Day 191: Charles L. Pack Experimental Forest ("Pack Forest," for short) is managed by the University of Washington and is, as you might infer, a testing ground for various sustainable forestry practices. It is also a "multi-use" area, meaning that it is open to hikers, horses and hunters, although motorized vehicles are prohibited. However, Pack is not a "nature area," and is not maintained with visitors or habitat preservation in mind. In fact, it is quite weedy, with numerous invasive species, particularly in logged areas. While there are trails, many of them are overgrown and almost impassable, dirt roads form a network which provide walking access to the far corners. I frequently use a trail going one way, a road going the other, forming a loop so I don't have to retrace my footsteps. Day before yesterday, I hiked up the Reservoir Trail to Kirkland Pass, then out the 1000 Rd. to visit the Calypso Orchids. As I approached their embankment, I was dismayed to see that Pack has been clearing the roadside ditches with an excavator. They narrowly missed the Calypsos! And by "narrowly," I mean that this grouping was less than a foot above the gouge. It would have done no good to stop at the office to report my concern for these delicate plants. I am just glad they grow elsewhere, in places where they are protected.
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