Day in the mountains

A salmon fish ladder constructed in 1987 to help the salmon up the river. So we were trying to figure out who was directing traffic. How were they supposed to know that a human had erected steps upon which they might climb up the river, rather than going up the rapids like they had done for how many millennia. Just a question.

We came into a meadow and about two hundred yards (it really could have been 100 or 300 I don't know) down at the end of the meadow were six elk cows. Yes, they are called cows, I checked wikipedia. And they all ran away as we walked out into the meadow. But it was very cool to see them.

I call this skunk cabbage, but it is more accurately corn lily, and more accurately than that, False Hellebore. It grows everywhere in the cascades where there is water...as in streams or in meadows where there is early spring moisture.

We drove about an hour and a half into the mountains. Nearly reached a junction of the Pacific Crest Trail. One of my goals is to hike it for at least ten or 15 miles. Not a huge task, I wouldn't think. Just need to do it.