Skip navigation

Tag Archives: green

Another Day, Another Hike

The next day was also overcast so we headed for a trail along a river. It is a relatively flat trail and easy for the old dog to navigate plus there was water for all of us to cool off. And there were cedar trees, enormous cedar trees. And big leaf maples too. It clearly rains there, a lot! The long foot bridge is a giant cedar snag that conveniently fell across a creek where a trail crew turned it into a substantial bridge. And the girls may have inadvertently walked into a National Park but I quickly called them back to pose at the boundary. I thought there would be a sign saying ‘welcome to the park, no dogs allowed’ but it was just a simple marker.

Someplace Green

Last week, the girls and I took the camper over the mountains to camp in the shadow of one of the iconic northwest volcanoes. After the massive heat dome that brought us record-breaking high temperatures recently, it was good to be someplace cooler and greener. We even had a couple of overcast days and Luna was able to do two six-mile hikes! At her age, she cannot tolerate the sun and temperatures much over 70°. She (and Sky too) had great fun in a new place smelling all the smells and exploring everything. And wouldn’t you know it, Sky discovered a much-abused tennis ball three miles up the flank of the volcano. It was just one of four balls that she found on this trip.

I noticed that this trail started off as an old road. Farther up the trail, I began to notice large old stumps, reminders of the old growth that once blanketed much of western Washington. Later I read that the area had been logged all the way to the tree line, back in the day. When I was out on my kayak, I could see the outlines of the old clear-cuts.

Since it was an overcast day, we did not get to see views of the big mountain. We did enjoy the cool temperatures and even some fog. Back at home temperatures remained in the 90’s and a lightning storm ignited several forest fires. I am glad we got away for bit.

June Camping

The girls and I headed to the eastern part of the county for a week-long camping trip. We enjoyed tall larch trees and a quiet lake. Ken joined us for the last two nights and we also enjoyed visits with several good friends. There were a few flowers blooming, including a small patch of coralroot orchids. It’s still very green with lush new growth on all of the conifers. It looked like there had been a big windstorm this spring. Many trees were uprooted or broken.

Here’s a bit of camping life.

Green

On my birthday, we drove to the Quinault Rain Forest and enjoyed a lovely walk in the green, green forest. Everything was lush and growing, growing out of everything else it seems. Trees were tall and covered with moss and lichens. Water dripped off of every surface despite the fact that we had partly sunny skies. Luna particularly liked the smells of the rain forest. For the first half of our walk, we mostly had the place to ourselves but later in the day, it was busy and we all returned to leashes.

A Windy Walk

The girls and I had a windy walk yesterday. I know, I keep complaining about the weather but this wind gets on my nerves. Some days though, I just need to make myself go out in it. It did not take away from the beauty of the late spring flowers and the green, green leaves. It did make them harder to photograph. Wild roses are at the peak of flowering and filled the air with vibrant scent.

ponderosa pine
wild rose
white violet
I think these are thimbleberry blossoms
water abstract
fern
wind-blown grass
tiger lily
Sky got a good stick
unfurling fern
more fern
scarlet gilia
aspens
old friends

%d bloggers like this: