Album of East Creek Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 22 July 2021 spider collecting trip (with Jerry Austin) to East Creek, a stream in a western outlier of the Cascades in central Lewis County, Washington. This area is technically part of Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest but "administered by Gifford Pinchot National Forest," and neither one mentions it or its roads on their web site! Although lacking any developed recreation sites, it still has some interesting terrain. We were a bit late for mid-elevation collecting but managed to get 24 spider species, with the most interesting ones from rocky balds on a ridge crest above the creek valley.
READ TRIP NARRATIVE PHOTO ALBUM INDEX MAIN JOURNAL INDEX
aerial photo of East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington road face cliff of first rocky bald, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Creek site north, ridge crest south    (Lewis Co. 2017) First rocky bald was above the roadcut             © Laurel Ramseyer
Laurel Ramseyer in a rocky bald, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington first rocky bald, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Laurel sweeps her way up the bald        © Rod Crawford From above, the bald doesn't look all that steep              © Rod Crawford
twinflower Linnaea borealis, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington steep first bald, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Linnaea borealis                 © Laurel Ramseyer The camera's not tilted — the landscape is!             © Laurel Ramseyer
fugitive rabbit, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington upper rocky bald with beargrass, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Pore li'l Bun Rab         © Laurel Ramseyer Upper, flatter bald had plenty of beargrass              © Rod Crawford
fir foliage, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington shrub foliage, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Fir foliage at edge of bald              © Rod Crawford Shrub foliage at edge of bald              © Rod Crawford
ripe blue huckleberries, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington ripe blue huckleberries, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Yum…     © Rod Crawford …yum!                © Laurel Ramseyer
saprophytic plant, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington roadside verge habitat, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Vascular saprophyte          © Laurel Ramseyer Roadside verge habitat                    © Laurel Ramseyer
East Creek at second field site, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington streambed wih boulders, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
East Creek, such as it is       © Laurel Ramseyer Stream bed with boulders                       © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford resting by the creek, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington stand of Oxalis oregana in riparian understory, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Rod takes a break on a creekside log  © Laurel Ramseyer Stand of Oxalis oregana in riparian understory                 © Rod Crawford
riparian alder forest, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington maturing conifers above riparian zone, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Alder forest in the riparian zone     © Rod Crawford Maturing conifer forest above the creek                   © Rod Crawford
ripe salmonberries Rubus spectabilis, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington fern understory, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Double yum, ripe salmonberries!          © Rod Crawford Riparian fern understory             © Rod Crawford
Jerry Austin in roadside verge, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Jerry in the roadside verge              © Rod Crawford Verge habitat at the creek site                    © Rod Crawford
Jerry Austin poses for posterity, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington Mt. Rainier from near Highway 7, East Creek area, central Lewis County, Washington
Jerry poses for posterity          © Rod Crawford Mt. Rainier doesn't need to pose             © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 30 July, 2021