Forever Wild

So much of America has been bulldozed and built over that an outdoors lover really has to get into the back country to see it as it once was - rugged and beautiful as far as the eye can see.

While hiking the Skyline Trail in Olympic National Park, we saw a dozen black bears, a herd of elk, and a coyote howling from a ridge top. Mornings were misty and the summer sunlight was enchanting. This photograph was taken near the highest point along the trail. We had just struggled up a long series of switchbacks and were rewarded at the top with the view of misty blue mountains like the wild ocean waves.