Saturday, July 18, 2015

Mount Pugh Hike

Hike Notes

Length: 10.4 miles roundtrip (turn around after Stujack Pass, before exposure point)
Duration: About 6 hours, 9:00 am - 3:15 pm with a break for lunch
Elevation: Starting 1,883 feet,  max at 6,246 feet.
Location: North Cascades, Mount Loop Highway

Overview

I'll confess right up front: we did not reach the peak. Because of pending dinner plans back in Seattle, we turned around between Stujack pass (5,500 feet) and the the exposure point -- as one experienced climber we talked to called it.  All in all, getting to Stujack Pass and beyond was still quite a bit of work. The Washington Trails Association page for the this hike says 11.0 roundtrip to the peak. We were on the high side of mileage because of a detour around the right side of Lake Metan (nothing to really see there). The trail up goes around the left side of the lake.

The first part of the hike has the usual plant suspects of lower elevation forested areas: Mahonia, Maianthemum, Linnaea, and Tiarella. We saw Corallorhiza on the way out and Goodyera coming into the bloom, and we saw a few Listera specimens. 

At a boulder field beyond Lake Metan, it's all sun and high meadow plants like Achillea, Artemisia, Agoseris, Aquilegia, Castilleja, Campanula, Chamerion, and Luina to name a few. The abundance of flowers gives you lots of photo opportunities and opportunity to rest on this steep section before Stujack Pass. Of note is that while relatively small as meadows go, this one had a large number of butterflies, and they did not seem as frightened by our presence as butterflies on our other hikes.

Plant List

Photos in next section.

[Asparagaceae] Asparagus Family
  Maianthemum racemosum - Feathery False Lily-of-the-Valley

[Asteraceae] Aster Family
  Agoseris aurantiaca - Orange Agoseris
  Anaphalis margaritacea - Western Pearly Everlasting
  Artemisia ludoviciana - White Sagebrush
  Cirsium edule - Edible Thistle
  Luina hypoleuca - Little-Leaf Silverback

[Campanulaceae] Harebell Family
  Campanula rotundifolia - Bluebell Bellflower

[Caryophyllaceae] Pink Family
  Silene latifolia - Bladder Campion

[Melanthiaceae] False-Hellebore Family
  Veratrum viride - Green False Hellebore

[Orchidaceae] Orchid Family
  Goodyera oblongifolia - Western Rattlesnake Plantain
  Platanthera orbiculata - Lesser Round-Leaved Orchid

[Polygonaceae] Buckwheat Family
Bistorta bistoroides - American/Western Bistort

[Rosaceae] Rose Family
  Rubus parviflorus – Thimbleberry


 

Open, Mountain High Plants

Left: Agoseris aurantiaca - Orange Agoseris; Right: Artemisia ludoviciana - White Sagebrush
Agoseris aurantiaca - Orange AgoserisArtemisia ludoviciana - White Sagebrush

Left: Grasshopper on Indian Paintbrush; Center: Bistort; Right: Luina and Anaphalis
Grasshopper on Indian PaintbrushBistortLuina and Anaphalis

Left: Campanula rotundifolia - Bluebell Bellflower; Right: Veratrum viride - Green False Hellebore Flowers
Campanula rotundifolia - Bluebell BellflowerVeratrum viride - Green False Hellebore Flowers

Left: Cirsium edule - Edible Thistle with Ladybugs; Right: Old Thistle
Cirsium edule - Edible Thistle with LadybugsOld Thistle

Left: Rubus parviflorus – Thimbleberry; Right: Silene latifolia - Bladder Campion
Rubus parviflorus – ThimbleberrySilene latifolia - Bladder Campion

Lower Elevations, Forested Area

Left: Maianthemum racemosum - Feathery False Lily-of-the-Valley Berries; Right: Platanthera orbiculata - Lesser Round-Leaved Orchid Close-Up
Maianthemum racemosum - Feathery False Lily-of-the-Valley Platanthera orbiculata - Lesser Round-Leaved Orchid

Left: Old Coralroot; Right: Ariolimax columbianus - Banana Slug
Old CoralrootAriolimax columbianus - Banana Slug

