summer high

Call a friend, put some food in a backpack, maybe a tent, walk up a trail for a few hours, pick some berries, sing songs, look at the plants. The high country provides. Summertime in the Olympics.

Steve, right where he wants to be.

Blue huckleberries, get some.

Flattering light threads its way into the understory.

July. Subalpine and sublime in the Olympics.

spike

Eight days on, six days off. Camping at the Sol Duc trailhead, eating well. Carrying tools up trail, cutting windfall, building features. Everything you own is damp, nothing dries. A bit of sun, and it's over. We call it spike.

Morning on the Sol Duc River while hiking to work.

Trevor, sizing up his cut.

Smallest tool for the job.

Kerf.

Clearing trail. Before and after.

Exiting the trail after a long, drizzly day.

Kicking back at camp. My hovel.

The wood stash.

Bear bins. Breakfast for dinner.

Building puncheon aka boardwalk.

Splitting construction material from yellow cedar.

Deckboards.

Big nails.

JZ, master craftsman.

Finished product.

F. N.   9.14.13   C.C.C.   F.C. Wagner.

logging roads

Clear cuts aren't the best thing, but they can be beautiful. Wood comes from somewhere, and the logging roads provide ample access for exploring some of the less glamourous nature zones.

Skokomish River Valley.

Vance Creek train trestle.

Clearcuts.

Edge of the forest.

Steel bridge over the Skokomish.

Trevor, exploring alternative fishing techniques.

Bluegill caught on a hazelnut cane rod with flower blossom bait.

Beaver pup.

Secret spot.

Ancient beaver pond.