To and from Seattle 03-11-18

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bobcat
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Joined: August 1st, 2011, 7:51 am
Location: SW Portland

To and from Seattle 03-11-18

Post by bobcat » March 13th, 2018, 7:13 pm

I spent the weekend visiting my brother and his family in the Seattle area. Coming and going, since the weather was good, I stopped not far from I-5 for some walks.

1. Mima Falls

This 6 ½ mile loop took me through clearcuts and also more mature forest in the DNR-managed Capitol State Forest south of Olympia. Some of the hike was along or above swampy creek bottoms. The destination was splashing Mima Falls, a 25-foot drop on the South Fork Mima Creek. Signs at the falls warn hikers about traveling farther, noting that several SAR missions have been sent to extricate those who thought they could pull off a larger loop! I returned via the Mima Falls Tie Trail and then the Campground Trail, much of the latter along an old logging railroad grade.
Vina maple bower, Mima Falls Trail East, Mima Falls Loop.jpg
Douglas-firs, Mima Falls Trail East, Mima Falls Loop.jpg
Mima Falls, Capitol State Forest.jpg
Trail warning, Mima Falls Trail West, Mima Falls Loop.jpg
Ditch by old railroad embankment, Campground Trail, Mima Falls Loop.jpg
Old trail sign, Campground Trail, Mima Falls Loop.jpg
2. Bob Bammert Grove

This short hike is also in the 100,000 acre Capitol State Forest. The goal is a short loop through a remnant grove of tall Douglas-firs in the Black Hills, which have been intensively logged and/or scorched by fire over the last 130 years. The largest tree here is about six feet in diameter. The trail honors a DNR manager who lobbied for preservation of these last tall trees.
Trailhead sign, Bob Bammert Grove.jpg
Bench under the Douglas-firs, Bob Bammert Grove.jpg
The biggest tree, Bob Bammert Grove.jpg
Woodpecker etchings, Bob Bammert Grove.jpg
3. Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

The refuge is right off I-5 at Exit 114. This is the very southern reach of Puget Sound. I haven’t been there since they breached the dike created by farmer Alson Lennon Brown at the beginning of the 20th century. Now the tidal flats act like tidal flats, and a mile-long boardwalk has been built out to a gazebo viewpoint. It was a glorious day, and the Olympics and Mt. Rainier stood out to the west and east. There were lots of critters out. Some I didn’t get photos of were a beaver, a mink, and a pair of bald eagles. It’s $3 admission, but there were flocks of humans. I’m estimating there must have been about 200 cars and the parking lots were full!
Boardwalk along slough, Twin Barns Loop, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Hooded merganser (female), Twin Barns Loop, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Hooded merganser (male), Twin Barns Loop, Nisqually NWR.jpg
View to Nisqually Head, Anderson Island, and the Olympics, Nisqually Estuary Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
American wigeon pair, Nisqually Estuary Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Great blue heron striding, Nisqually Estuary Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
American shoveler, Nisqually Estuary Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
View to boardwalk, Nisqually Estuary Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Green-winged teal walking, Nisqually Estuary Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Pintails and green-winged teals, Nisqually Estuary Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
View to Shannon Slough Blind and McAllister Creek Viewing Platform, Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Mt. Rainier, Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Dead trees on McAllister Creek, Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Hooded merganser, Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Pintail, Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Greater yellowlegs, Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Mt. Rainier from the Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
View to Anderson Island, Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk Trail, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Twin Barns, Twin Barns Loop, Nisqually NWR.jpg
Cackling geese and barns, Twin Barns Loop, Nisqually NWR.jpg

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