![\"A](\"https:\/\/redmeadow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/marymere1.jpg\")
<\/a>A tiny bay on Lake Crescent, a very deep cold lake surrounded on all sides by mountains.<\/p><\/div>\n
We parked at Storm King Ranger Station on Lake Crescent in the Olympic National Park, and took the path to a tunnel which goes under Highway 101.\u00a0 It was definitely like going back in time to when all the woods around the Peninsula looked like this.<\/p>\n
While we were getting our coats and boots on for our walk, we could hear a small group of crazy people wearing bathing suits, trying to get their nerve up to jump into the lake.\u00a0 By the time we walked around the side of the lake and were ready to cross under the road, they were still fidgeting around on the dock, hugging themselves, but not jumping into the water.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Big Leaf Maple\u00a0 at least four feet in diameter at on the trunk of the tree.<\/p><\/div>\n
This Big Leaf Maple tree is covered in a thick layer of moss. It’s kind of hard to believe it can support any leaves but it does, out on the ends of its branches, large dinner plate sized leaves.\u00a0 The books we’ve read say some of these trees carry as much weight in moss as the tree themselves weigh.\u00a0 The moss is almost an irredescent green, especially if the sunlight illuminates it.\u00a0 We had clouds this day, a cool 37F when we started on the trail.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Large sword ferns are several feet long and can cover a pretty wide circumference.<\/p><\/div>\n
Sword ferns are only one of the types of ferns in these temperate rain forest woods.\u00a0 This type is abundant and evergreen.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Wide graveled trail was not the least bit muddy.<\/p><\/div>\n
Smaller trees line the trail, surrounding the large trees which are scattered around in the woods.\u00a0 Even on days like this, cloudy but not actively raining, there is a misty atmosphere in the damp woods.\u00a0 We saw a scattering of birds on our trip, Varied Thrush, Pacific Wren (bleah, I liked the old Winter Wren name better), chickadees, Nuthatches tooting their little horn sound, Ravens calling from high overhead in the canopy.<\/p>\n
<\/a>A tree hugger. Definitely.<\/p><\/div>\n
Hugging a giant tree 12 feet in diameter and hundreds of years old is kind of magical.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Long way up!<\/p><\/div>\n
Looking up a couple hundred feet tall, this big old fellow is missing a lot of height and branches.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Looking upstream.<\/p><\/div>\n
This is the creek fed, in part, by the Marymere falls.\u00a0 See that large tree bridging the creek up river from where we’re standing?\u00a0 Dan told me we got to walk across that log.\u00a0 I told him I’d wait for him to come back \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
<\/a>Looking downstream from the same spot on the bank.<\/p><\/div>\n
The water is fast, and cold, and totally clear.\u00a0 You can see the rocks lining the creek bed, through the white water.<\/p>\n
<\/a>This looked like a wonderful spot to sit on the bank on a hot summer day and put your feet into the cold water.<\/p><\/div>\n
Another view of the creek where the trail got closer to the creek, before turning and heading further into the woods.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Really lush vegetation even in the dead of winter.<\/p><\/div>\n
Our first view of the falls, this is a lower and much smaller height waterfall.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Marymere Falls is not a very large waterfall but it makes up for lack of size by how beautiful it is and also the surrounding canyon walls.<\/p><\/div>\n
Standing on a platform next to the falls, it is surprisingly loud in the narrow canyon.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The lower part of the falls threw up an amazing amount of moisture into the air.<\/p><\/div>\n
The icy cold water created a constant mist in the air, totally refreshing on our faces.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Cold clear water!<\/p><\/div>\n
Looking down on the tree bridge crossing the creek.\u00a0 It’s only about ten feet above the surface of the water, but it seemed much higher when looking down over the split log railing.<\/p>\n