“The Beach at Kalaloch” is a series of photographs taken over my high school spring breaks in 2010 and 2011. The beach at Kalaloch is located in the Olympic National Park. Originally established as a national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1909, the park covers 922,650 acres of temperate old-growth rainforest, alpine wilderness with ancient glaciated mountains and Pacific coastline. It is currently an International Biosphere Preserve and World Heritage Site.



I chose this subject matter because The Olympic National Park is one of my favorite places. I enjoy camping in the rain forest and hiking the network of trails but especially walking the coastal portion of the park, which is a rugged sandy beach edged by the adjacent forest. The beach has many faces from deserted misty mornings when you are alone on the beach with nature to sunny afternoons when you share the beach with families exploring the tide pools, dog walkers, and beach combers. Although I love the solitude of the forest where you can enjoy nature undisturbed, I also enjoy the beach where nature is accessible to many people who are not able to hike the back-country trails. The beach is a unique opportunity for everyone to enjoy the natural world.