Middle Fork Snoqualmie

We had a lovely hike out from the Middle Fork Snoqualmie campground along the connector trail and then up Garfield Ledges. It is still gloriously bright green along the road out, and there are still native bleeding hearts blooming along the trail entrances. Up through Garfield Ledges there were several old growth stumps bearing new growth of primarily hemlocks. As we got to near the tree line on Garfield Mtn (not from elevation but due to sheer rocky face), the wood became almost entirely thin hemlocks, all trying to beat each other out for the sun and the right to grow large as the forest moves into the second century after clearcut logging there, Already there are failed combatants littering the floor. The view at the ledge looking back down the Middle Fork Snoqualmie Valley is incredible, I wish there was a way to post it here.

Found a bunch of interesting things on the way down, mostly, as I was looking around more at that point. Lovely mosses, including a leafy moss (probably dotted-thyme but could easily be something else related) that almost seemed like a liverwort initially. Terrific British soldier and fishhook lichen, deer fern finally out and proud, and some funky fungi, including a Bolete I'd like to know more about. Always fun to get a closeup of animals, so in addition to lots of Swainson's Thrush and Pacific Wren song, we saw a millipede (I think I always find at least one on this trail!) and a couple of large and fairly fearless garter snakes by the river.

Add in a nice riverside picnic and perfect sunny-but-cool hiking weather and it all adds up to a fun and productive day nature-spotting.

Posted on June 28, 2023 03:23 AM by jenstr