Get Off Those Streets and into the Mountains!
From Sunday July 2nd to Sunday July 9th, I camped and hiked in the general Mount Baker/North Cascades National Park area. I'm telling you this, and briefly describing the hikes, to encourage everyone to get out and walk up some mountains and along rivers and creeks. I'm glad I took the time and I know that you too would enjoy leaving bad, old Seattle behind. A quick overview of those eight days wandering the trails and roads off State Route 20:
That first day I set up camp above the Skagit River near Hamilton, WA. My sister has property up there, making it a convenient spot to set up without having to daily pack up. Also making it ideal was the more or less three mile drive to Rasar State Park, allowing ready access to toilets and showers. For 50 cents you get a three-minute long shower, very refreshing after a long day hiking. It also has a trail along the Skagit River.
Monday, I took it easy and walked in the Hurn Field Conservation Area, a nice property conserved by the Skagit Land Trust. I also discovered the 22.5 mile long Cascade Trail that parallels Highway 20 to the north. I walked for about a mile but the section I was on was too close to the road, traffic noice something I wasn't interested in hearing.
Tuesday I picked what I thought would be an easy trek, the 3.4 mile roundtrip Diobsud Creek trail but turning out to be fairly arduous, a rocky path eventually petering out in some head-high growth, making it difficult to proceed forward. The raging creek was good company, and at the very beginning, I found red huckleberries, and a little further down the trail, plenty of blue huckleberries along with lots of yellow salmon berries. One major plus was having the trail solely to myself save encountering a couple and their dog upon their return to the trailhead, blessed solitude a balm in this noisy 21st Century.
Wednesday I decided on something easier, choosing to walk the Skagit-Sauk Reach trail located in the tiny burg of Rockport. It's a wonderful trail taking one along the north side of the Skagit River. Once again, I had a trail mostly to myself but for a lone jogger. Other than her quick presence, the river's great expanse was mine to enjoy along with many thimbleberries to munch on. During certain times of the year, it can be a good place to watch eagles catch salmon. Whatever your motive might be, I recommend this walk, soothing to the mind and soul.
Thursday my first choice of hikes was stymied by a road closure, forcing me to choose a trail somewhat close by, that being the 7.4 RT Park Butte trail, a path taking me up and up with an over 2000 foot elevation gain, ultimately providing wonderful views of a looming Mount Baker and other surrounding peaks and mountains. While enjoying the alpine expanse, my poor body wasn't quite ready for that kind of push up into the mountains. Regardless, I remain pleased I made the effort, telling me one of my favorite places to be is above tree line, my hands extended toward blue heaven.
Friday, my choice was the Baker River trail, a path leading north of that huge body of water, Lake Baker. Once again I had the trail mostly to myself, especially the second half of the walk, requiring the negotiation of a weather-induced tangle of logs and destroyed riverbank, making for a few confusing minutes until deciphering just where the trail continued on. The payoff was soothing silence taking me to the trail's end and Sulphide Creek, a wonderfully raucous stream officially located within the boundaries of North Cascades National Park. Refreshing myself creekside, I could see beautiful Mount Shuksan towering to the northeast. Incredible!
Saturday was somewhat frustrating because I wanted to hike to Slide Lake for a high elevation swim but the 20 mile long forest road proved to be too rough for my faithful but low to the ground Chevy Sonic, causing me to turn around. For my alternatives, I first walked in the Barr Creek Conservation area, and after that, returning once more to the Skagit River-Sauk Reach trail, this time not meeting anyone upon the path. I like that trail, and whenever I am back up in that part of the state, I'll visit it again.
