Memories of Washington - Turlo Campground and Cascade Loop

Turlo Campground - Mountain Loop Highway in the Mt.Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest

 

We are staying in the Turlo campground along the Mountain Loop Scenic Byway. Finally got the best of Western Washington, a campsite on the river in the National Forest (cheap) and best of all sunshine.😎 I awoke to the sound of birds singing in the treetops. After brewing a pot of coffee I slipped out the door and made my way to the river. There were fresh deer tracks in the sand at the rivers edge and the sun was lighting the tops of the trees. I made my way to the bend where the river runs through rocks, not whitewater but close. The sun was beginning to light up the other side of the river and was sending shafts of light down through the trees. 

  There is a delightful teepee made out of branches glowing softly on the beach and some birds are flying inches above the river in search of breakfast no doubt. This is my favorite time of day, early morning and no one else is here. There is not a breeze moving and the only sounds are the river running through the rocks and some birds singing in the treetops. Bucolic, tranquil, peaceful however you put it sitting on a boulder sipping coffee and taking it all in is a great way to start the day. 

If you have not yet visited Washington state you are missing out on some of the most beautiful country to be seen anywhere. Here is rain forest and mountains, rivers and lakes and roads that wind through it all. There are days and even weeks where the sun is gone, the rain can seem to be endless and the clouds hide everything. Then the clouds will thin until the sun can break through and burn off the clouds and a magical place appears like Brigadoon. Here for a short time then gone. The forest is littered with the stumps of the ancient trees that once towered above. The pockets for the springboards are still visible through the moss that blankets them. Many of the stumps have become mother stumps and like a raised garden tended by the fairies they grow ferns and huckleberry and salal and sometimes new trees. 

The understory is so dense that in most places it’s inpenatrable. If there is no path there is no passage without great difficulty. Wet areas are defined by horsetail and skunk cabbage. Everywhere is green giving the State it’s nickname. 

 The second growth forest is well established and the trees are tall, large in diameter and diverse. They regrew the way the original forest did. The first trees that sprout up are the alders.  Fireweed covers the ground and shades the young saplings. Once they are established they provide shade for the firs hemlocks and cedars that make up the climax forest. This is a simplified version the forest is extremely diverse.  

I delight in walking the forest and seeing the fantastic growth, the little gardens that are more beautiful than anything man made. Each variety of plant finds its niche and grows where the sun and nutrients suit it best. 

Steller's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri

Common Garter Snake Thamnophis sirtalis

 The Stillaguamish river at Turlo Campground

 Here's the Teepee someone made. It was nice in the early mornings light.

 A Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius working the riverbank in search of food.

California Tortoiseshell Nymphalis californica

 From the trailhead on Mt. Pilchuck. On a clear day you can see Puget Sound from here. Obviously this was not a clear day.

 Looking up to the summit of Mt. Pilchuck 5344' and still heavily covered with snow. I wanted to climb the trail but we were told by the Ranger that there was snow on the trail at 4500'. It's a 4.8 mile hike one way and has a 2125' elevation gain so it is a difficult hike at best. Some other time perhaps.

  Canadian Bunchberry Cornus canadensis

  Bride's Bonnet Clintonia uniflora a member of the Lily family

  Five-leaf Dwarf Bramble Rubus pedatus

The Cascade Loop Scenic Highway is dotted with campgrounds,, picnic areas and trail heads. One trail begins at the Big Four picnic area. It’s an easy one mile hike to the Ice Caves and I took this walk in the afternoon on Uriah's birthday. The hike takes you through wetlands formed by the snow melt. The path is a series of boardwalks that allows walking without having to slog through the water. There are creeks running through here also. These are not quiet little waterways meandering to the river. These creeks are fresh snow melt born on the mountain top and transported to the base by waterfalls that come straight down the face of the mountain. These creeks are boisterous roiling waters racing through the rock laden creek bed. They have a date with the ocean and are in a hurry to get there. 

After you leave the wetlands you climb through the forest for a short distance where you break out into a clearing a a view of the ice caves at the base of the mountain. The caves are formed by avalanches dropping down the sheer face of the mountain. As the snow melts it forms caves in the ice. At this time of year they are relatively small, by August they will be quite large and inviting. That’s a siren call however as the ice mass is unstable and the caves can collapse without warning. People have died here despite numerous warnings. There are warnings at the beginning of the trail and at the end there’s more. 

 While I was there a couple of young kids hopped the rock wall that defines the boundary of the safe/danger areas. I remarked to the father “You must not care about your kids” I said. “What do you mean” he replied. “People have died there” I said. “ They’re fine” was his response. I shouted” You’re stupid!” and I turned and started back down the trail. 

 While I’m pretty sure that they were going to be fine it just irks me that people disregard the warnings. These are the same ones that are trampled by bison every year who will then try to sue the government for not protecting them. 

 Big Four Mountain

The cascade coming down the mountain that feeding into and through the avalanche field that forms the ice caves.

  Western Tiger Swallowtail Papilio rutulus

 Gray Comma Polygonia progne

 Gray Comma Polygonia progne

Clodius Parnassian Parnassius clodius

 The first of many warnings at the Ice Caves

 This warning was within 10 feet of where I yelled at "Stupid Guy"

  Columbia Lily Lilium columbianum

 The tenacity of the trees always amazes me

On the left are the ice caves. They grow and shrink depending on the season. They look small but they are big enough to walk into without bending over. To give scale of these in the photo on the right the caves are in the lower right hand corner. The avalanche field is HUGE!

