Читать книгу Afoot and Afield: Portland/Vancouver - Douglas Lorain - Страница 12
ОглавлениеIntroducing the Portland/Vancouver Area
In most cities, a book like this would begin with something like “welcome to the wildlands beyond the city’s familiar concrete jungle.” But no Portland/Vancouver resident would recognize or agree with that characterization because this is a city still firmly tied to Mother Nature. One reason for this, of course, is that often Ma Nature literally hits you in the face with rain as soon as you walk out the door—a humbling and a useful reminder of just who’s in charge here. But even when it isn’t raining, the natural world is still constantly in evidence. It’s just a short drive from anywhere in the greater Portland area to forests so wild that you are more likely to see elk than other people. On the city’s skyline sits not only Mt. Hood, the signature landmark of our region, but four other wild volcanic peaks: Mounts Adams, Jefferson, Rainier, and St. Helens. Parts of the Columbia River Gorge, only 30 minutes from the downtown skyscrapers, remain as wild today as when Meriwether Lewis and William Clark passed through the region in 1805.
But Portland is not only surrounded by wild country, it manages to include wilderness right in the city limits. The enormity of Forest Park, the largest forested city park in the world, provides country that is wilder than many designated wilderness areas. In the towering evergreens that stand in virtually every city neighborhood live gray squirrels, raccoons, great horned owls, and other wildlife. Endangered peregrine falcons live amid the downtown buildings and bridges. People even fish for salmon in the Willamette River in downtown Portland. So Portland is truly a city where you can never really escape the natural world—and that’s just the way we like it.
Every Imaginable Shade of Green: The Local Flora
I once had a friend who moved from the Pacific Northwest to Phoenix, Arizona. He liked his new environment but would constantly comment about how much he missed the color green. All the rain the Portland area gets ensures that even in the dry months of late summer it always stays green. Washington may officially be the Evergreen State, but it’s Portland that takes the honor as the evergreen city.
All that greenery is composed of thousands of plant species inhabiting dozens of different environments. Professional botanists recognize a wide range of plant communities throughout our area. The average hiker, however, won’t notice most of these because the same species are predominant throughout the region. Once you learn to recognize these relatively few species, you are well on your way to feeling like an expert and getting more enjoyment from your travels.
Bunchberry blossoms
As all of us umbrella-toting Portlanders already know, we live in a virtual rain forest. That forest is made up of a canopy of big trees with several layers of understory species.
Douglas fir is by far the most abundant species on the forest’s top floor. Point at any random conifer on most of the trails in this book and there is roughly a 75 percent chance that the tree is a Douglas fir. At lower elevations the second most common species is the western hemlock, a beautiful evergreen with tiny needles and drooping limbs. At the highest elevations of the Cascade Mountains, the hemlock family banner is taken up by a close relative, the mountain hemlock. A similar thing happens with cedars. At lower elevations look for western red cedar, while in the high country Alaska yellow cedar takes over. With the true firs you should recognize grand fir down low, Pacific silver fir and noble fir at mid-elevations, and subalpine fir up high. Other evergreen species of note include Engelmann spruce, western white pine, and lodgepole pine.
Deciduous trees are less common than conifers, but they mix with the evergreens at all lower elevations, and in some areas leafy trees actually outnumber those with needles. Especially abundant are bigleaf maple and red alder. On the drier hills you will find woodlands of Oregon white oak, while in the wet bottomlands of the river valleys there are black cottonwoods. From mid-October to mid-November both bigleaf maple and black cottonwood grace the area with their bright yellow leaves.
Get off the elevator at the second floor of our forests, and the doors will open up to a whole array of smaller tree species. Most notable of these is the vine maple, another great fall-color species. This short understory tree has many-pointed leaves that turn a striking reddish-orange color in October. Another second-story species is the Pacific yew, a fascinating conifer that lives in shady forests and uses red berrylike fruits, instead of cones, to reproduce. Pacific dogwood, with its showy white blossoms in April and May, also deserves mention. Other common small trees on the second story include Pacific willow, Sitka alder, black hawthorn, and Oregon ash.
