Erwin Buske Photography

West Tiger Flower Fields: The Return Journey

Yesterday I made what has become an annual trek to West Tiger 3 and 2 with my hiking buddy, Francine, to visit the wildflowers at their peak.

These meadows emerged after logging opened the landscape about five years ago. Their display reached a crescendo a few summers ago, and now the slow work of succession is underway as young trees and shrubs gradually reclaim the hillside. The show may not be quite as grand as it once was, but in scattered pockets the flowers remain every bit as beautiful as ever.

We were treated to a warm summer evening, patchwork clouds drifting across the sky, little wind, and golden sunset light. Even on a Tuesday the trail was busy, yet the crowds felt friendly and courteous. Along the way I crossed paths with several familiar faces, a reminder of how small and connected our hiking community can be.

As I watched the sun sink toward the Olympics beyond a sea of foxgloves and daisies, I found myself grateful once again for these annual returns. The flowers change, the forest changes, and we change too—but the joy of being there remains the same. Perhaps that is why I return each year. Not to see the same thing again, but to witness how it has changed.

And for one more sunset, to walk among the flowers with a good friend and be reminded that fleeting things are often the most beautiful.

Ever Returning Spring, Ever Returning Journey

Two days earlier, I stood on this hillside and found only Avalanche Lily buds waiting beneath gray skies. Mount Rainier remained hidden behind clouds, leaving me to imagine what this scene might become.

Then spring worked its quiet magic.

A few warm days transformed those buds into a sea of snow-white blossoms, their elegant petals nodding gently in the evening breeze. As if on cue, the cloud curtains parted, revealing Mount Rainier bathed in the soft glow of sunset.

Avalanche lilies are often called snow chasers. They emerge as the winter snow retreats, flourish briefly while the ground remains cool and moist, and then fade back into the earth as summer's warmth arrives. Their beauty is fleeting, measured in days rather than weeks.

Yet there is comfort in their brevity. Though each bloom lasts only a short while, spring always returns. The flowers return. The mountain remains. And for those willing to make the journey again and again, nature offers endless reminders that some of life's most beautiful moments are worth revisiting. Image 6.18.26