Yesterday a friend drove down from Bellingham and we went to a #geology lecture at the local library before driving up into the hills to do our own little geology field trip. The goal was to locate a large vein of white quartz I'd originally found #hiking up that way nearly fifteen years ago.
Only we couldn't get anywhere near it. The road into the Mt. Baker National Forest, which was paved and maintained by the forestry service, had apparently washed out last winter.
[contd]
Probably happened during the December floods. Only thing, it wasn't just washed out! A spot where a small stream once ran under the road had turned in the space of one winter into a canyon a good 150 meters/500 feet across and 30 meters/100 feet deep.
It was awesome looking! (And I mean that in the original meaning of 'fills you with awe'.) We got a bit of a geology field trip just looking at the layers of glacial till and such. But it forming so fast! The power of nature is amazing.
[contd]
Anyway, we obviously weren't driving the final five miles or so to the original goal of the trip. But someone, probably the forest service, had cut a rough track uphill parallel to the new canyon, which we hiked up until it came to a spot where you could ford the stream and continue back down to the road on the other side. We ended up hiking a few miles up the road before turning back.
Afterwards we had dinner at the local Mexican restaurant and my friend left for home.
[fin]
Jack William Bell