October 16-17, 2023 North Cascades National Park, Washington

 High of 60 and raining hard.

It is raining hard. These roots look cool with the colorful leaves.

The leaves in the pine tree look like Christmas decorations. A couple deer we saw on our hike.

John on the trail in the rain. I can almost fit into the hole in the side of this old growth red cedar. 

Green! John reading an informational sign. The roof of the sign has moss, ferns and mushrooms growing on it with fall leaves. 

We are socked in all around with clouds and rain. Fall colors.

Later the river was steaming. I finished this basket. I usually wait to photograph these in the sun, the colors are better, but there will not be any sun here in the foreseeable future. It got huge, 12 x 11/12 x 3 inches. It is made from orange, red and brown dyed pine needles, polyester thread, glass, turquoise and metal bead. The center is a piece of slate tile that I cut and shaped, then sandblasted the image and painted it. The petroglyph is a real one found on the Fremont River near Fruita, Utah. I really like it. 

The Skagit River just below the Gorge Dam. Not much water in a deep huge rock filled gorge. he water runs underground in giant pipes to the power house. The sign says DANGER Do not enter. Spillway gates open without warning. Torrents of water will fill the gorge. Yikes. Small falls at Forge Creek.

The ground along the the path is carpeted with moss. From the dam over look the Gorge Dam and Gorge lake. The lake is blue green from glacier flour. The dam is 300 feet tall. Long, narrow, deep, lake. The water from the dam goes through huge pipes to the  Gorge powerhouse about 350 feet lower in elevation.

John walking by a wall of moss on the way back. John next to gigantic wall of moss. It is so lush and moist here. 

Gorge Creek falls 242 feet before entering Gorge Lake. Another small fall near Gorge Falls. They are everywhere. 

Looking down from the bridge over a narrow gorge that seems a couple hundred feet above to Gorge Creek and Gorge lake. The walkway is a steel grate, so you can look between your feet all the way down.  Gorge lake is a lovely blue green from the glacial flour. Most of the water in the lakes here are from glaciers in the Cascade Mtns. 

Yet another lovely falls. We are still socked in with rain a drifting clouds. We have had an infestation of mice. John has caught 9 in the last few days.