4/28. Overcast with light showers. 47 degrees.
The second day started very early for my standards. After a night of light sleep, I woke up around 6:30 and proceeded to wander down to Lake Crescent before breakfast. I took a moment to stand on the shore, take in the tranquility, and reflect on the activities of the past day. The Mule Deer were taking advantage of the quite to graze on the lawn of Naturebridge. The pines and leaves of the Douglas Firs, Madrones, and Western Hemlocks were rustling in the wind behind me. It was very peaceful, I was reminded that I have a lot to be grateful for.
After breakfast, I took advantage of the hour of free time to hike to Merymere Falls with some classmates. We were in a hurry so we didn’t spend too much time identifying species, but I noticed a grove of Devil’s Clubs by the Barnes Creek. After taking a moment at the falls and a moment watching a woodpecker on Cedar, we returned to Naturebridge.
We left Naturebridge for the inner tidal zone of the Straight of Juan de Fuca at Salt Creek Recreation area. I know less about tidal zones but thanks to the guest lecture by Bob Paine, I had a better idea of what to expect. The tidal zone was an ecosystem with a different kind of complexity based on the elements like: 1) competition, 2) predation, 3)symbiosis, and 4) disturbance. The tide was especially low at the point cause of the full moon and there were lots of other beach walkers out for the weekend. On our way down to the pools, we noticed two Bald Eagles which was a treat. Once at the pools the first element I noticed was competition. The were California Mussels, Blue Mussels, Pacific Goose Barnacles and Dall’s Acorn Barnacles all competing for rock space. Usually a population would dominate an area of rock, but were two populations met the was a mix competing for space. Covering the other areas of rock was a mixture of Winged Kelp, Bull Kelp, and Pacific Rockweed to name a few types of algae. Needless to say, this abundance of life made it difficult to walk across the uneven rock and boulders. If you turned over almost any large rock, you could see Purple Shore Crabs and tiny Hermit Crabs scampering away. I noticed a few Lined Chiton on some of the rocks sucking the algae off. Of course, a lot of the disturbance in this environment comes from the tides and force of the ocean bearing down on the shore. Besides the birds, I the only signs of predation I saw came was from the starfish. I saw three different kinds of starfish, a tiny variety (less than 2in across), the Sunflower Star, and some Ochre Sea Star. Robbie, Claire and I found an Ochre eating a mussel for lunch, which reminded us it was about time to eat lunch ourselves.
We manage to fit almost the entire class on one rock for lunch, maybe we learned from the tidal zone about sharing a small area of space. Just before leaving for the Elwha, the sun came out and we almost saw a whale, which might’ve been worth it for the laughs. I was particularly excited to see the Elwha in person because it was one of the locations I went the last time I was on the peninsula. Once we got to the river, we hiked a short distance for a good viewing point. Part of the problem with the dam removal was it unleashed an extremely, unnaturally large sediment load that had accumulated in the dammed lake. The sediment had washed down the Elwha making it impossible for Salmon to swim upstream to lay eggs (salmon need a specific rock size, larger than sand). Ideally though, by the end of the decade, most of the sediment will have washed out to the Straight of Juan de Fuca and the salmon populations can return in greater numbers, given the longer river. The land once under-lake water is already starting to revegetate, the grasses have already come in, I suspect the Alders will be next. It’ll be interesting to track how the forest changes with the addition nutrients that the salmon will provide it.
After leaving the Elwha, we made one more stop on Hurricane Ridge before heading to the ferry. Unfortunately, there was weather so we didn’t have any panoramic views, but we had a chance to see an old-growth forest existing at a higher elevation on a steep slope. The forest didn’t appear as old because the soil wasn’t as nutritious with an underlying layer of basalt and the slope didn’t help development. After looking for some Silver Firs, we headed out for the Kingston ferry, ha. I had a great time on this Week 4 Field Trip. I know I always appreciate nature after spending some time out in it, though, a healthy balance of indoor time doesn’t hurt. This trip was a breath of fresh air and I’m glad I got a chance to connect with my other classmates. Can’t wait for the east Cascades trip!
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