I’ve done this hike twice, and the two trips were like night and day. This was early July of 2020.

A vertical Sitka Columbine (I believe) from above, with droplets of water hanging from its long stem.
Looking down an evergreen-and-wildflower-covered hillside.
Taper-leaved penstemon, I believe.

I don’t know what this grass is, but I found the dark seed head striking.
Olympic Mountain fleabane, I think.
A rocky mountain rising out of the clouds.
Another photo of the cloud layer below us.
A photo of the trail disappearing around the corner, with a backdrop of mountains and clouds.
A photo from the sunny side of Mount Townsend, with sparse clouds above and a low-hanging sea of clouds covering the valleys below.
Maybe it’s some kind of Jacob’s Ladder? I’m stumped.
Valleys covered in a blanket of clouds.
Mountain ridge after mountain ridge, with snow in the distance!
A trail through the wildflowers of this mountain top.
The meadow-y mountain top of Mount Townsend overlooking the Salish Sea with Vancouver Island and the San Juans in the distance.
Close-up of a bunch of wildflowers — arrowleaf groundsel, tufted saxifrage, western wallflower. I think.
Another close-up of a bunch of wildflowers and grass — lots of purple and green, and some wonderful textures.
Another shot of the trail through wildflowers, with sun beginning to set behind a horizon of mountain tops.
The same mountain ridges and blanket of clouds from a different angle, plus some sunset colors.

I think I’ve learned a few things in pulling these photos together — mostly of the “take more better photos” variety. I finally got around to purchasing a copy of Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, but I just don’t have enough photos of some of these flowers to have any confidence in my flower identifying. There’s also a significant number of shots I took from parts of this hike where the views were truly wonderful, but included people. I appreciate the additional excuse to do this hike again though!