The Last Staircase

Nineteen years ago today, I made what I assumed would be my first trip to Staircase in Olympic National Park

The shoot really didn’t meet my expectations – hotter and dustier than I expected. I cut my stay short, deciding to return some other time. Of course, I never did.

Last year, the Bear Creek Fire heavily impacted the area. Recent videos have shown the nature trails I hiked in 2007 to be mostly destroyed.

Nature is resilient, and Staircase will eventually return to its previous beauty…but certainly not in my lifetime. Here are a handful of images taken from what will, sadly, be my only visit.