Walking with Giants

We decided to take a walk today. A forested ferny moss covered and cool walk in the shade. We decided a little forestry road along Hwy 2 in the Cascade Mountains would be the place to take this walk. It's just past Deception Falls and up a rough dirt road past the old train trellis is a trail head. Without the greeter/permit board it would look just like what it is; a hole in the shrubs. What it beyond that hole however is an amazing world of old growth trees, dinosaur sized bog plants and enough ferns and moss to supply all the fairy stories ever written. The paths are narrow, winding and soft with countless years of forest fluff to cushion your step. The light trickles in through a wonderfully high canopy of towering old giants. Their trunks revealing teasing views of the rushing mountain streams. Simple wooden bridges offer brief passage over the smaller waterways. More elaborate ones span the rocky river beds.





During the summer months it is hard to imagine how savage this place can be in the winter. The snow is amazingly beautiful and can lure an unprepared hiker to his doom. Those massive trees are often tossed about like swizzle sticks in the winter storms. In spring that crystal clear ribbon of water turns into a churning mass of liquid energy tearing through anything in its path. But for right now on this hot August day it is a cool and sparkling retreat with moss covered stones. So we decided to take a walk.



There were signs this day. Important signs and we took heed for they were good signs. Ok, these were the signs.


But hey, they were good signs! The cherries were excellent and they went well with the blueberries we had picked up at the last fruit stand we passed, which was right after the one with the plump raspberries. Now the sign with the “Hempuccino” was maybe a little questionable so we were less inclined to heed that one. We did however go with a coconut iced latte and that was good. We frequent the Espresso Chalet whenever we drive out this way which is fairly often. Their claim to fame is that “Harry and the Henderson’s” was shot there some eons ago, 1986 to be exact. Sure, why not? A movie about Big Foot and the family that takes him and tries to find him shoes that fit. What they are famous for now however is that they have the best coconut latte I have ever had. I’ve had a few.

I am going to have to say though that the very best drink of the day was this one. You just can’t put perfection in a bottle no matter what you call it or how you pronounce it. It has to be scooped up ice cold and sipped out of your hands. That’s perfection.