Trail Shots

View from Stujack Pass Looking West Over the Sauk RiverView from Stujack Pass Looking West Over the Sauk River

Left: Trail – ridge walk part – up to Mount Pugh; Right: View North with White Chuck Mountain and in the background Baker and Shuskan
Trail – ridge walk part – up to Mount PughView North with White Chuck Mountain and in the background Baker and Shuskan

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Blue and Brown

Corner of 49th and 1st in Fremont: a blue fainting* chaise on very brown grass and dandelion seed heads. Whether you want this piece or not, you must admit it speaks to our summer this year in Seattle with blue skies (chaise color), high temperatures (fainting weather for Seattleites), and little rain (parched lawns). If only the donor had included a fan.

* Always thought this was "feigning couch" as in someone who uses it is pretending to be affected by something.


Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Reykjavik Street Art July 2015

Back in 2012, we visited Iceland (Golden Circle and Reykjavík) for a scant 4 days and barely got to see much in terms of street art. See A Few Reykjavík Murals. This time, we spent 12 days in Iceland and 4 of them in Reykjavík, so a little bit more street art to show. Turns out the many of the key murals from 2012 were in the Heart Park (Hjartatorg) or Heart Garden (Hjartagarðurinn), which is a big (controversial) construction site now.

I've grouped the street art photographed in to the following (perhaps nonsensical categories):


The Writing on the Wall


Reykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - GraffitiReykjavik - Writing on the Wall - Graffiti


Sara Riel

Left: "Acorn" [2010], Laugarvegur, Reykjavík, Iceland; Right: "The Mushroom" [2012], Hverfisgata, ReykjavÍk, Iceland
Sara Riel - AcornSara Riel - Dr. Seuss-LikeSara Riel - Mushroom
"Animali" [2012] with Thomas Korn, Njálsgata, Reykjavik, Iceland
Sara Riel - AnimaliSara Riel - AnimaliSara Riel - AnimaliSara Riel - Animali
"Cultivate your own garden" [2012] in collaboration with Davíð Örn Halldórsson, Seljavegur 42, Reykjavík, Iceland. More info on graffiti in Reykjavik.
Sara Riel - Cultivate your own gardenSara Riel - Cultivate your own garden

Left: "Fönix" [2012], Nýlendugata, Reykjavík, Iceland; Right: "Hands" [2008], Around Reyjkavik, Iceland and "Micrometeorite" [2012]
Sara Riel - FonixSara Riel - FonixSara Riel - HandsSara Riel - Meteorite

Faces


http://www.guidovanhelten.com/gallery/

http://grapevine.is/mag/articles/2013/11/21/australian-artist-reclaims-reykjaviks-rough-walls/
Guido van Helten
Guido van HeltenGuido van Helten
Guido van Helten
Guido van HeltenGuido van HeltenGuido van Helten
Guido van Helten
Guido van HeltenGuido van Helten
Other faces…
Reykjavik Eye GraffitiReykjavik Eye GraffitiReykjavik Face Graffiti
Reykjavik Face MuralReykjavikk - Two GuysReykjavik Underwater World
Ugly FaceUgly FaceFeather Face
Mind GamesIndie FaceReykjavik Mural Face
Left: Mind Games; Right: Indie
Mind GamesIndie Face

Creatures

Reykjavik Mural LionReykjavik Mural GaneshReykjavik Mural ElephantReykjavik Mural Flamingo
Reykjavik Mural SealReykjavik Mural Senio Ding DongReykjavik Mural Creature
Reykjavik Mural EagleReykjavik Mural RavenReykjavik Mural Figure 'the widow'Reykjavik Mural LionReykjavik Mural BatReykjavik Mural Bat
Reykjavik Mural TurtleReykjavik Mural TurtleReykjavik Mural Creatures

Spaces

Reykjavik Empty LotReykjavik Empty LotReykjavik Empty LotReykjavik Mural Eyes
Center and Right: Underwater World by https://www.facebook.com/raffaella.sigurdardottir
Reykjavik Mural by Raff

RWS – reminds of “springs”
Reykjavik RWSReykjavik RWSReykjavik RWSReykjavik RWSReykjavik RWSReykjavik City Weeds
Reykjavik Ghost Heads