Last Day 2013

In addition to the start of a new year, tomorrow is First Day Hike day.  Fifteen Washington state parks are hosting events (scroll down to Jan 1 here to find them all).  Tomorrow will be my third F.D.H. at Deception Pass State Park.  The itinerary will include the Discovery Trail and Goose Rock Summit (.pdf).  I can't think of a better way to start a new year.

Last Saturday, I took a preview hike along the Discovery Trail and the nearby Lower Forest Trail.  What caught my eye were all the shapes, patterns and natural sculptures found in the forest.  Enjoy this album of Discovery Trail images as a preview of tomorrow's hike.  Then join us at the Cornet Bay Retreat Center New Year's Day at 10:00 AM.

Winter Rhododendrons promise springtime blooming.

A Bigleaf Maple bends and twists to reach for precious light.

Archways lead us into other worlds.

Mists linger where the winds don't reach.

Hair Lichens decorate bare limbs.

Fungi are the great colonizers of the woodland.

The web of life is a tangled lacework that both invites and rejects.

Is this Slime Mold or something from a different world?

First Day Hikes, where friends gather together to start a new year.