Below these small trees is a layer of large and small shrubs. Once again, unless you want to be an expert, you need only to learn a handful of the most common species. Many of the larger shrubs are berries, like salmonberry, thimbleberry, and blackberry, all of which have tasty edible fruit in season. Other common large shrubs include elderberry (both red and blue varieties), serviceberry, snowberry, and devil’s club. Probably the most abundant large shrub at mid-elevations in the Cascades is the Pacific rhododendron. From May to early July, the showy pink blossoms of this evergreen plant put on displays that can even make clear-cuts look good—well, almost.
Moving down to the forest’s ground floor takes us to the low-growing shrubs. The most important member of this group, especially for your taste buds, is the huckleberry. From mid-August until mid-September the positively delicious berries of this abundant mid- to high-elevation plant will slow the berry-picking hiker’s progress to a crawl. Other common low shrubs include kinnnikinnick, salal, and, in the alpine zone, both pink and white heather. No list of low shrubs would be complete without mentioning one of the most abundant members of the group, the yellow-blooming Oregon grape.
The plants most closely associated with the floor of our forests are ferns. Experts recognize numerous species but, once again, the novice only needs to know four or five common varieties. Sword fern, easily the most common type, is a hardy but strikingly beautiful evergreen fern so abundant in this area that it is often taken for granted. Sunnier areas invariably feature bracken fern, while wetter places have lots of maidenhair and lady fern. The final fern species that the average hiker will want to learn to recognize is the licorice fern. This common species is what botanists term epiphytic, which means that instead of growing out of the ground like its relatives, the licorice fern grows directly out of tree trunks and rocks.
Everybody loves flowers and many people go hiking specifically to enjoy the sight and smell of blossoms. From March through September, there are always flowers to enjoy somewhere in our region. Wildflowers, however, are difficult to categorize, because so many different kinds of plants, including many listed above, produce flowers. If we restrict this group to just the smaller, ground-level types (as most people do), then you can look like an expert by knowing just a few dozen species. When hiking in dense forests, you won’t see great displays of wildflowers, but you will find scattered blooms that help to brighten the shady forest floor. Look for yellow wood violet, the relatively rare pink calypso orchid, and several varieties of white flowers, including trillium, queen’s cup, bunchberry, twinflower, and vanilla leaf.
If you want to see great wildflower displays, get out of the forest and head for the meadows. In the lower-elevation valleys, you need to find one of those increasingly rare places that has yet to be paved over or plowed under. The most striking flower in these fields is blue camas, a plant that was once an important food source for Native Americans.
There is greater variety in the mountains. Depending on the elevation, the higher meadows provide spectacular displays any time from mid-June through mid-August. Just as the snow melts, the ground comes alive with the blossoms of glacier lily, avalanche lily, and western pasqueflower. A little later, you enjoy cinquefoil, lupine, paintbrush, spiraea, shooting star, yarrow, and, perhaps most notable of all, beargrass. By the end of summer, the meadows still have some flowers, especially asters, goldenrods, and blue gentians, which bloom well into September.
The banks of creeks feature lush vegetation and a unique array of water-loving flowering plants. Of particular note are yellow monkeyflower and pink Lewis monkeyflower, false Solomon’s seal, and bleeding heart. Dry and rocky places have wildflowers better adapted to these environments. Here you may find yellow stonecrop, blue larkspur, lavender cliff penstemon, and the whites of pearly everlasting, prairie star, and cats ear, among others.
If wildflowers lead the brigade of popular plants, then the least popular plant, poison oak, also deserves mention. This species is most common in dry, sunny places, but it can also be found in denser forests. You should be especially wary of this rash-producing menace when you are hiking in the eastern Columbia River Gorge. Poison oak comes in a variety of forms, sometimes growing as a vine and sometimes as a low bush, but it always has lobed, often shiny leaves, that grow in groups of three. Hikers who travel with the family pet need to remember that, no matter how smart you think Rover is, he probably isn’t bright enough to recognize and avoid poison oak. Many unsuspecting pet owners have picked up a nasty rash from merely petting their dog after a hike in poison-oak country.
