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Quark Niece of Alvy Moore
Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 14152 | TRs | Pics
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:32 pm
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I bailed on a trip with Yumi and Opus ‘cause I have to go into the office tomorrow. It was best anyway; ole Quarkie ain’t been feeling so hot lately - I could barely do 5 miles flat today. But that's another story.
I wanted to get out, so I combined a trip to the Hometown Bakery and Pizza shop in Darrington (in order to purchase the book, “Two Voices,” by the Bedal sisters) with an easy stroll of the Old Sauk Trail.
This trail continually gets hammered by floods. It’s beloved, and the re-routing of the trail is easy, so it continually gets repaired.
I was expecting a regular walk in the forest; pretty and nice. But I always seem to find really cool, unique stuff on simple little hikes. Read on.
First the obligatory photos of Old Sauk trail (pardon the imperfections - I don't have photoshop or any other software, these are straight out of the camera - will get software next week!):
Feather and fern Fern frond in fall Old Sauk trail Indian pipe Old Sauk Trail Leaf skeleton in water Old Sauk trail Sap
Then this:
I was on my way back when I noticed a stick with a ridge of silt underneath it.
Silt and stick
I have seen this before; it’s when something falls on top of silt, and the silt around it wastes away with rainfall, but the silt underneath the item remains because it’s not as affected by rain hitting it. Cool, says I. Then I realized the river is about 100 feet away, and about 25 feet downslope. Wow! This baby really expanded and deposited this load this far away!
I then noticed the surrounding tree trunks had a tell-tale measure of silt on them.
Silt pile at base of tree This how deep the silt deposit was
The silt deposit had been this deep!
I imagine a lot of this came from the far riverbank – about 1/8 of a mile or so and 50 feet high fell into the river – probably created a silty tidal wave onto the banks this side of the river, and came up to where I was standing.
I then saw stacks of stick on the “windward” side of several trees – this debris was checked by the trees and held in place.Sticks deposited by floodwaters Pile of debris on "windward" side of tree, deposited by floodwaters
Lo! I saw lots of these intriguing formations. PLEASE OPEN PHOTOS TO GET A BETTER VIEW OF THESE DELICATE BEAUTIES!Silt and cottonwood leaf2
I had seen these on the Suiattle River bank recently, and other places here and there, but here are multitudes! I walked carefully to preserve them so that others can see them if they wish to. I don’t think they’ll last through the winter. My guess is that this silt came from November 2006 floods.Preserved pattern of leaf Silt deposit and preserved fern pattern. Silt and pattern of 3 cottonwood leaves
To see these wonders, walk the Old Sauk trail til you see the huge slope failure on the far bank. I was going so slow I don’t know how far in, but I guess 2.5 miles, maybe less. When you see that, look around and find these silt deposits and beautiful leaf formations embedded in them.
It’s amazing to me that the same raging waters that can create this:
The Sauk River is in another bed to the left. This one is full when the floods are raging.
can also create this:
Ghost
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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Tazz Member
Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 7902 | TRs | Pics
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Tazz
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:36 pm
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You don't need software! Sap and fungus are incredible! Good stuff!
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Quark Niece of Alvy Moore
Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 14152 | TRs | Pics
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:45 pm
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Thanks guys. Isn't that the coolest stuff? Those leaf patterns blow me away. I saw a man taking a nap in the soft, deep moss above the river. A little while later, I did the same - I layed down, and listened to the river and the wind rustling the cottonwoods. Across the river, the wind was making the tall cedars and hemlocks gently sway back and forth, rythmically. One group of hemlocks was adorned by long, long tails of silvery-green moss that slowly fluttered out from the branches with each soft gust of wind. God, it was beautiful.
I forgot to mention that Home Town Pizza is open til 9 PM. Closed Wednesdays. They do not take credit/debit cards. Cash only. Good pizza, good service, excellent iced tea. I got a humongous pizza (8 slices with 5 toppings), a bodacious salad, tea, and 2 cupcakes for about 20 bucks.
The lady there said if business keeps up the way it has, they will continue to remain open til 9 through winter.
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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JimK Member
Joined: 07 Feb 2002 Posts: 5606 | TRs | Pics Location: Ballard |
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JimK
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 8:50 pm
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That fern found in fall is fairly fantastic. Fine fotos. Glad to see you managed to get out even when not feeling great.
