The snow is finally starting to melt in the alpine areas of the Pacific Northwest and we spent a couple of days in the Olympic Mountains last weekend. The air mass was cool and the mountains in sun above the clouds which resulted in superb light conditions. We went up the Switchback Trail onto Klahhane Ridge and then along the ridge towards Mount Angeles. We found three Olympic endemics on the ridge, Campanula piperi, Viola flettii and Petrophyton hendersonii. The Petrophyton had exquisite foliage quite unlike some plants in cultivation.
