Fort Townsend State Park - New Year's Day!

It was a bright, sunny, just above freezing, happy New Year’s Day.  The Ranger began describing our surroundings and the trail we’d be hiking.  This was an opening day Centennial celebration and the Park Ranger was going to give us a guided hike on the trails at beautiful Fort Townsend State Park.  We were a small group of about a dozen hikers.

Two young boys swooped past their parents.  They darted in every direction at once. It would be a challenge to keep up with those two.  Then I’m bumped.  I step aside, as a young couple pointed excitedly at mushrooms at my feet.  They exclaimed in unison, in what may have been German, and focused their cameras within an inch of the ground.   A series of clicks from multiple angles absorbed their concentration.  Then, an explanation in my direction, “violet cort!” and their plant hunt resumed.
With that the Ranger invited us all to begin hiking.  He turned to draw back the fir limb curtain.  We entered through the opened curtain onto a wide open floor of pine needles.  The sunlight pierced the pine trees that towered far above us, and brightened this wide entry.  Breathing in the cold, fresh air I felt excited with the outdoors, and the anticipation of what could be ahead of us.  What furry animal could be watching from the surrounding thick circle of ferns?  I squinted to try to find one.  What sweet singing bird could be perched on the verge of a flight across our path?

There were several trails that started out in different directions from this entry hub.  The Ranger moved toward one of them, and we plunged forward into the scenery of green ferns, and rhododendrons, and moss everywhere.  Moss clung to the ground, the bushes, the fallen logs, the tree trunks, and it hung freely from the branches.  I gazed into all that green.  It’s a revelation how little green my eyes rest upon in my everyday life. 

The Ranger stopped at times to point out particular plants including fungus.  The Germans would go wild then.  They’d sprint from fungus to fungus, exclaiming and clicking in quick repetition.  Angel wings fungus cling to a tree trunk.  Click!  Scarlet Waxy Cap color spot the ground here and there like bright polka dots.  Click!  Fuzzy Foot (or would they be Feet?) are scattered on the ground under the lace of the ferns.  Click!  Click!  Click!  Then the Germans seemed to hold their breath when the Ranger revealed what he called, “the rare yellow stemmed mycena”.  Gasp!  Click!

Our Ranger began to describe the plants that were not seen at their best in the middle of winter.  He painted a picture in my imagination that was full of flowers around my feet, and stretching out as far as I could see:   orange and yellow columbine, white sedum, lavender flox, electric blue larkspur.   All these bouquets of wild flowers I imagined complementing the millions of rhododendron bushes, each bush bursting with its own blooms.  With an effort, I stirred from my reverie and saw the wintry wonderland appear again.  Wild fungus was seen.  Wild flowers were imagined.  Could wild life be next?

The trail weaved a little before we entered a small clearing.  Here the sun rays were very filtered and just above the ground there was a barely visible, low hanging mist.  Our Ranger lowered his voice and told us about this sacred ground, the historic Fort Townsend Cemetery for those in service at the fort for the state.  Fort Townsend was established in 1856 by the US Army for the protection and sanctuary of settlers in case of Indian attack or other necessity. This small area was the cemetery for those who died in service.  The bodies were exhumed in 1898 and taken to the San Francisco National Cemetery.  There still remains a heavy and peaceful air within this sacred space.  I felt a spiritual vibration between us and those we did not know, who had known this forest so very well, so long ago.

Solemnly, we hiked along the winding trail, heading slightly uphill and into increasingly dense woods.  Occasionally we could glimpse through the forest to see bits of the beach and ocean in the distance.
 
Then there was a resonant and persistent knocking.  We looked around and then up.  There they were.  Woodpeckers.  A whole herd of woodpeckers!  They were a chorus high up in a tree that appeared to be good feeding ground for bugs.  We watched them, and listened to them, and then we watched them even closer by taking turns with camera close up view finders and binoculars.  What a treasure we felt we’d discovered, and shared.

Eventually we continued on our way, reluctantly, after bidding our feathered wildlife farewell.  Now we had a medley of pictures of our beautiful afternoon in the forest, and the wildlife we’d stumbled on.  The forest was forgiving of amateurs, and generously shared its sights and sounds.  I left Fort Townsend State Park inspired and excited about my pledge to fully celebrate the State Park Centennial.  I couldn’t wait to discover my February State Park.