Camas Prairie

Day 215: A regional legend tells us that at one time, Mt. Olympus (the highest peak in Washington's Olympic range) had three wives. The youngest was jealous of the other two, and decided to leave. Although she had no idea where she would go, she packed a cedar basket with food for her journey. Among the staples were the roots of the Blue Camas plant (Camassia quamash) which could be boiled or roasted and pounded to make flour. Leaving the Olympic Peninsula, she forged south, and after a few days of travel, she had reached the lower end of Puget Sound. By this time, she was tired and hungry and decided to rest and prepare a meal. As she worked, a few camas bulbs spilled from her basket, unnoticed. The next day, the young wife resumed her travel, eventually arriving at a place she thought would be a suitable home. There, she spread her skirts and settled onto the land to become the peak we now call Mount Rainier. The camas bulbs she had inadvertently left behind multiplied. Now you can see fields of them on the prairies around Yelm.