Appearing in the Forest

Memaloose Spirits, Ghosts, the Undead
Nehalem Bay, Tillamook, Cape Lookout
Oregon, U.S. Highway 101

Memaloose Ghosts

By Michael Peter Garofalo

Yes, I've heard the Memaloose Ghosts
    in the Sitka swamps all talking,
and I've also left quickly in fear fast walking.
I've dreamt of skulls and skeletons,
graveyards of broken canoes,
Islands of the Dead,
   creepy Clatsop Chinook stories in my head.

In the Nehalem rain,
    with a deep dark dripping forest all around,
A Memaloose Ghost whispered to me
    in these hallowed grounds:

"The tide comes in, the tide goes out;
that's essential, Yes,
to What It's All About.
Your tide flows out, old man;
So it's now best to smile and shout, Yes,
and stroll bravely out."

"Saghili pee keekwillie chuck;
elip lekleh yes ahha,
Iktah Mitlite Konaway
Wake Sia Kopa.
Mika chuck chako
pee klatawa, oleman;
Alta elip klose ahha
tenas hehe pee hyas wawa
pee klata kopa lapea
skookum tum tum
klaghanie ahha."

- Words of the Memaloose Ghost in Her Chinook Jargon; translated above.

At the Edges of the West: U.S. Highway 101 and 1.
Memories of Pacific Coast Places
By Michael P. Garofalo

The poem above "Memaloose Ghosts," is one of dozens of my poems found on my webpage:

At the Edges of the West

https://www.egreenway.com/mpgss/shortpoemsmpg9sea2.htm

Travels on US Highway 101 and 1

Memories of Pacific Coast Places
West Coast Snapshots & Snippets
Delightful Coastal Spur Roads

Docu-Poem, Haiku, Short Poems, Photos,
Quatrians, Graphics, Concrete Poems

By Michael P. Garofalo

Vancouver, Washington

Finding the Mother Tree

I am now reading the following book:

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest. By Suzanne Simard. Vintage Books, 2021, index, bibliography, 348 pages. Paperback, $18.00. VSCL

Queets River, Washington

Queets River, Western Coastal Washington State

Photographs from the Internet:

Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas - Reading, Studies, Information

Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas

I will be Yurt Camping for four days at Belfair State Park, Kitsap Peninsula, Washington, in September of 2024. I have read and studied a number of fine books about this area. Here are a few of them:

Salmon, Cedar, Rock and Rain: Washington's Olympic Peninsula. By Tim Mcnulty and many others. Braider River, Mountaineer's Press, 2023, 206 pages. Outstanding  photography, informative essays. VSCL.

Cascadia Revealed: A Guide to the Plants, Animals, and Geology of the Pacific Northwest Mountains. By Daniel Mathews. Timber Press Field Guide. 2016, index, 582 pages. Outstanding guide, color photos, handy field guide. Superior on Geology. VSCL.

Cascadia Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry. Edited by C. Marie Fhurman, Elizabeth Bradfield, and Derek Sheffield. Mountaineers Books, 2013, 400 pages. VSCL.

Heaven on the Half Shell: The History of the Oyster in the Pacific Northwest. By David George Gordon, Samantha Larson, and Maryann Barron Wagner. Second Edition. Foreword by Kenneth K. Chew. University of Washington Press, 2013, index, 228 pages. VSCL.

The Chinook Indians: Traders of the Lower Columbia River. Robert H. Ruby and John A. Brown. University of Oklahoma Press, 1988, 372 pages. VSCL.

Razor Clams: Buried Treasure of the Pacific Northwest. By David Berger. University of Washington, 2017, 223 pages. VSCL. 

Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula. By Craig Romano. Mountaineers Books, 2nd Edition, 2016, 354 pages. VSCL.

Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest By Ella E. Clark. Illustrated by Robert Bruce Inverarity. Berkeley, University of California Press, 1953, 2003. Glossary, 225 pages.  VSCL.

Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula: Who We Are. Edited by Jacilee Wray. Second Edition. University of Oklahoma, 2015, 224 pages. VSCL.

Olympic Peninsula: The Grade and Gradeur. Text and photographs by Mike Sedam. Voyageur Press, 2002, 144 pages. A coffe-table photgraphic book. VSCL.

Olympic Peninsula with Olympic National Park. By Jeff Bulingame. Moon, 5th Edition, 2024, 260 pages. The definitive and current travel guide to this area. Essential! VSCL.

The Sacred Wisdom of the Native Americans. By Larry J. Zimmerman. Chartwell Books, 2016, 220 pages.

Between the Tides in Washington and Oregon: Exploring Beaches and Tidepools. By Ryan P. Kelly, Terrie Klinger and John J. Meyer. University of Washington Press, 2022, 253 pages, index. FVRL.

A Birder's Guide to Coastal Washington. By Bob Morse. Featuring Ocean Shores, Long Beach Peninsula, Forks, Westport, Tokeland, and 160 Birding Hot Spots.  R. W. Morse Co., 2001, Index, 249 pages, spiral bound text. VSCL. Detailed coverage of birding locations and how to get there. 

