Lime Kiln Trail 04-29-17

It was a gray day and rain was forecast for later, so I was hoping that the popular Lime Kiln Trail would be quiet despite my late start.  No such luck.  I got one of the last spots in the parking lot and it people just kept coming.  At least they were all nice, and Cedar enjoyed meeting their dogs.

Dealing with medical issues lately including anemia and arthritis in my toes, I am trying to work back up to steeper longer hikes.  Cedar and I have been doing 3 miles along a slough of the Snohomish a few times each week, but even this relatively level hike, being longer, felt like a challenge.  

Spring flowers were blooming along the trail and it was a lovely temperature.

Bleeding hearts above the Stillaguamish

This fun part of the trail has you walking under several logs like a little tunnel

Cedar checks out some old rusty saw blades

The lime kiln itself hides under moss, ferns, lichen, and other greenery and I never see it until I'm nearly on top of it. I wonder how much longer this monument to this areas history will stand?  A long time I hope, it is always interesting to think about how this area used to be bustling with trains, the lime kiln, small settlements, etc.

The moss here is super thick and many of the tree branches look like the arms of fuzzy green muppets. It covers logs, rocks and signs.

As we wound our way back up to the dirt road portion of the trail, I saw this banana slug in the entrance of a stump cave.

Happy hiking!

Franklin Ghost Town Hike 04-16-2017

I was saddened a couple weeks ago when I looked at my blog and realized it was time for the Franklin Ghost Town hike and I hadn't really done many other hikes.  I have re-dedicated myself to the outdoors and hiking, and hope to get back to my adventuring.  Cedar and I are practicing by hiking along a slough of the Snohomish at 3 miles roundtrip a few times a week.  

Last weekend found me back at Franklin.  I had a gorgeous view of Mt Rainier on the drive down, but once I started my hike clouds blocked any hope of a photo of it. At least it wasn't raining.

We surprised this robin which was building a nest.

The coal mine shaft, 1000 ft deep

While nothing remains of houses or stores, there are still foundations of the various mine buildings.

I think this part of the trail is permanently muddy

Cedar and I sat here to eat our lunch on the way back out

Bleeding hearts were starting to bloom

Here is a neat little snail.  I wonder if he's the same little guy I had in my blog from last year, haha.

The Franklin cemetery is beyond the mine shaft and through the deciduous woods.  The ground and trees are choked with thick old ivy vines and daffodils and wildflowers bloom.  Some of the people buried here were killed in the Franklin Mine Disaster, a fire which left 37 people dead in August of 1894.  You can read more about it here http://www.historylink.org/File/9165

I go to visit James and Romulus.  I am not sure if it is their names that draw me- I have Jameses in the family and love the name Romulus- or if it was because I have two boys myself, that I hope outlive me by a long long time.  Either way, I like to think that as a mother, I would be at peace to know that over a hundred years after the death of my children that they were not forgotten.  I'm not the only one either, as I saw the stems of daffodils and bleeding hearts on most of the graves there.

I didn't miss the daffodils completely, but there were just a few left.

At the end of my hike, this red breasted sapsucker was ratta-tatting loudly on this street sign. 

Othello, WA 04-08-2017

Although we missed the Othello Crane Festival, my mom and I decided to meet my sister in Othello for a fun day of exploring the area in hopes of seeing sandhill cranes that hadn't continued on their north migration.  I had never been to Othello before and was charmed by the busy little town and friendly people.

We met at the Old Hotel and Caboose Interpretive Center... complete with authentic tumbleweed.

The lady there told us where sandhill cranes might be found, and we headed out into the countryside.

I loved driving around the Othello area.  The country roads were so quiet and empty, wildflowers were blooming, and when we stepped out of the vehicle the wind whistled through the power lines and barbed wire fences.

We lucked out and found sandhills at one of the first areas we were told to check.  What amazing birds!  They are so tall, and that dove gray and red combo is very striking.  We could hear them too and their warbling cooing call was very distinctive and wonderful to hear.

The landscape included tall sweeping hills, little buttes, canyons and was dotted with lakes and canals.

There were also some interesting signs.

As we drove around birding we saw a lot of other birds as well.

Killdeer

Meadowlark

Curlew

Yellow headed blackbird.  I had never seen these before.

Apparently these guys thought they were invisible if they hunkered down in the reeds.

Great egret

It was a fantastic day out and one I would love to repeat.

Franklin Ghost Town Hike 4-16-2016

Every spring I try to do the Franklin Ghost Town hike while the daffodils are blooming.  I missed last year entirely, and this year the daffodils were gone, but it was a very worthy outing!  The weather was absolutely perfect- sunshine and blue skies.

Once Cedar and I got up to the top of the hill we were dazzled by Mount Rainier, like a huge crystal mountain against the sky.

There is not much left of a mining town that thrived here above the Green River Gorge in the late 1800's.  Just a few foundations and some rusting relics. 

 

The shaft of the mine (I assume there were other shafts, but this is the only one I know of that is open and findable) bores down 1300 feet from the top of the hill to 500 feet below sea level.  Working in this place would not have been the most pleasant of occupations.

Once you pass the mine shaft, you end up on a pleasant trail through the woods, with wildflowers and bird song.  Today there were bald eagles circling the hill too. 

Along this trail to the right, you can view what remains of the rails that once held the water pipe that supplied Franklin with water. 

Where the trees are covered with ivy as wide as your arm, and blue, white and yellow flowers nod sleepily below visiting butterflies, you will find the Franklin cemetery.  This is what really brings me.. the mine shaft and the cemetery.  There is something that feels right about making that connection between the warmth and new life of spring with the long-silent lives of those who have passed on before.  Some of the graves here mark the resting places of miners who were killed in one of the worst mining tragedies in the U.S.  On August 24, 1894 a fire was deliberately set in this mine, and 37 miners suffocated when another shaft was opened by a father attempting to rescue his son.  This is a history that shouldn't be forgotten.
There are also the graves of children.  A very real reminder of just how hard life was back then; when the temperature of your latte was not the most pressing matter. 

And again on a bright note, this is a great hike for wildlife. Not necessarily great big hairy animals that you'd want to frame a photo of, but lots of great little critters that are fun to watch.  Butterflies, garter snakes, snails, millipedes, robins, woodpeckers, and the songs of other birds I couldn't quite glimpse. 

Lovely day for a lovely step back in history.