Last Friday the weather forecast was excellent, and so we set off on a mini-adventure. A picnic. We drove west up into the larger mountains – destination: North Cascades National Park. We always migrate towards mountains, given an option. In addition to a picnic lunch, we also planned on a walk high in the mountains. That didn’t work out because we didn’t exactly know where we were going. That’s half the fun of an adventure!
Since our walk turned into a fact-finding mission, we headed further west, out of the mountains, to the national park headquarters and visitor center. The fact we didn’t want to stop driving our new car was certainly a factor! We picked up a map which described the trail head for the high mountain walk we want to take someday, and learned that the direction we had planned on going would have been extremely steep. Now we know that the other direction will be necessary.
And while we were at the headquarters, we set off on a River Loop walk which started and ended at the visitor center.
Under the clouds lives an ice field, high at the top of the mountain range. Most of the glaciers have disappeared in this park like they have in so many places around the world.
Heading down the hill, we entered a shaded world lushly carpeted with green in every shade.
Tall conifers make the canopy of shade. Breaks in the canopy make pockets of light. And everywhere, moss carpets the ground, rocks, downed trees. It is like viewing the world from inside an Emerald.
The trail follows the contour of a hillside, high above the forest floor. Hidden beneath the moss, two large boulders with small trees starting to grow.
Looking back up the trail, the trees seem to go on forever. Would that it were so. This type of woods is highly endangered on the entire west coast. This particular woods has been logged in the past.
Lacy vine maples are part of the understory growth in this grove of trees.
These large conifers have shallow root systems.
Large sword ferns occupy almost all open spaces between the trees. Some of these large ferns were over four feet tall and nine feet in diameter.
A mile into our walk, I asked Dan, “Are we going to have a river on our River Loop?” He laughed. We had watched “Jurassic Park” the night before.
The sound of water grew louder and we emerged onto the banks of the Skagit River.
A gravel bar on our side of the river was submerged by a foot of rushing water. At the edge of the gravel bar, deeper water is the color of cold icy gray glaciers.
Above our heads, deciduous line the banks of the river, and their branches stretched out over the water.
A tripod of branches withstand the rushing water.
Downriver the river continues its journey to the Pacific.
All in all, it was a splendid day for a picnic. And it was interesting how much easier it was to walk at 500′ elevation instead of the usual 3,000′ or higher we walk when at home.
There is one potential problem lurking in our future, my future in particular. Speeding tickets. Our car goes too fast. It’s not my fault. Really.