Dust Storms and Blowing Snow

Boundary Trail, 3/20/10, 8.5 miles, 800 elevation

Helen Thayer wrote in her account of Walking the Gobi about the endless wind carrying sand and rocks into every crack and crevice. I could almost sympathize after a hike along the Boundary Trail from the Hummocks to the Loowit Viewpoint on a particularly windy March day.

The volcanic landscape of Mt St Helens lends itself to this type of a comparison as life has barely taken root in the ash and pumice on the wind-swept slopes. As the winds whip around the tree-bare hills, it picks the tiny and not so tiny particles left from the last eruption 30 years ago.

The trail leads you through hummocks, mounds of ash and earth from inside the volcano deposited when the mountain blew out the north flanks. Then up the hill to Loowit Viewpoint - an perfectly unobstructed view. However the hiker will have magnificent views all along the trail. Along the way you will also find evidence of the forest's past when lumber was the primary industry - now industry belongs to tourism. From the Loowit Viewpoint, you can continue on the Boundary trail east into the Cascades.

Go before the Johnston Ridge Observatory is open in May and you are fairly guaranteed solitude.

Spring in Cowiche

Cowiche Canyon, 3/13/10, 8 miles, 450 elevation

Spring in Washington brings images of grey skies and cold rain, but there is another Washington, a dry side, a warm side, a sunnier side on the other side of the mountains. Great hiking can be found here east of the Cascades when the weather hasn't calmed down on the "wet" side.

Outside of Yakima is a Conservation area known as Cowiche Canyon - an old railroad that once lead from the Cowiche area to Ellensburg and Wenatchee. After the railroad was no longer in need, the canyon became neglected until the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy decided to preserve the area.

A walk in the canyon along the creek that carved it's way through the volcanic rock, reveals a long geologic history when this landscape was created by the tumult of eruptions. Basalt in various stages of erosion makes up the walls of the canyon reminds me slightly of canyon in the southwest. The sandstone and basalt appear to have similar erosion patterns.

While the canyon floor was devoid of flowers this early in the season there were remnants of last year's floral display. A short hike to the rim of the canyon, reveals an amazing carpet of color: Grass Widows, Prairie Violets and Yellow Bells glimmering in the sun.

All it takes is a little willingness to drive a little farther and you'll enjoy a little bit of the joys of hiking the shoulder season.

To learn more about the Conservancy, go to their website: http://cowichecanyon.org/.

There be Ghost Towns here!

Melmont & Manly Moore, 2/28/10, 10 miles, 100 elevation

Tucked away in the dense rainforest northwest of Mt Rainier hides a pice of Washington history un-noticed by the outdoor enthusiasts rushing to the many trails and camp sites closer to and inside the park. A history reflected in the names given to features and settlements in the area: Carbon River, Carbon Glacier, Carbonado. A history that supplied the nation with fuel at the turn of the 20th century. A history of a vibrant life, ending so suddenly remnants are still seen if one knows where to look and takes the time to slow down for a glance.

The towns of Melmont, Fairfax, and Manly Moore were once thriving coal mine towns serviced by a railroad and train arriving once a week. After more pure coal was found and mined elsewhere in the country, the town structures were dismantled and the railroad tracks pulled up. But even now, a walk along the old railroad bed will turn up treasures telling of a history not long in our past yet almost forgotten.

The foundation of the old Melmont schoolhouse still overlooks the level meadows where the town once resided. An old work trucks rests in the embrace of a vine maple where it was abandoned so long ago - moss and fern replacing the paint and hinges. A shack still stands along the trail and stories tell of explosives being kept there. And here and there along the way evidence of a once rich coal mining area spills from the hillsides.