Sunday, having to get back to Seattle for an early Monday morning eye appointment, I decided to extend my trip by detouring through Whidbey Island, taking the Clinton ferry back to the mainland. On the way there, I stopped to walk in what is called the Northern State Hospital Recreation Area, a Skagit County park located on the grounds of the old psychiatric hospital just outside of Sedro-Woolley . I found the concept a trifle disrespectful, further exemplified by the Seattle Times front page headlines greeting me this morning, "Lost Patients---Two People's Consuming Quest to Unearth the Truth about Washington's Abandoned Psychiatric Hospital," an in-depth article about Northern State Hospital. I wandered the grounds, examining the still intact weathered, ominous looking buildings where untold suffering occurred, barred windows telling sad stories. A quick doggerel poetic impression:
Let's have a holiday,
let's have a picnic,
on the psychiatric hospital grounds,
all anguished tears
and frowns buried
and now forgotten,
screams and cries and moans
a litany of terrible sounds
lost to the wind---
happy people now walking
their dogs, oblivious
to society's past egregious
sins.
And a further point is that despite many information signs greeting visitors at the parking lot, there is not one mention of the hospital, its history or its residents. I found that extremely odd given the name of the recreation area. Is Skagit County in complete denial? I think so, is the answer.
After that, I continued on to a Whidbey Island initially swamped with visitors, prompting me to quickly head south and away from the maddening crowds. One prime personal destination was Fort Ebey, an old WWI encampment known for its concrete gun emplacements. Back in 1975, I visited the park with Karen, an early Seattle girlfriend who was also a photographer, taking many photos of me walking on the beach.
After Elby, I drove down down to South Whidbey State Park, a walk down to the beach made more interesting by a broken wooden stairwell allowed to tumble into complete disrepair. Instead of steps, I was forced to rappel down an embankment using a rope provided by the park. Somewhat unreal but once down, I had the beach to myself. Sitting on a log, I watched an Alaska cruise ship head north, very glad I was no longer concerned with picking and dropping off all those thousands of vacation goers. You can have them, not me.
I loved the ferry ride from Clinton to Mukilteo, it being a few years since riding on a Washington State ferry, the short "ocean" cruise topping off my trip. I'm ready to go back. Who can blame me?
Decision Concerning San Francisco Robotaxis Delayed Until August 10th, 2023
Lots of noice and protest emanating from the City of San Francisco concerning the potential 24/7 approval of robotaxis being allowed to operate without restraint throughout the entire city. City government, plus many private citizens are telling anyone who will listen that, given almost too many negative incidents to count, that the technology is too new to allow unfettered access to San Francisco's very crowded urban streets.
The problem is that State of California law does not allow for the city to make its own decisions in this matter, instead control and decision making are in the hands of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), they alone retaining power of what will happen or not. Cruise, a subsidiary of General Motors, and Waymo Robotaxi Services, are fighting to make sure the CPUC rules in their favor. A few days ago, Cruise published full page ads in the NY Times and other major American newspapers saying that because Americans are such horrible drivers, autonomous vehicles are the logical solution to obvious human failings.
Causing more controversy is that CPUC commissioner John Reynolds, for three years, served as managing counsel for Cruise. Some think this might be some kind of conflict of interest, which of course it is. Some San Francisco residents have come up with their own novel solution to stopping the robotaxis by placing an orange traffic cone on the car's hood. After that, they don't move, which is the entire idea.
Another somewhat humorous development is the joining of cabbies and ride-share drivers in a collective effort to stop Waymo and Cruise. Perhaps "strange bedfellows," but all of them see the robotaxis as a personal threat to their economic future. Hard to argue against that.
Given the uproar, official and otherwise, a decision one way or the other has been delayed by the CPUC until August 10th. If they do approve expansion, it will be interesting to hear their justification, especially the words coming from the mouth of Mister Reynolds. It might be amusing. Or perhaps not.
Nasrat Ahmad Yar Murdered While Driving Lyft in WA DC
In early July, a former Afghan language interpreter who had assisted American forces in Afghanistan, was shot to death while driving for Lyft. Four teenagers were caught on video fleeing the area. A GoFundMe account has to this date brought in over a half a million dollars for his widow and five children. To this date, no arrests have been made.
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