Olympic Mountains
Yesterday I introduced the beginning of a series of shots taken on our weekend jaunt on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula. Today is another shot of the Olympic Mountains. This one is taken to the south and from quite close to the visitor centre, so even if you have limited mobility you can still catch this view, so long as it is a nice day.
These peaks are part of what we see from Victoria on nice days. While none of these are very high mountains (the highest in the Park, though not in this picture, is about 8,000 feet) since the rise pretty much straight out of the ocean, they often seem larger than taller mountains do.
The deer near the visitor centre are pretty unconcerned by humans (this is only lightly cropped from an image shot with a 50mm lens). Apparently they are oblivious to the view as well. In fact, they were tormented by flies. I like how the topography of the hillsides is picked out by the low light, and the same for the topography of the deer’s torso.
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Canon 5Dii, Canon 50mm/f1.4 lens, circular polarizing filter, top: f4.5, 1/200th, +/- 2.0 E.V., bottom: f4.5, 1/250th.
burnt embers 
These are stunning photos. Were you, by chance, up on Hurricane Ridge? We are heading that way in a few days, on our bikes. I had heard that the scenery is spectacular and, having seen your photos, I am very excited!
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Hi Vicky! Yes, Hurricane Ridge. It is lovely up there. Prepare to go for a walk. I would suggest taking the road past the visitors centre to the last parking area and then following the trail up a ridge to the SW (I think that is the direction). It will get you away from the crowds more quickly and you might see Mountain Goats. I hope you have good weather – it can be windy, often is, and rainy too in which case seeing the same view might not be possible.
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Thanks for the tips. So far, the weather is looking good for next week, so we may be in luck. God willin’ and the creek don’t rise.
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Good luck on the weather.
If you are doing more than the mountains, and want a truly excellent cup of tea, properly prepared and served (down to coming with a timer so you know when it is steeped properly), there actually is a place that can be found on the Olympic Peninsula (yes, I know, its the United States where tea is brewed with lukewarm tap-water, but really there is one). It’s called Pippa’s and is in Port Townsend, which is a nice town to visit for other reasons (it will be on this blog pretty soon I think).
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I know Port Townsend; I used to go to the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes quite regularly. The town has a lot of charm. Beautiful old houses and some great restaurants. I’m looking forward to seeing your photos.
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LOVE the view in the first one, I’ll have to make it out there soon…too many places to visit! Aahhhhh 😉
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Thanks David! Its quite a long drive from your area, but worth it on a day like this.
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You’ve been deer-bombed!! LOL What a terrific pair of shots here, Ehpem, and I totally agree with your thoughts on how the shadows add depth and dimension to both the mountains and the deer there.
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Hi Toad! Thanks for your comment. Deer-bombed is a great way of putting it. They show up in quite a few of my shots, somehow.
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Beautiful light in that first shot and I just love those gentle folds in the near hillsides. The deer looks like she’s posed before for the camera – what a lovely looking animal.
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Thanks Andy. I suspect that deer has had thousands of shots taken. She was just walking by and I had to swing my camera to keep her in view – the background was a bonus. But when I finished and carried on I noticed she had stopped and someone with a longer lens was crouched nearby – I think they must have got a terrific detail of her head with the mountains pulled in from the distance.
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What a breathtaking vie this is, and you have captured it so beautifully.
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Thanks so much Lisa. It is quite the place. And the deer are very handsome too!
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Majestic!
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Thanks David – it is a wonderful place for a visit.
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Any mountain wit snow on top in July is pretty high to me. Did the deer walk into your shot when you weren’t looking? Great shot.
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Hi Ken. High enough to keep snow all summer. The deer was just walking by, pretty much walked into my shot. They did that quite a few times while we were up there – though not usually quite so close as this.
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