Pasayten Wilderness Wildflowers

This series of images was taken last July in the Pasayten Wilderness. Located in the northwestern corner of Washington State the Pasayten Wilderness is 500,000 acres of remote beauty.

The higher peaks of the North Cascade Range, just to the west, get the bulk of the precipitation. As you proceed east the Pasayten is decidedly drier. Thick forests give way to green meadows. Long ridge lines invite extended rambles.

The Pacific Crest Trail cuts through the Pasayten, the last section before the border with Canada. The section of the PCT from Holman Pass to the Devils Staircase is one of my favorite sections of trail anywhere…

These images are from the trail to Sunny Pass, a bit further to the east. The trail starts at the Iron Gate Trail head, to get there you head over to Omak, north to Tonasket, then west to the small village of Loomis. From here you get on the Toats Coolee Road, and drive up and up.

The trail head is at an elevation of more than 6,000 feet and the hike to Sunny Pass is about 5 miles, following an wagon trail once used to serve the Tungsten Mine, for much of the way.

Fire is a part of any forest, and as the Pasayten tends to be drier, it has periodic fires that pass through. When the fire is past new life springs up. One of the results of a big burn is hoards of wild flowers, these images are all from a burn area.