Cedar Flats - Oct. 9, 2013

Gifford Pinchot National Forest is an area we are just starting to explore.  Christine Colasurdo told us about a beautiful view of  Mt. St. Helen on the way to Cedar Flats Natural Area.  It was a clear, crisp morning and there was still frost on the interpretive sign at the viewpoint.

SE View of Mt. St. Helen from McClellan Viewpoint

 

Our destination was Cedar Flats Natural Area, a 120 acre preserve along the Muddy River, that was never logged. It is a research area that has been set aside to protect 650 year old trees: Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir, and Western Hemlock. The trail provides a small loop through these ancient trees where you can walk, and see, and smell, and feel what it must have been like in this valley so very long ago. 

The sign is rather faded, but it has one of our favorite quotes from Aldo Leopold that explains why we preserve areas like this: "To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering." 

"Looping through a cathedral forest of massive western red cedars and Douglas-fir, this trail offers a lesson in forest ecology. There are countless examples of life springing from death. Huge logs lie across the valley floor-the remains of ancient trees that finally died of age. Vibrant, young trees now grow from these great logs, nourished by the decaying wood of the old giants. Lush mosses, lichens, and ferns carpet the forest and give the trail an emerald glow. From the second half of the trail, you can enjoy views of the Muddy River." (from Day Hiking: South Cascades by Nelson & Bauer.)

You can't really get an idea of the size of the trees until you see someone standing next to them.  Can you spot Marianne in the picture below?

Tom stitched together several pictures to get the height and width.  See what looks like a white "V" at the right side of the largest tree? That is actually the sunlight reflecting off her hiking pants--you can see her hiking stick to the left of that.

We kept seeing portions of orange mushrooms all over. They were bright orange Lobster Mushrooms.

Why doesn't this have a traditional mushroom shape?  It is actually a white Russula mushroom that came up with a parasitic fungus inside it.  It is a bright orange mold.  The mold prevents the mushroom gills from develping, alters the graceful from to a crude knot--but Voila!  It is a delicious and marketable delicacy, a lobster mushroom.  We didn't take any since this is a protected natural area, but it was tempting.

There were more mushrooms than one could count, of many different types.

Some looked like wildflowers.

Others look like coral that belongs on the ocean floor.

A magnificent place we will visit again.