August, 2017
So much to tell you!
This was a 5-day camping trip … one day to get there, three full days there, and one day to get back home. My gosh, I certainly did pack a lot of adventures into those middle three days. There was so much to see and do and so many places to explore and so many people to talk with. I’ll share everything, but I’ll share just a couple of things in each post, rather than posting a full day’s experiences.
I did quite a lot of walking. The campground was full of trails and there were trails in the woods around the perimeter of the campground too. I saw so many plants and trees that I couldn’t identify. Lots of them I could identify but I really did need a botanist along on this trip.
So here are some photos from various “hikes” around the campground. This post is heavy on photos, light on words. I wish I could share how rich and healthy the forest smelled.
Are those Woodpecker holes in that weathered old tree stump?
The trail led me along a ledge that bordered the shore of Lake Wynoochee.
The trail emptied out onto the public day-use area of the Coho Campground.
A Park Ranger told me that this area in the two photos above had burned a few years ago and is now growing back.
This was looking a different direction at a different peak.
There was a small clearing near the Rangers’ shop where old picnic tables were given a quiet corner in which to rest after many years of service. Could this really have been table #1, the first picnic table ever at Coho Campground? I like to think so.
This person is a Pine Squirrel (genus Tamiasciurus). I think it’s a Douglas Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) because it has a tan belly. American Red Squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) have a white belly. That’s according to the internet, of course. These little people are native to western North America, unlike the more commonly seen, and larger, Eastern Gray Squirrel who is native to the eastern portions of North America. This one particular neighbor of mine in the photo above continued to jump on along ahead of me for quite awhile on my trek though the campground.
Very nice restful photos. Did you also get the name of the extra small person who walked with you?
Hi Bob,
I think she said her name was Kasa but I wasn’t sure I understood her very well since there was a lot of chipping and chirping going on at the same time that we were walking along … and that would be from her, not from me, as I’m sure you knew. 🙂 I looked that name up online later at home to find that it’s a Native American word that means “dressed in fur”.
CoHo certainly looks like a wonderful place to explore! I camped in the Hoh during my time in the Olympic NP It was awesome the rich smell of the woods was intoxicating! WA is such a dynamic landscape there is no bad view.
Hi Sondra,
Ok, I’m adding the Hoh area to my list. Thank you. 🙂
Beautiful photos! The trees are so tall and gorgeous.
Hi Ginger,
I often found myself just standing and leaning back and staring up at the trees. They were so powerful and gentle, all at the same time.
I can almost smell the air and feel the soft ground under my feet. Great pictures.
It was so … rich. So luscious. So many smells in civilization try to emulate natural smells, but there’s nothing like the real thing. And the textures! Ok, I guess I need to write an entire post about this. 🙂
We are thinking of camping here next month. Did you have cell phone service? How far away is the nearest store?
Hi Lindsay, unfortunately there is NO cell/internet any where in the area. The closest is back down in Montesano. Same with a store … or a gas station. So best to have everything you need with you when you go. There are no commercial services anywhere near Coho Campground. I drove into Montesano every second day in order to check email. At around 4:30 pm every day, even the camp hosts and the rangers leave … there’s no on one site overnight except the campers. When I asked about emergencies, one of the rangers told me they get a lot of complaints that there is no cell service and no ranger or camp host on duty, but that’s what the National Forest Service does there, because of lack of funding. There is a pay phone you can walk or drive to on the park premises, but that’s it. Of course, this is why it’s so pristine and beautiful … but it does have a down side to it.