Every
July some of our backpacking buddies from the “usta” days plan an outing. (Al’s
way of referring to the past!) For the last two years, Al and I have been
unable to join the group due to his ankle and foot surgeries. But when our
friends planned a trip around Washington’s Olympic Peninsula this summer, he was
making good progress with healing and we decided to make it a priority to go
with them.
There were nine adults on the trip, ranging
in age from the seventies to the twenties, and two young children, traveling in
four vehicles. The original group which brought Al and me together in 1982 now
spans three generations and seems like a second family. We stayed in three
rental homes making a loop clock-wise around the peninsula, sight-seeing and
hiking along the way. The first house was near Cushman Lake on the east side;
the second was a large hunting lodge close to Rialto beach on the Pacific coast;
and the last house was at Port Angeles, overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
They were luxurious compared to the small tents we all called home years ago.
Al and I took
several short hikes on nature trails along the way. Some of the group elected
to take rigorous all day hikes; however a few of us, along with the children,
took more leisurely walks enjoying beautiful scenery and the good exercise. Our
first walk followed a river, crossing over a suspension bridge. Leslie, a
retired science teacher, pointed out various kinds of ferns, a prickly shrub loaded
with berries called Bear’s Club, and other plants. We marveled at the lush
shades of green as we walked along the path.
She also showed us
a “nurse” tree, which we learned more about when we visited the Quinault
rainforest on the east side of the peninsula. It was a fun morning spent with
Leslie, her two daughters and her young grandchildren. What a great answer to
prayer to see Al on his first hike in years, walking again in the outdoors he
so loves with no pain!
On our way to the
second house near Rialto Beach and Forks, some of us arranged to meet at the
Quinault rainforest nature trail. The average rainfall in that rainforest is
about twelve feet a year (note that—feet not inches!) Four of the world’s
tallest trees are found there, including the world’s largest Sitka Spruce. Al
asked a woman standing near the spruce tree if she would take our picture. She
did… and after introducing ourselves, we discovered that she and her parents
were from Bakersfield—small world!
As we took a
short walk along the nature trail, we stopped to read a marker beside a “nurse
tree.” Over the centuries since it had died, many small trees, ferns and shrubs
had sprouted along its spine. As the trees grew up, their roots reached for the
soil, curving downward around the sides of the nurse tree. Because of the
competition for nutrients, soil and light in the rainforest, a nurse tree was
an ideal nursery for young plants and trees. When it finally completely
decomposed, there would be a row of moss-covered trees standing on rounded
stilts of roots. There were many unusual shapes of trees because of this, some
growing vertically at right angles to their roots which were curved.
Another wonderful day was spent sitting in
the hot springs at Sol Duc and later hiking with Leslie’s sister, Meredith, up
to the Sol Duc Falls. We shared many great moments together with the group
during that week, different than experiences from the “usta” days in the high
country but maybe more appreciated. Al and I both realized that we couldn’t
turn back the clock and go back to those years; however we could soak in the
beauty of nature, enjoy spending quality time with close friends, learn new
things and appreciate the blessings God has lavished upon us during this season
of our lives. God is good!
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