Denny Creek Trail

I returned to a place that a few months ago was a magical winter wonderland. I suppose the transition of seasons should cease to amaze me, but I still get filled with wonder. I kept looking around and remembering everything lost under several feet of snow.

Ever since I headed up the Denny Creek trail I've been wanting to go back. I knew it might still be snow bound but I had to try. It was a miserable day for a hike, raining and cool. Most people are wiser then I and there was only 1 car in the parking lot when I arrived. I loved the board walk that crossed over a wetland area and the skunk cabbage was just getting started here. Everything was new and fresh, spring only beginning. I only went about .5 miles, at most, before I got into snow. The lone hiker was headed down with ski poles and snow shoes strapped to his pack.

Sign says "Main Trail"

Have you ever hiked on very wet snow , densely packed snow? On sneakers? He was more sensible then I, but I was alone in the magic of the forest. The going was slow and I never made it past the slipper slab, but it seemed like I'd stepped into another world. Mist rose from the snow, shrouding the forest. The sound of rain and the river hummed and there was the knowledge that I was the only human around. Time and again, I think it's an experience everyone should have. The sense of aloneness reminds us how small we are and how vast the world around us is.

The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness. -John Muir

I was cold and wet but I sat in solitude and watched the water for a long time. When I headed home it was with a feeling of hope. Time and water have smoothed the rough edges off the giant rocks at Denny Creek; for a moment I shared in that.