Silver dollar plant
Trillium
Oregon grape
Grass widow
Tall larkspur
Common camas
Author beside old cedar tree
Corydalis
Arrowleaf balsamroot
False Solomon’s seal
Beargrass
Oak tree and licorice fern
Teasels
Grasses in a wetland
Licorice ferns
Ferns and mosses on talus slope
Wind-contorted fir tree
A type of shelf fungus
Two varieties of fungi
Bigleaf maple
An unidentified fungus
Various species of moss grow abundantly in our forests. Trying to identify these species is beyond the interest level of most hikers. It’s worth pointing out, however, that the old adage about moss growing only on the north side of a tree does not work around here. If you get lost and try to navigate by this old trick, you’ll be in big trouble because in this wet environment moss grows on all sides of the trees.
Mushrooms and fungi are an area of special interest for many Northwest hikers. Our forests feature several dozen varieties growing out of the ground, out of old stumps, and even out of living trees. Many species are edible, and collecting mushrooms is a fun activity. Do not, however, eat any mushrooms unless you are experienced and completely confident in your ability to identify the various species. There are several poisonous types in our area, and every year people get sick, and some even die, from eating the wrong mushrooms.
Fur, Feathers, Scales, & Slime: The Local Fauna
Hikers aren’t the only creatures leaving footprints on our area trails. By far the most common large mammal you will encounter, apart from Homo sapiens and their canine companions, is the black-tailed deer. Even on trips within the city limits, you are likely to see deer tracks, and every hiker who spends time in the backcountry will see lots of deer. Next on the list of large mammals is the Roosevelt elk. It’s always a thrill to catch a glimpse of these large, impressive animals. The most likely area to observe elk is in the Coast Range. Other large mammals prowling area forests include black bears and mountain lions, but the average hiker would be extraordinarily fortunate to see either.
Smaller mammals are another story. In the right habitat, every hiker will see chipmunks, Douglas squirrels, and pikas. Some representative examples of the other common smaller mammals in our area are porcupines, beavers, raccoons, skunks, coyotes, red and gray foxes, marmots, and snowshoe hares. Hikers who are quiet stand a better chance of seeing these, and all other, wildlife.
A type of shelf fungus on a log along the Clackamas River
As is true throughout the world, insects are, by far, the most common form of wildlife in our area. Apart from admiring butterflies, however, most hikers think of insects only when they are forced to swat bothersome mosquitoes. Higher on the food chain are spiders. The thick vegetation and the abundance of insects for prey ensure that spiders are quite common. The most important result of this fact is that the first person to hike a trail in the morning must negotiate an obstacle course of webs. You will spend considerable time (and a lifetime’s vocabulary of swear words) wiping the webs off your face, hair, and clothing. My advice is to wave a walking stick in front of you or, better yet, convince your hiking partner to take the lead. Another good option is to hike in the winter, when spiders are less active and build fewer webs.
After insects, our most common and conspicuous form of wildlife is birds. The feathered menagerie includes a wide range of colors, sizes, and forms. Tiny rufous hummingbirds zip past looking for flowers to visit, while various species of chickadees, wrens, warblers, and sparrows, among others, fill the forests with song. Easily the most common bird in the mountains is the dark-eyed junco, formerly called the Oregon junco and still termed that by the average proud Oregonian. During the winter months, these happy, clicking birds with black heads come down to the valleys and are among the most common residents at backyard feeding stations.
Great blue herons are probably the most conspicuous large birds in the Portland area. Every Portlander is familiar with this, the city’s official bird. These tall and delicately beautiful avians are often seen flying overhead, prowling for food along streams or beside ponds, or just standing around in dry fields hunting for mice. Other large birds of note include Canada geese and various species of ducks, which spend their winters in the mild climate of the Willamette Valley; ospreys and bald eagles, which can often be seen on larger lakes and rivers; and red-tailed hawks, easily our most abundant flying predators.