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Matt Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4308 | TRs | Pics Location: Shoreline |
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:07 pm
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Great sap, Quark.
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Quark Niece of Alvy Moore
Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 14152 | TRs | Pics
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:14 pm
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Shacknasty Jim wrote: | I know you love that third one - maybe it'll get more comments than the last dripping shroom you posted - and re-posted . |
You mean this one?????fungus and rain1
Thanks Jim.
I haven't perfected manual mode, and haven't really dealt with it much for landscape. Most of my macro shots and closeups are manual mode; I'm more comfy with that.
I didn't have my polarizing filter with me, either. God knows why.
The silt photos - I was trying to be careful to not destroy any of the coolness, so I was crouched at wierd angles, not laying down and comfy. I could hardly breathe.
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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More Cowbell Warrior Princess
Joined: 01 Jul 2006 Posts: 5657 | TRs | Pics Location: Alive on Earth |
Wow, you must have set your camera to the "stunning" setting today.
I went somewhere that I love today but there wasn't anything photo worthy (but I did discover, summit and name "Elk Latrine Hill").
“If you want to forget all your other troubles, wear too tight shoes.” - Unknown
“If you want to forget all your other troubles, wear too tight shoes.” - Unknown
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Hiker Mama Member
Joined: 25 Jun 2006 Posts: 3451 | TRs | Pics Location: Lynnwood |
Very nice, Quark. I always look forward to your reports and what you will notice. We didn't see those cool silt deposits when we went a few months ago. I don't think we made it as far as you did, tho. Good for you to get out even tho not feeling great. I hope you felt better afterwards!
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Quark Niece of Alvy Moore
Joined: 15 May 2003 Posts: 14152 | TRs | Pics
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:55 pm
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HikerMama, those silt sculpture thingies aren't easy to see. I didn't notice them til on the way back, when the stick caught my eye, then the tree trunks.
I thought about that cute pic of the kids in front of the trailhead sign that you posted, and imagined the little ones having fun on the trail. There are several smooth portions of the trail where I kid can run and "play airplane" and run with wild abandon.
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate."
Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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Magellan Brutally Handsome
Joined: 26 Jul 2006 Posts: 13116 | TRs | Pics Location: Inexorable descent |
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Magellan
Brutally Handsome
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Sat Sep 15, 2007 11:50 pm
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You have such a great eye for detail. I would never have seen that cool stuff. I woulda stomped right past it, wondering where the hell the summit was. Thanks for slowing it down for me.
There are lots of great pictures here, but this is the one that really grabs me. It looks haunted, but alive.
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Matt Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 4308 | TRs | Pics Location: Shoreline |
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Matt
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot
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Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:42 am
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Quark,
At first I didn't look closely at the silt photos. Wow, it's amazing how the shape of the objects is preserved in the raised silt. I even made my kids come out and look at your photos, and my teenager even admitted that it was "kinda cool."
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
“As beacons mountains burned at evening.” J.R.R. Tolkien
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Yet Member
Joined: 23 Apr 2005 Posts: 2634 | TRs | Pics Location: Happily Ever After |
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Yet
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Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:38 am
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It's like someone used cookie cutters and went to town.
Very cool!
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bobbi stillaGUAMish
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 8012 | TRs | Pics Location: olympics! |
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bobbi
stillaGUAMish
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Sun Sep 16, 2007 10:16 am
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hope you're feeling better!
most excellent photos. PS is overrated! thanks for reminding us that we should look down for the unusual photo ops! mother nature is amazing!
bobbi ૐ
"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!" - Oh, the Places You’ll Go! By Dr. Seuss
bobbi ૐ
"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!" - Oh, the Places You’ll Go! By Dr. Seuss
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cinnamon Member
Joined: 21 Dec 2005 Posts: 20 | TRs | Pics
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cinnamon
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Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:02 pm
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Stones funk soul brother
Joined: 08 Apr 2004 Posts: 1594 | TRs | Pics Location: in your soul kitchen |
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Stones
funk soul brother
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Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:18 pm
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If you can imagine badlands topography or the mesas of the Colorado plateau shrunk down to Quarkian scale, it's the same processes at work here with an erosion-resistant layer (e.g. a leaf or a layer of hard sandstone) protecting a softer erosion-prone layer (silt or shale). Cool stuff.
Let me stand next to your fire
Let me stand next to your fire
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