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.