Beachcombing   SEE  Beachcombing

A Coast of Scenic Wonders: Coastal Geology and Ecology of the Outer Coast of Oregon and Washington and the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  By Miles O. Hayes, Jacqueline Michel, and Joseph Holmes.  Pandion Books, 2020, 229  pages. 

The Flora and Fauna of the Pacific Northwest.  By Collin Varner.  University of Washington, 2018, 462 pages.  VSCL.  Outstanding photographs, larger size. 

Grayland Beach Nature Studies.  By Michael P. Garofalo.  2021-  

More Northwest Coastal Field Guides

National Audubon Society Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest. By Peter Alden and Dennis Paulson.  Knopf, 1998, 488 pages. This is a handy and sturdy field guide for enthusiasts of natural history studies. I carry in my car along with binoculars, magnifying glass, and supplies in my backpack. VSCL.

Natural History of the Pacific Northwest Mountains. By Daniel Mathews. Timber Press Field Guide, 2017, Index, 583 pages. VSCL.

A Naturalist's Guide to the Hidden World of Pacific Northwest Dunes. By George Poinar Jr. Oregon State University, 2016, 288 pages. VSCL.

The New Beachcomber's Guide to the Pacific Northwest.  By J. Duane Sept.  Harbor Publishing, 2019, 416 pages. VSCL.

The Northwest Coast: A Natural History. By Stewart T. Schultz. Timber Press, 1990, index, 389 pages. VSCL.

The Northwest Coastal Explorer. By Robert Steelquist. Timer Press, 2016, 282 pages. Overview of key features with pictures and text. VSCL.

Plants of the Pacific Northwest. By Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon. Partners, 2004, 528 pages.

Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast: An Illustrated Guide to Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. By Eugene N. Kozloff.  University of Washington, 1983, 378 pages. A technical scientific presentation. VSCL.

Seashore of the Pacific Northwest. By Ian Sheldon. Lone Pine, 1998, 192 pages. VSCL.

The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans. By Cynthia Barnett. W.W. Norton, 2021, 432 pages. VSCL.

Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest. Tracking and Identifying Mammals, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, and Invertebrates. By David Moskowitz. Timber Press, 2010, 364 pages. VSCL.

Books in my personal home library (VSCL) about Washington State.
FVRL = Fort Vancouver Regional Library System, Clark County, Washington.

Quinault Rain Forest Trip

 

Ocean Shores
Sharky's Souvenir Shop

Ocean Shores
Empty Beaches at Low Tide

Quinault Rain Forest and Quinault Lake

 

Quinault Rain Forest, Washington

Quinault Rain Forest
Western Coastal Washington

We plan to visit Lake Quinault and the Quinault Rain Forest.  

Lake Quinault is the gateway to the Quinault Rain Forest in the Olympic National Park.  Very dramatic scenery in this area.  Seacoast, rivers, dense forests, mountains, lakes ....

Lake Quinault, Quinault Rain Forest, Quinault River

Lake Quinault is 52 miles north of Aberdeen, and 68 miles south of Forks. 

Lake Quinault Photographs

Quinault River Photographs

Quinault - Lodging

Quinault - Restaurants

Lake Quinault Lodge    Photographs   Built in 1926. 

Rain Forest Resort Village

Quinault Indian Nation 

Quinault Lake  Olympic National Park Region 

Quinault Rain Forest: Six Stunning Hikes Around Lake Quinault

 

"The Quinault Rain Forest is a temperate rain forest, which is part of the Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Forest in the U.S. state of Washington in Grays Harbor and Jefferson Counties. The rain forest is located in the valley formed by the Quinault River and Lake Quinault. The valley is called the "Valley of the Rain Forest Giants" because of the number of record size tree species located there. The largest specimens of Western Red Cedar, Sitka Spruce, Western Hemlock, Alaskan Cedar and Mountain Hemlock are found in the forest as well as five of the ten largest Douglas-firs. The forest receives an average of 12 feet of rain per year. It is believed to be the area with the greatest number of record size giant tree species in the smallest area in the world. It does have the largest trees in the world outside of the state of California and New Zealand.  Located on the western side of the Olympic Mountains, the Quinault Valley was carved out by a glacier and ends at Lake Quinault.  The Qinault Rain Forest is a tourist area with a number of resorts and lodges located on either side of Lake Quinault."
-  Quinault Rain Forest

 

Quinault Valley Brochure  "The Quinault Valley is a wilderness gateway to alpine meadows, jeweled lakes and ice-carved peaks. For shorter visits, the valley has a scenic loop drive and short trails through temperate rain forest in both Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest.  Quinault is located in the southwestern area of the park."   

