Day 298: With a little more time on my hands, I hiked up to the old weir again today for a better look around. Specifically, I wanted to see if the trail extended beyond the site, and as far as I could tell, it terminates at the weir. If I had taken a map and compass or a GPSr, I would have been tempted to explore the upper reaches of the creek. Perhaps it's a good thing I left them behind, or I might not have gotten home in time for dinner.
Experienced cross-country hikers will know that following a creek up-slope is a bad move. All too often, creeks have steep headwalls somewhere above, and in any event may be so densely lined with vegetation as to be impenetrable. In the Pacific Northwest, that vegetation frequently is comprised of Devil's Club which makes creekbed travel even less feasible. The best choice of route is one which follows a ridgeline where the natural fall of debris is at a minimum. That said, I explored a short way above the weir where I found a series of tumbling cascades hidden in deep shadow; mossy, green, cool and with more than an adequate supply of mosquitoes. Retreating with prudence, I then ventured down an embankment to obtain this shot from below the weir spillway. Further travel downstream from this point would have required a rope.
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