 Skunk Cabbage

Twinberry Honeysuckle Lonicera involucrata

  Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis

  The next day I took a hike up to twenty two lake. The trail is only 2.7 miles one way but there’s a 1500’ elevation gain so it’s a pretty strenuous hike. It’s really rocky and wet as there are numerous springs that not only cross the path but at times are the path. After about a mile and a half the path goes through a clearcut and looking up you can see the hike ahead of you. At this point it’s steep and rocky as the removal of the trees has allowed the rains to wash away the topsoil leaving only rocks to stumble across. This really slows your progress as you have to look where your feet will fall with each step. A twisted ankle here would ruin the whole day. 

 The clearcut also gives you incredible views looking out across the valley to snow capped peaks and down to the river far below. When you exit the clearcut the trail becomes more conducive to walking and in about twenty minutes time you arrive at the lake. 

 The lake is breathtaking beautiful with waterfalls and avalanche snow feeding it. I took a couple of pictures and began walking around the lake. Just the week before the path was blocked by snow but a few days of sun had melted the snow enough to push it back away from the path. It’s incredible how fast plants will sprout and grow as the snow retreats. There were flowers blooming where snow had been only a week or two ago. 

 I made it around to the back side of the lake and climbed up onto a boulder to eat my lunch and savor the view before heading back. The return is quicker than going up but it’s still a workout especially going through the rocks and down the stairs. I haven’t been doing as much walking the past couple of weeks and I was really feeling it. As I crossed the clearcut again my leg muscles began to cramp and my tendons were pulling as well. I took a break after the clearcut drank some water and wolfed down an orange. After I passed the last waterfall it was just a short half mile or so back to the parking lot. 

 Denise had gone to Everett to do some shopping and take care of some things. She had dropped me off at the trail head and had agreed to meet me there when she was done. I was really hoping that she was done as it’s about a mile and a half back to the campground. I checked one side of the parking lot and as I was walking to the other side here she came. Yay, it was around four thirty so I had taken 
five and a half hours to complete the hike. 

The first waterfall going up the trail.

The first part of the trail was stair stepped with logs. Not easy walking as they are not at the right distance or height for everyone.

 View looking across the valley from the clearcut

  Western Columbine Aquilegia formosa

Lake Twenty two

 Some of the snow still feeding the lake. It was in the upper 80's when I was there.

  Red Mountain-Heather Phyllodoce empetriformis

  Stream Violet Viola glabella

 

Alpine Marsh Violet Viola palustris

  Elephant's Head Pedicularis groenlandica

 Looking down at the Stilly river

 Theft at Turlo

 I’m not sure where to go with this but it’s time to talk about the ugliness of my fellow man. Tuesday night we went to bed around tenish. When I got up in the morning I fixed my coffee and went outside to drink it. I was walking around the campsite sipping coffee and drinking in the morning when I glanced at the back of the trailer. It was one of those moments when you are looking at something that’s out of place and it takes a minute for it to sink in. I was staring at the electrical cord connected to the trailer. The other end was laying on the ground and then it clicked. The generator was gone. Some son of a bitch stole our generator. I began to walk the loop in the campground looking for what I knew I wouldn’t find. I saw a guy in the next campsite and talked to him about the theft he of course knew nothing about it. I ended up walking with him to the campground host’s site and I reported it to them. They told me that the forest ranger station was closed and that I needed to call the Snohomish county sheriff department. There is no cell service up here but there’s to a pay phone outside the ranger station that only dials 911. 

I went back to the trailer to tell Denise the bad news. We then drove to the ranger station and called it in then returned to the campground to await the arrival of the Sheriff. In a short time he pulled up I greeted him and told him what had transpired. As he got ready to fill out the report he received a call from dispatch telling him that he had an accident in his district also. It was at the other end of his territory and accidents take priority so he told us how to file a crime report online before he left. 

We took the truck down the mountain to Marysville to get to where we had internet and phone service.  Also to check out the pawn shops and to buy another generator. We accomplished all of the tasks before heading back up the mountain to camp. We weren’t finished yet. We went to Big Four picnic area so I could hike to the ice caves. Then returned to camp to unpack the new generator and get it running. We had forgotten to get oil for the new generator so Denise went to get that while I assembled the wheel kit. I was putting gas in when a guy pulled up and greeted me by saying “Is that the new generator?” “It sure is” I replied. He then introduced himself as the campground host and an employee of the concessioner who managed the campground. He and his wife had come to fill out an incident report for the Forest Service. He commiserated with me over the theft of the generator and remarked that there had been other such incidents in the past but ours was the first one this year. A rather dubious honor to be sure!  

 As the wife was filling out the form Denise returned with the oil. After they left we finally got the generator started and got dinner cooking. The entire day was wasted plus the extra expenses for the generator and gas to get it. There are times when I am disgusted with my fellow man. Grr enough said on this topic. Tomorrow is another day and there are mountains to climb and roads to travel.

All in all it was a great week and a half or so in Turlo campground. We got to recharge and  get away from everything. There was no phone service, no internet and no hookups. We did have water so we really had everything we needed for the time we were there.
 Uriah, Michelle, Tyler and Emilee came up Saturday the 14th for a barbecue to celebrate Uriah's 43rd birthday which was on the 11th. Unfortunately Ashlynn and her mom were not able to make it. Christian and his girlfriend either. We had a great time.

 Emilee

 Uriah

 Michelle

 Tyler

 Emilee looking Fadorable in the hat Uriah gave her.

 Denise and Tyler

All too soon the time came for us to pack it up and mosey on down the highway to the next adventure. Western Washington will always be in my head and my heart. We have so many memories there as we do in so many places. We spent 10 years in Monroe that never goes away. I would not want to live there again but it is so nice to visit.