Love it when world travelers stop over in the North Cascades for a private tour to the national park. Andrea was so thrilled to be visiting that she came well prepared wearing her North Cascades shirt!
The special request on this hiking trip to Cypress Island was evergreen tree identification. Using their PNW tree field guide and Steph's knowledge, Walt & Susan learned how to identify them using bark, needles and cones. Trees found included firs, pines, cedar and hemlock.
The big surprise of the day was Hairy Manzanita! We identified it by its ovate, leathery evergreen leaves, densely hairy young twigs and woody, crooked and deeply rust-colored bark. Relatives of the Hairy Manzanita include Kinnikinnick and Pacific Madrona.
How wonderful!
The first storm of the season prevented us from Adventuring into the North Cascades. But thanks to the rain shadow effect of the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island, Anacortes benefited with pleasant and dry weather!
And so, Allison (from Pennsylvania) enjoyed a multi-day adventure exploring Fidalgo, Fir and Whidbey islands, as well as Skagit Valley, during which she learned about the area's rich cultural and natural history, past and present industries and ways of life, canneries and fishing, lumber mills and shipbuilding, the ferry system, tides and currents, geology, glaciology, plant and animal diversity, forestry, farming and much much more.
What is a rain shadow? It is a dry area on the leeward side of a mountainous area (away from the wind). The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems and cast a "shadow" of dryness behind them. ... The air, without much moisture left, advances across the mountains creating a drier side called the "rain shadow".
Steppin' onto another fabulous day exploring Cypress Island with Shiloh & Alex from Anacortes! "Instead of buying him something for his college graduation, I opted for gifting him an experience."
A gift of experience can never be beat!
Jewel Wheeler