Cove from Vista Ridge (Aug 25)

[Splintercat]

Late afternoon/evening hike on the mountain over the weekend -- haven't been on the trail nearly enough this year, but I don't miss my yearly trip to Elk Cove! Still my favorite spot on the mountain, and lovely as ever on Sunday! Here are some photos:

East meadow view, still with plenty of asters and western pasque flower seedbeds:



Heading up through the Dollar Lake Burn on the Vista Ridge trail -- a wildflower garden seven years after the fire:



Skeleton trees along the Vista Ridge Trail:





Young Noble fir just starting to get a toe-hold here and there in the burn zone:



LOTS of these... very distracting but tasty..!



Reaching the tree line on the Vista Ridge trail and the familiar view of Hood that emerges:



Looking back on the Dollar Lake Burn with Pinnacle Ridge, Owl Point and the Washington Volcanoes beyond:



West meadow at Elk Cove in late afternoon:





East meadow at Elk Cove:



Asters still going strong:



Coe Glacier - lower crevasses below the main icefall:



Some old fart out there on the trail...



Hiking out the Vista Ridge trail as the sun faded away...



Sunset from Vista Ridge... time to head back home... sigh...



Hope everybody had a great summer on the trail!

Tom

[ElementalFX]

Beautiful photos! I've been meaning to get up there for two years already.

Do you think the pasqueflower seed heads will still have a good show in two weeks (by Aug 15th or so)? Specifically, in terms of photography viability.

[Webfoot]

Lovely looking place. I wish it were in my reach.

ElementalFX, can I borrow your time machine? (August 15th?)

[Splintercat]

Do you think the pasqueflower seed heads will still have a good show in two weeks (by Aug 15th or so)? Specifically, in terms of photography viability.

I think so -- they're pretty durable until the fall rain/wind/snow starts in. Fall colors start to light up Elk Cove by late September, too..!

Tom

[DannyH]

Great photos Tom! I've started appreciating that side of the mountain more and more as of the last few years. Your pictures tell the story much better than the ones I snapped with my phone a few weeks ago.

[Chip Down]

We must have been in very close proximity. I wonder if I would have recognized you if we had passed on the trail.

[markesc]

Question:

So the noble firs; Were these planted or are they natural re-growth? I noticed a ton of them making good progress on the Elk Cove trail, but they are parked really close to eachother.

[markesc]

That second to last shot of the flowers/dead tree's should be in a book!

[Splintercat]

Chris, those are naturally occurring seedlings. I learned a couple of years ago that the burn along Cloud Cap Road had been planted by construct with the USFS, BTW, which explains the large number of young conifers growing there!

Tom

[Splintercat]

Chip, I’m pretty easy to spot on the trail... Enjoying your Hood explorations, BTW!

Tom