hoh rainforest

A Walk in the Woods

For the last 6 years, I have been creating landscape photography calendars with the intent of raising awareness for charities that work in the conservation. My wanderings around the public lands of the Pacific Northwest have made me realize that our public lands and wilderness areas are the true treasure of our country, and it is a bounty that will keep on giving as long as we take the necessary steps to preserve, conserve, and nurture it.

A lot of that burden falls to two departments of the Government (Dept of the Interior and Dept of Agriculture), but they are plenty of shortfalls in funding and work whose gap is filled by organizations such as National Park Foundation. This organization, whose work I am extremely passionate about, are ardent park champions, and work tirelessly to preserve America's best idea. Hence, I am proud to state that I will donate all the proceeds from the sale of this calendar to this amazing organization.

Here is one of those images from the musky rainforests of the Olympics

Olympic National Park

WA USA

Diaorama in Nature


While hiking, I seek out not just the panoramic vistas of endless mountains. Granted, they are a big draw, but I sometimes stop for the small dioramas that I find in nature: a tiny cascade down moss-covered rocks, an assemblage of ferns and flowering plants, a tree nursery. They help find the beauty and a semblance of organization in the chaos of nature.

While hiking in the Olympics, I came across one such scene, and stopped to admire the gentle gurgling sound of water; it was the perfect place to catch a break on a 10-mile day.

Olympic National Park
WA USA

Enchanted Trails

There are some places in this planet that are truly enchanted, where you can find yourself spellbound by every sight, sound and smell, and where every step and every turn make you stop and stare at the rich beauty all around. Olympic National Park is one such place.

This was not my first visit to this enchanted forest. Nay, this was my third; but in all my previous visits, the right conditions had eluded me. This time, I was deep in the forest, with nary a human for company, and with cloudy skies lending a soft glow to the rich undergrowth that permeated every inch of the forest. Walking through that lush greenery, smelling the fresh mountain air, and hearing the songbirds serenade echo through the trees, refreshed my mind, body and soul.

Even though I spent hours hiking through this enchanted valley, there were still so many moments I paused just to soak this magic in.

Olympic National Park
WA USA