Up in the clouds again, enjoying the seasonal changes that signal Fall is here. I took my rifle to scout an area I’ve come to a few times, where bear sign is heavy. I tracked a few trails the bears left through the brush, and saw a few fresh tracks, but no bears manifested, but that’s OK, because it’s all about being outside and in the beautiful light of what is affectionately called the “cocktail hour” in Western Washington. At the end of the day, as the sun sinks towards the horizon, it often breaks through under the cloud line, sending radiant light across the landscape, almost like an alpenglow. The magic of this breif but spectacular light show is greatly appriciated at elevation, where I can look across the tips of each peak and turn to look down into The Snoqualmie Valley, and beyond to Seattle, and the Olympics far beyond that on the peninsula, where our state boarders The Pacific Ocean. The splendor of this evening time cloaks everything in warm light, and I enjoyed hiking back out of the back country in the setting sun.
Do you see those mushrooms growing out of the end of that floating log on SMC Lake? That’s a Chicken of The Woods cluster of wonderful culinary mushrooms, which were just past ripening, meaning the mushroom would be very woody to eat by now, so I happily left it to bask in decompisitional glory. You never know where you might find a mushroom around here- especially in the mushroom spring of our forests and fields- in this case, a floating log on the water presented a flush on this still lakeside paradise.
As I continued my hike out, the golden hour fell upon the far shore of Lake Nadeau, the middle lake in my favorite trinity of waters up in the high country. The clouds had really dropped down along the peaks, caressing the ridge line above, enhancing the bright light bursting across the peaks as the sun began to set her course back to the horizon’s edge. A breeze was rippling the surface, obscuring the light’s reflection, but the exquisite color lifted my spirits as it danced across the alpine spruce hillside and red flame of the vine maple along the scree strewn slopes. I was mesmerized by every color with a backdrop of grey granite and black basalt. Quickening my pace to make it back to the truck in time to catch the sunset to the far west, I hoped to catch the red and orange of sunset, setting the mountains ablaze.
Sunset lit up the ridges as I made it back to the truck. Unloading my firearm and picking up an extra layer and my water bottle, I headed to an overlook to see the show. Below me spread the river valley, city beyond with skyline reflecting the glow of sunset, and The Olympic mountains beyond. The sun was setting over Rattle Snake Ridge, across The Snoqualmie Valley. I90 runs below too, and I could hear evening commuter traffic crescendo with the evening light. In a final moment, light drowned out sound as the last rays of our great gas giant stretched out from the dark peak, seemingly consuming the sun into the mountain’s own shadow self; silhouettes on the skyline, consuming the light, dispelling the warm colors with colder blue and purple of billowing clouds beyond.
Witnessing this transition is a rare and precious part of getting into The Cascades. This October has been cold, but sunny on many days this Fall. I appreciate the opportunity to see these transitions as the light shortens towards winter’s long nights. This seasonal change is also signaled in the forest’s own changing color, and the shed of leaves, which will not come into full drop until mid-November. Many of the lowland alders are still green, and will most likely shrivle to brown and fall without much show. Cotton woods are dropping early, golden points across the landscape here at EEC Forest Stewardship. The climaxing fall foliage right now is maple- vine and big leaf. They show red and gold respectfully, and pop in the evergreen forests of The Puget Sound Lowlands. Up in the mountains, vine maple has been red for a while, and will soon drop it’s crimson cloak to shivering bare branches in winter’s approaching grasp. Snow will dust the peaks before long, and my next visit to this place will be in snow shoes. Gratitude for the mountains, colors of the plants, and tracks of the animals. May we all have a chance to wander in such wilderness, with appreciation for the evening light and seasonal transitions.
EEC Forest Stewardship 