22 November 2003
Weapons of Mass Distraction
| [22 Nov 2003] Michael took these pictures near the top of the rapids. A bridge used to cross them at this point, but a tree took it out some years back. No matter; the large numbers of rapids-smoothed rocks sized just right for throwing provide hours of entertainment all by themselves. |
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My Kingdom For A Kayak!
| [22 Nov 2003] There is an official trail alongside the rapids, but it's more like an unmaintained back country road than an interstate. We couldn't always tell whether a side "path" was really part of the trail or not, so we probably went some places we weren't really supposed to go. The hike down to where Michael took these pictures, for example, was definitely not handicapped accessible. Note also the decided lack of platforms, railings, or any sort of structure meant to keep you from falling into the roiling maelstrom the rapids are halfway down their run. Still this is nature the way it is meant to be experienced, and we stayed here awhile doing just that. |
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Outdoor Staircase
| [22 Nov 2003] Our ultimate destination this Guys Day was the Staircase Rapids. Here the North Fork Skokomish River turns from babbling brook to shouting chute as it drops down into Lake Cushman. The logs stacked up in the first picture where the rapids make a turn are a testament to Staircase's power; even its backwater eddies (such as the one in the second photo) aren't so very calm! |
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I Can See Clearly Now
| [22 Nov 2003] Want to guess how deep this pool is? The trees reflecting in it give it away as about six inches deep, but the water elsewhere was just as clear. We could see twenty and thirty feet down sometimes! |
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Grandmama
| [22 Nov 2003] Ever seen a tree fourteen feet in diameter? To help you understand scale, that's Rob there half-plus-way down the left edge of the picture. Can you imagine the sound this tree made when it hit the ground? It certainly hasn't moved since! This matriarch of the forest is now a grand-matriarch, providing nutrients and a bed for a number of trees nursing off it. |
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Rootin' Around The Forest
| [22 Nov 2003] Some of the roots coming out of this fallen tree Andy and Michael are standing in front of are bigger around than Andy is! |
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Andy Stumpin'
| [22 Nov 2003] The rocks and tree stumps at Lake Cushman are rather largish. That's Andy standing on that tree stump that is probably twice as wide as he is tall. Some of the rocks were bigger than Rob and Andy's house! |
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Boaters Beware
| [22 Nov 2003] Lake Cushman was formed in the 1920's when the Tacoma Power and Light Company built Cushman Dam. Boating the lake would be a bit of a trial, what with all these tree stumps and rocks poking out all over the place. If you like to rock climb like Michael does, however, it's heaven! |
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Frosty Mountain Majesties
| [22 Nov 203] This is Lake Cushman, our first stop this Guy Day. The previous week had brought snow to the area, nicely frosting the surrounding forest. |
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Unique, But Not
| [22 Nov 2003] The Olympics, being a mountain range of goodly size, have numerous streams cascading down just about every side. There's nothing unique about this one, really, other than we happened to drive past it. And that it's really cool. |
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He's Not Koi About What He Loves
| [22 Nov 2003] Andy is six. Andy loves Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers. Notice how Andy's cheeks are bulging out like a chipmunk? That's because his cheeks are stuffed full with Goldfish. As are his hands. As is his cupholder. |
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