I liked the sound of the Trail of the Cedars the first time I read about it in the guidebook and I was not disappointed. Despite the Bear Country scare tactics exploited on all the posters, we proceeded along the boardwalk under the towering cedars and hemlocks. Some trees even have lacy lichen hanging down from the branches like Spanish moss. The bridge across the creek was closed as were one set of toilets so we headed up the trail toward Avalanche Creek. Neither Phil nor I were very confident that I could make the 4-mile round trip, but luckily the elevation gain was minimal.
At first the trail follows the creek (Avalanche Creek, coincidentally enough) closely. The gurgling water and moss-covered boulders brighten up dense woods somewhat. There’s a solid rock shute where the rushing water has scooped out circular crevices in a cascade down the red tinted rock kind of like a Calder sculpture. Of course, Phil went right to the edge to get a better look while I played it safe.
We saw a couple with two preschool kids. The girl in Pippy Longstocking leggings in two shades of pink waited patiently to be carried from the trail to the creek bank while her brother made a beeline for the biggest rock he could lift and hurled it into the water. I was just about to make a comment on the difference between boys and girls when the poor little fellow slipped got soaking wet. We saw them later in the parking lot and he’d completely recovered.
The second half of the trail veers away from the creek and is not nearly as scenic, at least not on an overcast day. Now and then, we’d get glimpses of high rocky peaks, but mostly it was trees, boys, and lots of them. But once we reached Avalanche Lake, I was glad I’d stuck it out. The lake is an icy aquamarine oval framed by evergreens and backed by this breathtaking wall of rock. A few waterfalls descend the walls even in late autumn and the variety of color in the rock from water and wind is spectacular. Speaking of wind, it was pretty unforgiving after the shelter of the forest, but the awesome view helped us brave the cold as we munched on trail mix and a chocolate bar. The jagged peaks were often hidden in clouds, which made the brief glimpses of them all the more tantalizing.
At first the trail follows the creek (Avalanche Creek, coincidentally enough) closely. The gurgling water and moss-covered boulders brighten up dense woods somewhat. There’s a solid rock shute where the rushing water has scooped out circular crevices in a cascade down the red tinted rock kind of like a Calder sculpture. Of course, Phil went right to the edge to get a better look while I played it safe.
We saw a couple with two preschool kids. The girl in Pippy Longstocking leggings in two shades of pink waited patiently to be carried from the trail to the creek bank while her brother made a beeline for the biggest rock he could lift and hurled it into the water. I was just about to make a comment on the difference between boys and girls when the poor little fellow slipped got soaking wet. We saw them later in the parking lot and he’d completely recovered.
The second half of the trail veers away from the creek and is not nearly as scenic, at least not on an overcast day. Now and then, we’d get glimpses of high rocky peaks, but mostly it was trees, boys, and lots of them. But once we reached Avalanche Lake, I was glad I’d stuck it out. The lake is an icy aquamarine oval framed by evergreens and backed by this breathtaking wall of rock. A few waterfalls descend the walls even in late autumn and the variety of color in the rock from water and wind is spectacular. Speaking of wind, it was pretty unforgiving after the shelter of the forest, but the awesome view helped us brave the cold as we munched on trail mix and a chocolate bar. The jagged peaks were often hidden in clouds, which made the brief glimpses of them all the more tantalizing.
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