CANADA PHOTOGRAPHS of the HOH RAINFOREST WASHINGTON THREE SEASONS OF SELECTED IMAGES THROUGH THE EYES OF A PARK RANGER CARTOGRAPHY BY AND IMAGES FROM PAUL WHELAN One of the few remaining primeval forests, the Hoh Rain Forest offers a perspective on the cycle of life and death through the A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE PARK movement of nutrients from monolithic stands of old growth to wellsprings of nurse logs. Only with the falling of one of these The expanse of Olympic National Park encompasses a host of different landscape types and HOH RIVER TRAIL ELEVATION PROFILE enormous trees is enough sunlight available for new tree growth to occur, as this river valley has rarely seen a fire event. The majestic climatic regimes. Although the mountains are comparatively short when scaled against the Cascade Range, their position affords the peninsula a unique array of 4,300 ft Hoh River offers solace to its visitors and a glimpse at the pre-settlement condition of the unique and spectacular Olympic Peninsula. H O microclimates. On the west side of the park, temperate rainforests abound as the prevailing westerly winds (usually with a southerly 2,450 H L A K E T RA component) sweep moist air off the Pacific Ocean. These I L 600 precipitation rich clouds meet the west face of the 0 4.5 9 13.5 17.4 miles !\C Olympic Range and, via orographic lifting, dump !@ Olympus Guard Station !\B torrential rains on the Hoh, Queets and Quinault 50 Basins. Conversely, the east side of the park Miles O H R I L !@ H V A I exhibits starkly different characteristics. Hoh Ranger Station E R T R HOH LAKE TRAIL ELEVATION PROFILE Heavily glaciated during the Pleistocene OREGON Ice Age, these river valleys are riddled 4,210 ft with jagged peaks &steep side slopes. Due to the rain shadow cast by the 2,360 !\D Olympics, vegetative communities !\ E also vary distinctly from their west 610 side relatives. This rare composition 0 1.5 3 4.5 6.4 miles !\F of various climatic communities, with !\A gradually sloping river valleys in the N a t i o n a l P a r k B o u n d a r y Glaciar Meadows west and perilously steep gradients in £101 P !\G ¤ U P A D !@ Guard Station the east, make Olympic National Park E R O H R O H !\ a treasured heritage to all who visit. H CHARACTERISTICS of the HOH BASIN # River Length: 50 miles, Glacially Fed Mt. Olympus 7,980 ft Topographic Formation: Glacial & Fluvial Climatic Classification: Temperate Rain Forest Forest Type: Mixed Coniferous and Deciduous Forest Microflora: Wide Assortment of Ferns, Lichens & Mosses Megafauna: Roosevelt Elk, Black Bear, Cougar, Black-tailed Deer Average Annual Precipitation (Recorded at Hoh Ranger Station): 141- 165 inches Salmonid Stocks: Chinook, Coho, Chum, Steelhead, Bull Trout/Dolly Varden, Cutthroat Dominant Tree Species: Sitka Spruce, Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Bigleaf Maple, Red Alder among others 0 2.5 5 Miles BRAIDED CHANNELS OF THE HOH DATA SOURCES - A majority of the data used in this project are courtesy of Western Washington University's Huxley Spatial Analysis WATERFALLS OFF PANIC PEAK (C) Taken near Olympus Guard Station, this shot (F) Taken from the Hoh River Trail, this shot MT. TOM WATERFALL ENTER WILDERNESS MISTY, GREEN HOH Institute, however other organizations and agencies contributed data sets. They include: Olympic National Park, Olympic National illustrates the typical behavior of this immense 0 2.5 5 Kilometers (B) Seen from the Hoh River Trail, (A) With the Entrance Station in the (D) On the Hoh River Trail, this shot of the highlights the rugged and steep topography water body in its lower reaches; slight a 3-mile trek from the parking foreground, the landscape seen as author depicts a typical day in the foggy, Forest, Washington Department of Transportation, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, that characterizes the upper extent of this meanders riddled with gravel bars lot affords a view of this cascade. you enter this unique sub-district plant rich temperate rain forest ecosystem. National Agriculture Imaging Program (NAIP), Washington State Department of Natural Resources and ESRI 2008. May 25, 2011 glacially carved valley. County Boundaries Indian Reservations ELEVATION PROFILE 8,000 feet Mt. Olympus 7,980 ft Major Highways National Forests 6,000 U Cape Flattery: 4,000 T N : Major Rivers National Parks Most Northwest Point I 2,000 in the Contiguous U.S. H T E 0 20 40 60 80 miles E D Trails Water Bodies S S MACAW T City Limits 2 - 15 16 - 30 31 - 45 46 - 60 61 - 90 91 - 120 121 - 180 181 - 240 241 - 300 301 - 360 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 INDIAN T A T RESERVATION R E S A o BATHEMETRY in FEET ELEVATION in FEET I f 112 T A 0 5 10 20 UV M C Miles E A O R N Kilometers I C A A O F D 0 5 10 20 A A C L J U OLYMPIC U F Y WILDERNESS A OZETTE N d e T M P I INDIAN S P S RESERVATION E S P N E G N I I Z H O O K Port Townsend UV113 UV112 E D U D ABOVE: THE ALPINE ZONE OF GLACIER MEADOWS C A D (G) Perched at the terminus of the Hoh River Trail, this image was taken in Glacier Meadows, a small treeless area at the foot of Mt. Olympus. Ozette KLALLAM U In the background is an anonomous and jagged range that flanks Mt. Olympus, often refered to by locals as the Range of the Gods. Lake INDIAN N C RESERVATION G e k Port Angeles E 20 N VU O a L D i s 101 E c ¤£ t o v C n S AS C e D R r e s c e r L U V E S Sequim y C R I O LEFT: GLACIER CREEK HEADWATERS B S R QUILEUTE a I (E) Exemplifying the origins of the glacially fed Hoh River, this image of the White Glacier on Mt. Olympus was taken from y V T INDIAN OLYMPIC NATIONAL the Hoh River Trail. Depicting the evolution of notable tributaries to the Hoh main stem, Glacier creek cascades down E RESERVATION R FOREST into this glacially carved valley, eventually forming into the characteristic braided morphology. I N A T BELOW: THE CEILING OF THE PENINSULA - MT. OLYMPUS F Forks (H) The highest point in the park, Mt. Olympus stands tall at 7,980 feet above sea level. In this image, taken from the lateral moraine, a host of different geographic features are visible. I OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK From left to right: Glacier Pass; the expansive surface of Blue Glacier: West, East & Middle Peak; the bulging crown of Snow Dome. O ¤£104 N CLALLAM COUNTY E L I R W A JEFFERSON COUNTY A C H R I V E B O G I E L H L R R E A I V H OLYMPIC M O R NATIONAL C H I L A V FOREST E A R R Y I A N N B ELEVATION TRANSECT PATH FOR PROFILE A E ¤£101 Poulsbo B C R E O S OLYMPIC WILDERNESS O H O H I N D I A N V B 101 I A ¤£ RESERVATION R A R D R E N R I V W A T E T S VU3 A R E D C OLYMPIC E E O L O C C U T WILDERNESS H Q U E A H E MASON COUNTY R OLYMPIC T NATIONAL Y Bremerton FOREST A GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY lt S u . a Cushman n e u i k F N Q a o L r k 16 S VU k o Lake R k QUINAULT INDIAN o E m RESERVATION V i I s R OLYMPIC NATIONAL h L T U R A FOREST i N ¤£101 v I e U r Q.