When it comes to favorite places, the old growth forests of the Olympic Mountains ranks right up there. Recently I spent the day photographing in the pristine forest along the South Fork Skokomish River. Being in the company of towering Douglas fir trees over 800 years old is an awe-inspiring and humbling experience especially in early summer when the “Green Machine” is at its peak performance with conifer boughs tipped with lime green and understory plants in heated competition for scarce sunlight. The shades of green, earthy smells and stillness of the forest is the perfect recipe for creativity and my day in the forest passed in bliss.