Day 157: "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley." I was not aware of any plan for the Park to delay the March 16 early opening of the Westside Road gate when I left home this morning with a goal of Lake George and possibly Gobbler's Knob in mind, but upon arriving, I found said gate closed and locked. A quick review of my options and driving times convinced me to make the best of the situation by walking the road regardless. Thus it was that I found myself taking lunch on the rocky floodplain of Tahoma Creek, roughly five miles from my starting point.
It's not pretty here, but it's interesting. There has been very little regrowth since the floods of 2006, a few alders and other scrub-brush along the channel margins, a pioneer wildflower here and there, some thin moss. There are no lichens to speak of, and few fungi on the abundant, sand-scoured wood debris. In a perfunctory census, I turned up one bird's-nest fungus, a sparse and tiny colony of Tremella (jelly fungus), and a few shelf "conks" which were probably already established on trees uprooted during the flooding. Still, it's fascinating to see what returns most quickly, what tries to take hold and fails. To the average visitor, this area is a wasteland; to a naturalist, it's a golden opportunity to learn from the greatest teacher of all, Nature itself.
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