The Pacific Northwest is home to eight salamander species, one of the highest such concentrations in the world. Our wet forests host some fascinating and beautiful species, including the long-toed salamander, the tiny Oregon ensatina, and the aptly named Pacific giant salamander, which actually barks. Due to their secretive nature, however, you will rarely see any salamanders. The sole exception to this rule is the roughskin newt, an interesting and abundant representative of the group that can be found in almost any pond, lake, or slow-moving stream. A fact unknown to even most experienced outdoor lovers is that the roughskin newt is poisonous. Their skin emits a toxin that, if ingested, can be deadly. Fortunately, the poison cannot penetrate your skin. But be sure to wash your hands after handling a newt.
Other amphibians also take well to this damp environment. You will encounter several species of frogs, the most common of which are the Pacific treefrog, the western toad, and the red-legged frog. Sadly, frog populations have been declining in recent years. This is a worldwide problem, the reasons for which are not well understood. In our area, probably the leading cause of this decline is the unfortunate introduction, and population explosion, of the bullfrog. This nonnative predator feeds on smaller frogs, as well as baby turtles, birds, and other unfortunate victims.
In this wet climate, reptiles are less common than amphibians. Lizards, for example, are fairly common east of the Cascades, but they are very rare in the area covered by this book. You are likely to see them only on the drier slopes on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. Snakes are much more common. In and around Portland there is no need to worry about rattlesnakes, except in the eastern Columbia River Gorge. What you will encounter throughout this area are various species of harmless garter snakes and racers.
No list of area wildlife would be complete without mentioning one of the most famous, and strangely popular, residents of the Pacific Northwest—the lowly banana slug. Mollusks aren’t generally the most beloved of organisms and, even here in the slug capital of the world, area gardeners have been in a long-standing war with the creatures (usually a losing battle, or so my gardening friends lament). One of the most memorable encounters you will have on a rainy day in the woods is with the banana slug. The first tell-tale sign is the famous slime trail crossing your path. Follow this sticky slime and you will soon come across the source, a surprisingly colorful, and almost frighteningly large, slug. The banana slug comes in an array of colors, mostly greenish-yellow with black spots, and can be up to 10 inches long (the average is about 6 or 7 inches). Many Northwest residents have a strong affection for the slug, which people from other parts of the country find to be evidence that all the rain up here has made Portlanders a bit addled. One town in western Washington holds an annual slug festival, and it is even possible to purchase various souvenir items featuring the banana slug.
Welcome to the Pacific “Northwet”: The Local Weather
Anyone who lives in this part of the world knows that there’s no getting around rain. For eight or so months of the year it rains a lot in Portland. But there is much more to the climate story than just precipitation. Each season has its own weather-related quirks, and all the hills, canyons, river valleys, and mountains in our area help to create numerous microclimates. Once you master these local weather idiosyncrasies, you’ll stay drier and have more fun in the outdoors.
Summer in the Pacific Northwest is just about ideal. From mid-July until early October rain is unusual, despite all those stories we tell out-of-staters in an effort to keep them out. This is not to say that we never get clouds in the summer months. In fact, morning clouds are quite common. One of the best times to go hiking is when clouds cover the Willamette Valley. A large percentage of summer days in our region begins with a layer of marine air, which pushes in from the Pacific Ocean carrying low clouds with it. What far too many hikers in Portland and Vancouver fail to realize is that once you climb above about 2000 feet, you leave the clouds and fog behind and enjoy brilliant sunshine. A great aesthetic advantage of hiking in such weather is that you can climb to a viewpoint and look down on the billowy white fog covering the valleys with its delicate fingers that creep through low passes in the ridges. The fog also hides most of the clear-cuts and helps to ensure greater solitude because outdoor lovers in the socked-in Portland/Vancouver lowlands look out their windows, see the low clouds, and wrongly assume that it’s too gloomy to go hiking.
