During spring, the avalanche lily is a real treasure in the Olympic Mountains. I love hiking this time of year, to be able to view these beautiful wildflowers. Sometimes one must trek through snow, in order to find these little guys. This year with
record low snowpack in the mountains, I was wondering if they were even going to come out of the ground.
The avalanche lily only comes out after the snow recedes in the subalpine. Then shortly after the snowpack is gone, it retreats into the ground until the next spring. This makes the Erythronium Montanum a real treat, during the early season hiking months.
We viewed them in the thousands, during this
hiking trip into the high country. Dozens even surrounded our remote campsite for this trip. The sounds of bees buzzing by our tent and birds chirping in the distance; made for a unique wilderness experience.
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| Olympic Avalanche Lily |
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| Off trail exploring above camp |
Overall this was a lovely camping trip on the peninsula. It reminded me of a
similar wildflower hiking trip last season, but this year there was even more flowers, amazing! I look forward to each season, and how it changes through the months.
Updated by Barefoot Jake in February 2016
