Old Robe CanyonTrail 7-16-14

With beautiful summer weather and the light lingering late, I decided on a short after-work hike today.  Cedar and I headed up the Mountain Loop Highway to the Old Robe Trail.  I have hiked this only once before and it was in deep snow with it falling thick and fast the whole time.  This was the 1st time I would actually see the trail I was walking on. 
After a short jaunt through some small conifers and 5 easy switchbacks, we came out on the Robe Canyon floor.  Huge mossy maples stretched their limbs out over the trail and other deciduous trees towered above, shading the trail.  I was expecting it to be oven-like at the bottom, but it was actually quite nice.  There were some ponds and marshy areas though and I was not expecting bugs, so I did get gnawed on a bit. 

Soon we were at the banks of one of my very favorite rivers, the Stilliguamish.  It was gorgeous, babbling and shining in the sun.

 

A bit further, and going over dry creek beds, I saw the 1st sign of old ruins.  I'm not sure what this was.. maybe the remnants of a bridge or part of a building?

 

 Further yet, and I could see where the railroad had gone. First there was just the kind of cement and stones that I saw a lot of, and then further on and I could still see some of the wooden railroad ties with spikes in them.  It's amazing they built a railroad in this canyon at all and also amazing that any of it is left at all!

The canyon deepened and narrowed with the Stilly sometimes churning and thundering over rocks and sometimes hushing into turquoise pools.  I imagined the fish that might be in there.

Here was a little sluice that went under the railway to channel the water coming down the bank into the river.

 

 Suddenly looming ahead (a ways after the "go back, this is the end of the trail" sign) we saw the 1st tunnel!  I ran into very few people on the trail, but the last group had told me that the going was safe and easy even for Adventure Dog all the way to the 2nd tunnel.

The first tunnel was long and had a bend in it, so I actually put on my headlamp.  The second tunnel was short, but I didn't go in.  I just snapped a picture and that was our turnaround point.

On the way out I spied a water ouzel doing what water ouzels do best.  They are so fearless!  This one bobbed in and around all the frothing whitewater.  He landed on one rock where a gush of water washed him off, but nonplussed he just landed on a different rock.  This was a great hike!  I'll do it again for sure.