Salsify is a Mediterranean native but it has spread everywhere. This Salsify is waiting to be destroyed by a bulldozer. |
Word is that this road will be decommissioned this
year. Once a road is decommissioned
hiking down it is miserable, so I thought I would see where this road goes
before it is destroyed. During the
winter this road is much prettier and there is water ever where. But, as we learned, during the summer water
is scarce and this road it hot and dry.
I expected to find Tetraplodon moss as it was almost the perfect habitat
for it. But I did not find any, I think
it gets too dry for Tetraplodon here.
We hiked to the end of the road and then back. There was one really nice view, but it was
hot and we were out of water so we went to Lebar for Lunch and a quick dip in
the cold waters. We found a nice shady
spot to have lunch but there were too many bugs. So up went the tarp tent with its bug netting
and we were able to eat our lunch without being eaten for lunch by the
bugs. We saw mosquitoes, black flies and
giant deer flies.
The road was not very exciting but still I am unhappy to see it destroyed. Flowers have popped up everywhere and there is stone crop in the middle of the road. When they destroy the road they will churn up all the streams and kill all the vegetation on or near the road. They will make the road slant in a way that will make it very difficult to walk on and they will add whoop de doos every 50 feet. Then when they are all done, they will spread a layer of hay filled with weed seeds over the old road bed. Greenwashing at its best!
I took a bunch of pictures so I can show before and after pictures. My goal is to highlight the destruction caused by road decommissioning.
5.5 miles with 800 feet elevation gain
Bonfire moss Funaria hygrometrica in an old campfire pit. This was a nice place to car camp |
Garter snake waits to be crushed by the coming heavy machinery |
Paint brush and moss wait to be killed by the decommissioning process |
There is a pile of wasted old growth hemlock at the end of every high country logging road in this area thanks to Simpson and the 100 year sustained steal |
Road has already decommissioned its self |
At the turn off to go up mount tebo a pretty meadow waits to be destroyed by the decommissioning process |
Stone crop and other succulents grow in the middle of the road. They will be killed by the decommissioning process |
Before they can start decommission work they will have to install a culvert here. Later they will rip out the very same culvert, all at taxpayer expense. |
This old growth Hemlock tree will serve as a good reference point after the destruction if it is not destroyed in the process |
This and other old logging roads naturally decommission themselves. Let's spend the money feeding all the hungry children in Shelton instead! |
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