365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Friday, November 8, 2019
Nisqually-Ohop Confluence
Day 26: Although this spot sees more activity during a salmon run (and much of it illegal, unless you're a tribal member), for the most part, the point at which little Ohop Creek drifts lazily into the big water of the Nisqually River will be unoccupied by anything more than an occasional eagle or osprey, a handful of chickadees and kinglets, and one lone Crow. The broad, emphatic speech of the Nisqually subsumes the quiet patter of Ohop; its commentary on obstructive rocks and feathering grasses hushes Ohop's tales of upstream wildlife. One must listen carefully for Ohop's voice, but it is there to be caught by a perceptive ear. Up-river, the Nisqually was divided in its opinions, two halves furiously raging on either side of an island issue until they could meet in a common channel to continue their way here. Beyond, a mile or more away, the Nisqually gets cranky once again but soon resolves its internal debate and then moves confidently and serenely toward the towns of McKenna and Yelm where it finds itself dammed despite its best intentions to reach Puget Sound unobstructed.
Labels:
hiking,
Nisqually-Ohop Creek confluence
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