Backpacking on Long Island

     

Hiking along Smoky Hollow

The weathermen were out to get us again. Just a few days before our planned trip to the Enchanted Valley, the forecast had turned from mostly sunny to solid rain and clouds for the foreseeable future. We awoke Sunday with barely 2 days of sunshine before us and no time left to get ready for a long trip. A split-second change of plans and 30 minutes spent throwing gear into backpacks put us on the road underneath the wobbling length of a borrowed canoe. Two hours later we had arrived at the headquarters of Willapa National Wildlife Refuge, and with the canoe wallowing through the receding tide, crossed the channel to the wild bulk of Long Island.

Scotch Broom

I have sorely neglected this blog for the last few weeks, but now that I have more time to write I will start posting again! For now here is a gallery of photos of the invasive weed Scotch broom, taken beneath the transmission lines at Gnat Creek. I have never seen such a wide variety of colors of this weed, if only it wasn't so ugly the rest of the year, and so harmful to the environment!