POST 1214; JANUARY 14, 2014; FORKS, WASHINGTON

Having stayed overnight in Forks, I set off at daybreak 0800 hours (8:00 am) south on US 101.  Naturally, I was dressed to the 9's ready for another day of continuous rain ... and naturally, it did not rain a drop.  So, was over dressed and within one hour was again soaked to the skin...this time from sweating under all those rain clothes.  By the time I returned to Forks, I was again freezing cold from being soaked from the inside out.  Today walked 6 hours, covering some 24 miles.

It is now 1530 hours (3:30 pm), back at the Thriftway Super Market...with today's blog nearly complete.

I shall stay one more night here in Forks.  Before daylight tomorrow, I shall drive SPIA-2 some 45 miles to the Lodge at Lake Quinault.  From there, I will walk back north on US 101 to fill in the 20 or so miles I need to complete the un-walked portion.

Please say HELLO to CARRIE.  Carrie is the Thriftway Coffee Shop hostess who has been so kind as to allow me to use one of her tables to complete our blog of yesterday...and again  today.

Please say HELLO to MARK, joined me this morning in the coffee shop while I waited for daylight...never walk these treacherous roadways in the dark...especially with logging trucks whizzing by inches away.

Mark, recently retired from the Corps of Engineers, currently lives in Forks, helping out with the activities of youngsters.

There are a number of trailers completing the housing of Forks.  This scene of smoke puffing out chimneys of a number of trailers looks very much like it is cold...and yes, even without rain, it is cold again this morning.

My goal for today was to reach the Hoh Rain Forest...and back to Forks.  I failed ! ...as I turned around a mile or so short of the Rain Forest entrance...will take a whack at it in the morning, walking from Lake Quinault which lies some 18 miles to the south of the Hoh Rain Forest.

Plan to stay at the Lake Quinault Lodge (parking lot) tomorrow night...then on Thursday, walk south on US 101 toward the city of Hoquim, Washington in the Grays Harbor region some 50 miles from Lake Quinault.

Please say HELLO to LARRY, owner of McLANNAHAN LUMBER COMPANY.  Until late 1970s, Larry was a logger - cutting down the monster trees nearby.  He then started up his lumber company, specializing is high quality trees with tight straight grain wood (the better trees are slow growing, producing tighter and straighter grain), which is prized for "finishing" lumber such as higher quality buildings and specialty wood for boat building / repairing.

This region was recently - probably within the past 25 years or so - logged off (i.e., trees were cut down).  Here and there a specially selected "first growth" tree is left standing, such as the one in the above image.  This chosen tree is left to re-seed new growth...considered a sometimes better quality "offspring" trees.

Most logging of today is "clear cut"; i..e., every single tree in sight is cut down, with the denuded land subsequently hand planted with tiny seedling trees...planted into the earth completely by hand.

Such a "reforested" hand planted area is again ready to harvest trees (cut down the new trees) within 75 - 100 years of being hand planted.  Observant travelers will find "billboards" within the roadside forests giving the dates the surrounding trees were last harvested (cut down), and when the new growth trees are expected to ready to again be harvested...something like 75 - 100 years into the future.

The above "silo" is a survivor from 100 or so years ago.  In days gone by, small lumber mills dotted the landscape of the forests of the West.  The "waste" drops / sawdust from sawing the logs into lumber was "thrown away", i.e., there was no market for it.  Most saw mills had "silos" - most much larger than the one pictured above - where the "waste" material was deposited and burned...just to get rid of it.  The top of the metal silo enclosure is covered by a screen which allows smoke to escape, but which holds in any burning or hot embers from escaping (and setting the local forest on fire).

Such "silos" are of some historic value, but will never again be used to burn up the waste wood.  ALL such drops are used to create "Presto Logs" for heating in home fireplaces, to create "Press Board" for making furniture, or "chip board" for making Plywood.

Please say HELLO to MYHAH, here hand chopping Cedar Shingle Drops into "kindling" for starting fires in her fireplace or wood burning stove.  She, together with her husband own and operate a Shingle Factory...high quality Cedar Shingles for high quality roofing of homes.

Completed roofing shingles in the storage portion of the factory of Myhah and her husband.

...offered for sale to passing public for use to start fires (kindling) or camp wood for use in camp fires for campers / hunters.

Bogachiel River.

If small enough to be carried off, Cedar trees and logs are subject to theft.

Please say HELLO to ED.  Ed, originally from the city of Everett (where Boeing builds the 747 and 777 aircraft), some years ago moved to Forks and is employed at Larry's Mc Lannahan Lumber Company.  On my way back to Forks, Ed met me on US 101 to chat and share some thoughts he has about religion.

Wish you well, Ed...you are among the lucky to have found your treasured place.

A view of Larry and Ed's lumber yard...where the finest of high grade lumber can be purchased for those special projects.

Imagine for a moment ... the above image is looking down onto a tumbling stream from about 50 feet above.  Those black arms reaching into the turbulent flow form fish ladders to "pool" the water, allowing migrating Salmon to more easily climb the steep walls of water rushing down from the Olympic Mountains just a stone throw away.  Many of the hundreds of mountain streams falling from the Olympic Mountains are "home" to Salmon returning from the Pacific Ocean to the very same spot in the very same creek from which the Salmon were hatched some 2 to 4 years before.

After hatching, the "fingerlings" remain in their "birthplace" for up to  year before migrating back to the Pacific Ocean, where they live for up to 4 years before returning to their "birth spot".  Much of the time in the Ocean is spent along the waters off Russia's SIBERIA.

Local Washington State mountain rivers and streams are therefor of critical importance to the continuation of the Salmon migrations.  Each specie of Salmon has it's own migration cycle...but each specie returns to it individual birth place to renew the cycle of life.

Some years ago, I owned and lived on a 10 acre farm near the city of Renton, Washington (where Boeing builds the highly successful 737 aircraft).  My farm included a Salmon stream, where King Salmon - some larger than 50 pounds - returned each year to spawn in the shallow waters of my stream as it crossed my pastureland.

Yes, my life contains many such surprises...which we will eventually get to reveal.

* * * * * * * * * *

Finally - it is now 1600 hours (4:30 pm), I am warming up.  The cloud cover is finally breaking up, with rays of sunshine peeking through.  Hopefully this cold rainy spell is leaving us.  I could use some warmer drier days for the next few days walking south on US 101.