Olympics Spotlight: Hike, New Film, Citizen Science Slideshow

This month's Trail News email newsletter spotlighted a great winter hike along the WTA-improved Steam Donkey trail in Dosewallips State Park on the eastern side of the Olympics. The hike is a great option for a winter outing, featuring towering trees, beach access and a variety of winter camping options.

If you can't make the trip to the Olympics this month, there are two other great ways to virtually explore the beauty of the Olympic peninsula. A new documentary on the Olympics features some spectacular backcountry scenery of the area, and an audio slideshow from KUOW reporter Ashley Ahern documents the recent kick-off of a months-long pine marten study manned by volunteer hikers.

New Olympics documentary screens in Tacoma, Seattle and Olympia

Shot over several years of hiking and backpacking in some of the most remote wilderness areas of the Olympics, Out of the Mist — Olympic Wilderness Stories tells the story of the Olympics through the lens of four storytellers, each with a unique perspective on the area. Reviewer Seabury Blair of the Kitsap Tribune called the 48-minute film "nothing short of spectacular, especially for anyone who loves the Olympic Mountains and seashore".

If you want to check it out, see the screening times and watch the trailer below.

• Jan 18, 2013 - Tacoma, WA - The Tacoma Mountaineers and National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) are sponsoring an Out of the Mist show at the newly refurbished Program Center, 2302 N 30th St, in Old Town Tacoma. The public is welcome. Admission is free. Doors open around 6:30 PM. The evening program begins at 7:00 PM.
• Jan 25, 2013 - Seattle, WA - The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Olympic Park Associates, American Whitewater, Olympic Forest Coalition, and Seattle Mountaineers Public Lands Program are hosting a screening of Mist for the benefit of the Wild Olympics Campaign at the Seattle Mountaineers Program Center, 7700 Sand Point Way NE. Admission is free. Doors open at 7:00 PM. The show begins at 7:30 PM.
• Feb 6, 2013 - Olympia, WA - The Olympia Mountaineers are sponsoring a show at their Priest Point Meeting House, 3201 Boston Harbor Rd. This is their monthly potluck where the public is always welcome. Dinner starts at 6:00 PM. Bring a dish to share and your own plates and flatware if you wish to chow down before the show. Otherwise, Out of the Mist begins shortly after 7:00 PM.

"Out of the Mist - Olympic Wilderness Stories" Trailer from Crest Pictures on Vimeo.

Volunteer citizen scientists seek the elusive pine marten

> Learn more about the pine marten study on Signpost blog.
> Check out the KUOW story.

Marten Adventure from EarthFix on Vimeo.