Wow! Talk about disheartening. I decided to take Christmas Eve off so I could explore the waterfalls of southern Washington, along the Lewis River and beyond. I would camp near the river but the campgrounds in the area were already closed for the season. I checked the road on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest site and there were no updates. However several descriptions said the trails I wanted are accessible throughout the winter. And there are private campgrounds in the area. Worst case, I could always just sleep on the side of the road. I had done my research and was looking forward to a weekend of photography.
Sunday morning, I picked up my dog and set off along I-5 to Vancouver. My first stop was 40 miles east of Vancouver for a collection of falls that I had been wanting to visit since the spring. I saw them in my head with traces of snow and knew they'd be gorgeous. Were they? I don't know. I will have to wait for another trip for there was far too much snow to drive any further and with the fast approaching darkness and more snow falling I decided to not chance the drive or the hike along 5 miles of road. I turned around and started back to Vancouver and continued to Woodland. The rain mixed with snow proved too much for me after the long and unproductive day. Time for a cheap motel that would accept Zillah.
We awoke the next morning to partial blue skies. All I needed to do was reach one of the trail heads for the Lewis River trail & I'd be set for the day. Excitement for a long deserved winter hike sped me along the road. Not even the gathering clouds & fog were going to put a damper on my day. A sign stated that forest road 90 was open. YES! But then I got to the turn-off. Nope not open. The snows over the past few days hadn't been cleared. If I wasn't alone in a sedan without cell service, I might have tried it, but my first rule when heading out on an adventure is to not become a headline. So I turned the car around. And stopped.
Dang it! I was not going to waste this trip. Zillah hopped out of the car with great joy and ran though the snow into the forest. I pulled out my tripod - the forest was very pretty with the snow & the moss - and extended one leg of the tripod. Next thing I know, I'm standing with the leg of the tripod in one hand, my tripod in the other and bits of plastic in the snow at my feet. F***! After tossing the tripod back into the trunk, I grabbed my camera & shot a few views handheld, including the blur of Zillah running through the snow.
The rest of my trip to my aunt's house for evening celebrations, was spent looking for images. The image above is from a slight causeway above a damn near the town of Cougar.The low clouds in the dark trees, the almost glass-like surface of the water made me stop. I can't tell you how many times I have driven past this area and never bothered to stop. Those other times, the view didn't speak to me. This time it said, stop - all is not lost - let my tranquility soothe your spirits - let me be the image that redefines your trip to marvelous.
