The Power of Water

I was taken to a trail a few weeks ago that I thought was a new trail, previously unknown to me.

As we started the trail, I didn't recognize it. For the next hour, walking the entire length of the trail, I didn't recognize it.

We got to the end in a magnificent box canyon with a 200 foot high waterfall. Stunning! I didn't recognized it.

On the way down, it dawned on me that I had been on this trail at least 10 times before. It had been so altered by the floods in the last 2 years that I didn't recognize it.

Previously, below the waterfall, there was a huge log jam about 100 yards wide and 300 yards long.

It was GONE. Now, just stream bed. Wow! Where did all that debris go?

Last week I tried to walk the same trail. No deal. The recent heavy rains had washed out the first log bridge and I couldn't get across.

Today, I walked the trail and someone had restored the log bridge. Who? Whoever, thanks!

After the hike, I drove up a road high in the rain forest to look for a trailhead I hadn't been on in 3 years.

The road was devastated. Landslides, washes across the road, ditches full of mud and debris.

Amazing to watch the power of water in action.

The US doesn't have this much rain...anywhere in the lower 48 states. I haven't scene this in the past.

Plus, this is extremely young geologically speaking. Geologic time starts in the 10's of thousands of years.

Here, the volcano erupted 500 years ago. The slopes are still steep and relatively unweathered by the forces of nature.

This is still a wild place.

I love being in the middle of these massive, earth forming forces.