Huckleberries

In recent years we've driven up to Indian Heaven Wilderness in Gifford Pinchot to pick huckleberries for a birthday pie. Last year we went up late in August. Picking was slim, but the leaves were starting to turn red. I decided to try a hike up here in the fall to enjoy the color, and we returned mid-October...only to find the entire area under two feet of snow! Huckleberries start growing around 3500-400 ft. so rain at the lower elevations can mean snow in the mountains. This year we hiked in September, trying to beat the rainy season. We did find some lovely shades of red, especially in the clearings. Hurray! I'd love to get up here again this season; with luck I'll make it back before it snows. 

Waterfall Season

It's that time of year when waterfalls start springing up everywhere.

This unnamed waterfall at the edge of Gifford Pinchot drains into Canyon Creek,

and originates south of Merwin, but we were so close to Merwin at this point

 that it doesn't seem possible for all this water to keep pouring over the edge.  

Where is it all coming from? 

Never ceases to amaze me.

The Red Leaf

I've commented in previous posts about the fall Vine Maple color in Gifford Pinchot.  I couldn't help noticing that the leaves deep in the forest were a bright yellow,  while the leaves at the edge of the forest or in clearings turned red.  Of course for every rule, there is an exception, and this red leaf (Big Leaf Maple?) was pretty exceptional in my opinion!  Yellow leaves as far as you could look in any direction, and then this one red show off! Just doing his own thing. A true nonconformist.

Big Leaf Maple

Big Leaf  Maple leaves hamgimg on

in a little Poplar grove in Gifford Pinchot.

And another bonus image for reference...

my hiking boots (ehem) women's size US10.

Trout Creek

Trout Creek in the Rain

I'm breaking with my usual protocol today to post before and after images from hikes along the Pacific Crest Trail in Gifford Pinchot. The first was taken during a steady rain, and I ended up cutting the hike short because I was waterlogged and my camera rain cover was all fogged up. I wanted to return as soon as possible, because the fall

Trout Creek After the Rain

color was at its peak and extra vibrant this year, but we had heavy rains and gusty wind for several more days. I came back once the weather cleared, and photographed the same location, and I'm including that 'after the rain' image because the comparison is interesting I think. The second image was taken with a different lens, so zoomed in a bit. Only the two largest mossy boulders are visible in the swollen creek. The Y-shaped tree above broke off, probably struck by that large trunk now lying along the bank. And of course, notably less colorful, especially the reds. Just a few days later, and a completely different scene!

A Yellow Wood

I mentioned in my previous post, Looking for Red, that the Vine Maples I've been seeing this fall in Gifford Pinchot National Forest are turning red where they are getting more light on the edges of forests or in clearings, and turning yellow deep in the woods where there's less light. Here is an example of yellow, on a section of the Pacific Crest Trail, which threads its way through Gifford Pinchot. 

Huckleberry Patch

It's the end of the season for huckleberries in Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

We found the most berries in this patch, but getting to be slim pickings.

Gifford Pinchot

We've got one of the older national forests here in Southwest Washington. Originally named the Columbia National Forest in the late 1800s, it was renamed in 1949 in honor of Gifford Pinchot, chief of the forest service from 1905-1910 during the Teddy Roosevelt administration. He transformed the way national forests were managed, and greatly increased the amount of land set aside under federal management. Gifford Pinchot National Forest encompasses over 1.3 million acres of land in southwest Washington, beginning at the southern edge of Mt. Rainier National Park, and extending south to the Columbia River. The national forest includes Mount St. Helens and Mt. Adams. It's rugged country, but now that I've got my Curious Gorge guide book, I plan to explore it...although I think I'll save the higher elevations for the summer months!  This beautiful little stream, sorry to not know the name, is just north of Carson in Skamania County.