Grove of the Patriarchs (DIAL-UP WARNING)

[regnaD kciN]

At the southeast corner of Mount Rainier National Park, you find a 1.3 mile hike through an old-growth forest and out to an island with huge Douglas Firs, Western Red Cedars and Western Hemlocks over a thousand years old.

This had been a place I had always wanted to visit, but, every time I tried, the promised cloud-cover burned off and I wound up with a highly un-photogenic chaos of sun and shadow. Then, a couple of winters ago, a massive flood washed out the suspension bridge leading to the island, cutting off any access (the next year, another winter storm shut down the access road from my side of the mountain until late summer). The bridge is now repaired (although the lower parts of the island are still covered with sand and mud-caked leaves), and this was my first chance to get there on an overcast day.

The rebuilt suspension bridge over the emerald-green Ohanapecosh River.













Close-up of downed tree.







Several large trees growing out of an even larger "nurse log."







Western Trillium







The Ohanapecosh from the other side of the bridge.




The trail back to the parking lot passes under the fallen tree.

[Mira]

1. Fabulous color. Totally makes you feel like you are there as a part of it. After

my lower jaw re-connects with the upper one my most critical question is: How come they have such incredibly large openings in the knotted railings?
Did you brave the bridge? A child could be gone in no time flat.

The feeling of the photos remind me of the rain forests of Costa Rica, where bridges like this connect across the tops of trees and go over abysses filled with forest and monkeys and snakes instead of water. The railings on these bridges are impenetrable, and inspire confidence.
Though afraid of heights, I walked them in the rainy mist, sometimes with limited visibility, hanging bridges many times as long as yours.

I would NEVER walk the one in your photos.

I'm fascinated with the "nurse log" hosting full trees.

Thanks for these. Their beauty makes me happy.

[regnaD kciN]

3. That bridge is deceptively small...

...so the gaps are smaller than they might first appear.

I saw a number of children cross with no problem whatsoever -- as a matter of fact, since hikers are restricted to only one on the bridge (or one adult with small child) at a time, I had a long wait to get across, and saw lots of kids cross on their own. It was somewhat more unnerving for plus-size adults like myself -- not so much because I didn't have a secure handhold at all times, but because the bridge swayed both vertically and horizontally with every step, which was nowhere near as severe with lighter pedestrians. Nothing dangerous, but I was very well aware that I was on a suspension bridge.

[Mira]

5. WOW - thanks for responding to my concerns. You had true guts. I would never

cross this bridge, no matter what you say. I would never ever ever allow a child on it. I think I really know what you are saying about the swaying.
If you don't mind I will post a photo of the bridges I crossed and the railings for comparison to show the difference, I'll dedicate it to you. They won't be gorgeous like your photos, I was with a point and shoot canon, and it was the rainforest, so there was water everywhere. But you might be interested to see.

[Mira]

7. You can see why I was not scared - too much - to go on this bridge

and I'm throwing in a taste of what you see from up there.

[Celebration]

2. reminds me of trips to the Pacific northwest

adding--is the water really THAT turquoise???

I'm glad the sun/clouds cooperated more this time than they did on the island sunset picture.

You certainly captured the beauty of the area.

[regnaD kciN]

4. Yes, the Ohanapecosh River is known for being almost green...

There was a sign on the trail explaining it. While I don't remember the exact explanation, it had to do with the sediment rock over which it passes after coming off the glacier. It is distinct from all the other rivers in the park, which pick up sediment that gives them a cloudy gray look, while this one has a teal-green tint.

[JeffR]

6. These are so vivid I can almost smell the forest.

I recently finished reading Richard Preston's The Wild Trees and these shots are a wonderful visual supplement to a very compelling book.

And that second one would have been a great "Portals" entry.