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Tucked into the woods near Toleak Point, we camped amid towering spruce trees. Just offshore, these rocks captivated our view. As we built a driftwood fire on our second night at the coast, I eyed these rocks and felt drawn to them without cause. When the tide was low, I went out to them. Slowly at first. Footstep, by footstep. Then, all at once I broke into a run, eager to be near them. With arms outstretched, I reached for them. Their conglomerate mass formed bumps and textures interesting to both hand and eye. I wandered amid them. I wandered around them. Pleasantly dwarfed by their massive form, pleasantly a part of the wild landscape.

Completed in 1971 by the Youth Conservation Corps, the Toleak Shelter in Olympic National Park (ONP) exists today as run-down remains of what it once was. Unlike other shelters in ONP, the enclosed A-frame structure was unique and different from the typical three sided, open front structures. I was surprised to see the shelter in even poorer shape than my visit a few years prior. As the wind howled through the doorway and roof, the scene felt slightly eerie. I spent time taking video at this location - mainly of small details, like ripples in the pool of water on the floor, ferns dancing with the wind and the remaining board hinged to the doorway rocking back and forth and side to side. That board in particular held my attention. With each swaying movement I felt message that all is as it should be. That in the end, for better or worse, whatever man creates will succumb to the force of nature.

Short video available here.

Low tide exposes sea stacks and rocks where we Footsore311 and I take shelter from the bitingly cold wind. We spent two nights near Toleak Point over President's Day weekend. Saturday brought 35-40mph sustained winds. As we rounded rocks just north of Strawberry Point the wind shoved at our backs with such force I had to steady myself with my trekking poles. I imagined I was on a canoe and tried to keep three points of contact at all times. Still we bobbed around on the rocks like drunks. Once we had picked out a place to camp, we combined efforts to set up our tents. One person holding the ground cover/tent/tent fly, the other staking it to the ground so it didn't blow away. All day the wind blew in this fashion. Our tents survived the force and the following day dawned much calmer.

Digging through the archives, I stumbled upon quite a few unprocessed images from my August 2010 trip to Seven Lakes Basin/High Divide in Olympic National Park. The trip was, in essence, dual purpose - allowing for both a frist visit to this region of ONP and to serve as a volunteer for ONP's marmot monitoring program. This image was taken near our camp at Lunch Lake in Seven Lakes Basin.

I've been testing out new processing techniques, namely the use of luminosity masks. Feedback is welcome. Seems like every few years there is benefit in going back through favorite images for reprocessing. I'm continually amazed at how much better an image can look with the acquisition of ability to work with advanced processing techniques.

Captivating.
Enchanting.
Yes.