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.

seattle

Yesterday. The city many people believe is on the ocean. A view from the mountains to the west, just before the metropolis is engulfed in a spring rainstorm.

knotweed

I swapped onto a WCC crew working with Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group. We took some rafts down the Sauk River looking for Knotweed, an invasive plant that sends down strong rhizomatous roots similar to bamboo. It spreads throughout the floodplain and gives the river a rough time. We spent the week checking on known patches, looking for new patches, taking GPS coordinates, and making notes so the patches can be found and treated with herbicide later in the summer.

River guide Shane and support crew Katie and Michael prepping for launch.

Neoprene boots and dry bags, stay wet or stay dry.

Leaving the boat for a long survey. Micky, Josh, Rob, Shane.

Josh crossing some swift water.

Shane picking us up after a six hour hike through the understory.

Ten hours in the boots, tender feet.

Meal time at camp.

Our fearless river guides, Shane and Andrea.

Camping on a gravel bar.

My house for the night.

Mount Bedal getting its last rays of sun for the day.

A cup of coffee before booting up. Rob and Caleb discussing logistics.

Rob finds a new patch of Knotweed.

Survey data.

The pest: Knotweed.

after work

Long days with winter swell straggling into the strait. Single fin at Crescent Beach.