Despite being farther north than Minneapolis, Portland’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean keeps the winter weather relatively mild. It may rain a lot, but severe winter weather is rare. Generally we get only two or three days of snow per year, and even that usually melts away in a day or two. The mountains, of course, get lots of snow, and with several feet piling up every winter, it takes many months for all that white stuff to melt away. Precisely when trails open for travel varies from year to year, but a pretty good rule of thumb is that trails below 1000 feet remain open all year. At 2000 feet, trails begin to open by mid-March. With every 1000 feet of elevation, it takes an additional month for the snow to melt. Thus, by mid-April the snow line will be around 3000 feet; by mid-May it’s 4000 feet, and that number becomes 5000 feet by mid-June. The highest trails open some time in July. Sunnier south-facing slopes melt out sooner than north-facing ones. Although true everywhere in the country, it is probably less pronounced here than elsewhere because the heavy tree cover keeps the snow well shaded, even on south-facing slopes.
Don’t let yourself and your hiking boots go into hibernation just because it’s winter. Despite all that famous rain, every wet season features at least some welcome sunshine and, if you are properly equipped, many trails are a joy to hike even in the rain. You can almost always rely on any trail below 1000 feet to be open all year.
Fall and spring weather is less predictable than winter and summer. There is a local joke that you can tell it’s spring in Portland when the rain starts to get warmer. By the time May and June roll around, the skies are still all too often covered with clouds, and people start to get frustrated. Statistically, there are a lot more sunny days at this time than we’ve had in the previous six or seven months. Taking advantage of these welcome brighter days is highly rewarding. Spring hikers will be treated to a natural world positively bursting with new life that has definitely noticed the increase in life-giving sunshine.
Autumn in the Portland/Vancouver area produces weather that is best described as variable. In some years, it starts raining in September and everyone knows that it won’t really let up until the following June. In at least one year in three, however, we enjoy a glorious Indian summer, with nice weather extending all the way into October. This is one of the best times to go hiking, because the temperatures are cool, the bugs are gone, and many areas feature wonderful fall colors. After Labor Day the trails are virtually deserted. On a day just after the first light dusting of snow in early October, be sure to make a trip to the high trails on Mt. Hood. The mountain really comes alive with this first covering of snow. You can also take some spectacular photographs of the snow-dusted peak, over the golden meadows framed by the red splashes of huckleberry bushes. Down in the valleys, and especially in the Columbia River Gorge, the fall colors remain excellent into mid-November. Be aware, however, that in the deep, shady canyons on the Oregon side of the Gorge, the sun goes down very early. In November, you should expect darkness by about 3 PM. Bring fast film and a tripod to take photographs in this low light, and carry plenty of warm clothing for the hike back out.
The mountains and valleys surrounding the Portland/Vancouver area cause different wind and precipitation patterns that create localized climates. One of these so-called microclimates is the small, but noticeable, rain shadow just east of the Coast Range. The downsloping hills of Yamhill and western Washington counties get noticeably less annual rainfall than do the upsloping hills in eastern Clackamas, Multnomah, and Clark counties.
The most important microclimate in our region is the Columbia River Gorge. As those familiar with it already know, the Gorge is almost always windy. The violently twisted trees and the abundance of windsurfers attest to the strength of the winds here, so hikers must come prepared for often bitter wind chills. For most of the year, the prevailing wind is from west to east. But during the winter months, the Gorge often acts as a funnel for cold air from east of the Cascade Mountains. As a result, the almost-sea-level Gorge stays much colder than anywhere else in our region. Consequently, the Gorge gets a lot more snow and freezing rain than do neighboring Portland and Vancouver. An inch of cold rain in Portland may fall as a foot or more of snow in Cascade Locks, even though Cascade Locks is only about 20 feet higher in elevation. This means that the aforementioned elevation rules for snow-free hiking generally don’t apply in the Gorge. The much sunnier Washington side melts out a lot faster and, in fact, often provides the nicest early-spring hiking in our region. For photographers, and those who can stand bitterly cold temperatures, it’s also fun to visit the Gorge during a mid-winter cold spell. With luck, the waterfalls will be encased in a spectacular coating of ice.
