Asahel Curtis Nature Walk

The little lad, the littler lass, and I continued our beach and park, tree and slug, truly fun western Washington explorations today. We braved the rain and fog to hike the Asahel Curtis Nature Walk, an old growth forest just off of I-90. We weren't the only ones. It was a popular trail, and I guess Labor Day brought out the crowds. It's a large enough area, though, that we only passed a few hikers. Even with little tiny legs and hands that picked up everything they saw.

I've actually hiked the area a good bit before, but never this exact section. It was a cold and rainy day, perfect for getting under the forest canopy in our rain gear and checking out the plants and insects. Viri had a blast, and even Arkaedi wanted to hike a long stretch of trail. Plus, I learned who Asahel Curtis was, and saw some of his interesting photos.

The trees in this section were amazing, some giant Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar. Some had fallen into Humpback Creek, and one huge cedar was across the trail, high enough to walk under. The rest of the photos are here, if anyone wants to see them. The kids are cute, as always, but I actually got a few good shots of the forest today. The rainy day was conducive to my photography, I guess.

I'm really enjoying these outings. I'm going to be sad when work starts up again, and I can't just wander the state searching for fun hikes and parks. But then, with my schedule, I can always wander a bit. This is the perfect age for the kids, too; either they develop a love for this kind of thing, and I have companions, or they don't, and I have some hiking buddies for now. Viri seems to be getting a taste for it. When we got home, he said, "Dragon wants to go find a fun park or beach tomorrow." Sorry dragon, I think tomorrow may be a library day. But Wednesday, it's off to Rainier!