 

"Once the novelty wears off of the Hoh, after the Queets has been attempted, and the Bogachiel has been fully hiked, locals and visitors to Olympic National Park tend to settle on exploring the Quinault Rainforest for the rest of eternity.  Complete with an amazing lake, fantastic day hikes, rustic, large lodges, and remote chalets, it is hard to find a location more beautiful than the Quinault.  For those who like simple walks, the Rainforest Trail near Lake Quinault Lodge consists of 13 miles of fun, easy to access, well-maintained trails. Along the road to the more remote hikes, waterfalls plunge down along rocky sections, flowing into the salmon-filled, eagle-lined Quinault River. The region is beautiful, breathtaking, and the perfect example of rainforest beauty. Capped off with the majestic views of mountains, waterfalls, and wilderness from the Enchanted Valley, the Quinault Rainforest must be experienced to fully understand its majesty."
-  Douglas Scott, The Magical Rainforests of Olympic National Park

   

Quinault River  NS

Quinault Rain Forest Nature Trail

Quinault Lake and Rain Forest Brochure  Hiking map, trails, information. 

Quinault Rain Forest Family Trip: Moss, Giant Spruce, and Rain

Quinault Rain Forest Bus Tours

Lake Quinault Rain Forest

"The Quinault Rain Forest is one of four rich temperate rain forest canopies that lie within the west side of Washington’s Olympic Mountains. It begins in the Mount Anderson drainage to the east and the Low Divide drainage to the northwest.  This majestic forest follows the paths of the North and East Forks of the Quinault River. These forks meander down the valley and merge into one Quinault River, which enters beautiful Lake Quinault.  The Quinault Rain Forest completely surrounds Lake Quinault, bringing its unique biological community to the shoreline.  Big Douglas firs, western red cedar and pacific silver fir dominate the main forest upper canopy.  Adding to this rich dark green are the moisture dependent Sitka spruce and the western hemlock. The forest canopy is open, allowing streams of sunlight to reach the forest floor.  These huge conifers along with the big leaf maple and alder along the river bars comprise first impressions for those visiting the Quinault Rain Forest.  The Quinault Rain Forest understory is comprised of fern, devil’s club, and hanging curtains of moss, which add a rich bright, green hue. Indian-Plum, salmonberry, thimbleberry, blueberry and wild blackberry bush flowers provide nectar for the rufous hummingbird and bees. A variety of wild flowers and bright berries add their special colors to this enchanted garden setting.  Bear grass, skunk-cabbage, twisted-stalk, trillium, bleeding heart, Indian paintbrush, and bunchberry are a few that can be found. The forest floor’s covering is dotted with the delightful earthy colors of mushrooms and lichens that abound in this damp ecosystem."
-  Quinault Rain Forest  

 

"Lake Quinault (/kwɪˈnɒlt/ or /kwɪˈnɔːlt/) is a lake on the Olympic Peninsula in western Washington state. It is located in the glacial-carved Quinault Valley of the Quinault River, at the southern edge of Olympic National Park in the northwestern United States. One of the most dominant features of Lake Quinault is its location within the Quinault Rain Forest, a temperate rain forest.  Area activities include fishing (with permit from the Quinaults), scenic drives (a loop around the lake is longer than 30 miles (48 km)), and hiking. The southern side of the lake features a system of short hiking trails maintained by the U.S. Forest Service that are accessible to casual day hikers.  he southern side of the lake is home to the historic Lake Quinault Lodge and the Rain Forest Resort Village and is encompassed by the Olympic National Forest. The Quinault Loop Trail on the south side of the lake and the nearby Quinault Rain Forest Interpretive Trail connecting campgrounds, trails, and the lodge, with excellent temperate rainforest viewing. Each trail was designated a National Recreation Trail in 1979. The north side of the lake is bordered mainly by private homes and some small resorts located in Olympic National Park.  Lake Quinault receives an average of 332.92 centimeters (131.07 inches) of precipitation per year."
-  Lake Quinault - Wikipedia
 

Taholah Village at Pacific terminus of the Quinault River.  Store, small museum.  Quinault Indian Reservation territory.   

 

"The Lake Quinault Loop is one of the state’s most breathtaking scenic drives, dazzling everyone in the car any month of the year. From visiting the World’s Largest Spruce Tree and exploring the beauty of Merriman Falls, to enjoying the elk near the Kestner Cabin and picnicking along the lake at July Creek, there are no wrong choices while driving around Quinault.  The best place to start is at the Lake Quinault Lodge. Originally built in 1926, in the same style as the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone, the two story, V-shaped structure is rumored to be the location where President Franklin Delano Roosevelt decided to support the creation of Olympic National Park. Watch for animals, enjoy moss draped trees, see towering forests and enjoy the babbling brooks and numerous roadside waterfalls found along this short, 34-mile loop drive. We have outlined ten destinations to explore along the paved and dirt roads that circle Lake Quinault, promising to give you a day’s worth of beautiful and stunning must-stop destinations. For an added bonus, drive out to Graves Creek and into Olympic National Park. Along this out and back gravel road, you’ll be surrounded by unrivaled wilderness, huge trees dripping in moss, and endless sights of ferns."
-  Douglas Scott, Lake Quinault Rain Forest Auto Loop Road 

Four Days in Grayland
By Michael P. Garofalo