Mahonia Dodecatheon Cerastium Ribes Fragaria and All

Little hike into Rica Canyon along the Elwha River. You begin at the Whiskey Bend Trailhead, above Lake Mills.Detour to Elk Overlook. No elk.
Everywhere there are trillium.

In the drier parts of the forest, many plants I remember from the woods in Oregon and California are blooming. Oregon grape, shooting stars, trillium, violets, chocolate lily, paintbrush. Strawberry, a geranium, a chickweed, a couple of different currants. The bigleaf maples are blooming. In addition to the rainforest-y mosses on the trees (club moss?), there was also goatsbeard lichen.

Maple flowers

Down in the canyon, the Elwha gathers, then squeezes into Goblin's Gate.

Hiking back out I kept hearing grouse thumping somewhere off in the forest. I saw a slug. Later some other hikers pointed out that there was now a really big bear in the elk meadow. He was very far away, just a bear-shaped speck from way up there on the trail until you looked with binoculars; and plainly enormous.

Found a river-runner's blog with grand pictures of coming down the Elhwa. Goblin's Gate is only the tail of the ferocious canyon!