In the Neighborhood

One of the nice things about the area is being able to walk into the woods from our house. We joke that we used to drive for hours on vacation to reach places like this, and now we can go for long walks in the forest without driving at all. The trails change constantly with the seasons. Throughout the fall, there are fungi everywhere in every size, color and shape imaginable. In the spring, opening leaves and growing tendrils and branches reach out to tap you (or, in the case of blackberry bushes, grab you) as you pass by. The woods change color depending on whether there are flowering plants, fruits (I've never seen so many kinds of berry bushes in one place!) leaves and needles, decomposing tree trunks and stumps, mosses, ferns, and whether or not the sun is out or behind a cloud. It's a visual feast any time.

Our regular trails look entirely different in the snow. The usual things that catch our eye are hidden, while hoof prints or rabbit tracks we normally miss are suddenly highly visible.

Water and sky seem to share colors whether it's clear or overcast.

The Olympic Mountains catch the storm clouds and wring out their rain. The clouds usually take a few miles to reform and give Seattle its wet reputation. In between lies the Olympic rain shadow or "blue hole" where the terrain looks more like Northern California. Within the mountains' wet reach, the temperate rain forests lie. Tree trunks grow long beards of gold-green mosses. High over your head, ferns cling to any spot that offers a toe-hold; tree bole, rock, cliff; creating wonderful hanging gardens. The light is different here, and it's very quiet. The songbirds prefer the forest edges. If you walk early or late enough, you might see an owl, or feel a wisp of air tickle the back of your neck as an owl flies soundlessly overhead.

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Madrone Ridge Marketing

Last updated July 15, 2001.