Kaleberg Symbionts

The Mules Are Back in Town

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0700

04/14/26 - The Mules Are Back in Town

This time the mules were back. We took another hike along what was once Olympic Hot Springs Road from Madison Falls, and this time the mules were back at the mule camp doing the usual mules things like standing around and eating. One time we saw a frisky new mule trying to start a fight with every other mule and getting rejected, but not this time. That time, we got to see a lot of mules rolling their eyes and saying, in mule language, what's up with this guy.

There was no such drama this time, but there were more fawn lilies, more trilliums and orchids in bloom. Over the winter, the Elwha bit off a chunk of the shore, shoved around a lot of big logs and reshaped part of the river where the trail went down to the bank. The park service did a good job rerouting the trail inland with just an easy stepping stone crossing upstream from where there used to be a footbridge.

We've been checking off our spring list with the UW cherry blossoms, skunk cabbage, fawn lilies and trilliums. It would be nice if there were more snow on the mountains, but winter is over and spring is here.

Find Me A Primitive Trail

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0700

04/10/26 - Find Me A Primitive Trail

Most people going to the Dungeness Spit take the direct trail from the parking area, but we take the longer route along the Primitive Trail. It's a bit wilder and woodsier, and we are more likely to see trilliums this time of year. In fact, we did, along with some early false, or is it mock, Solomon's seal. The trees and bushes have leafed out, so it is clearly no longer winter.

Spring Along the Elwha

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0700

04/06/26 - Spring Along the Elwha

Spring is moving apace. We took another walk along the Elwha from Madison Falls.

Another Hike Along the Elwha

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0700

04/03/26 - Another Hike Along the Elwha

Taking a hike along the Elwha from Madison Falls is a good way to track the progress of spring. The skunk cabbage was blooming on our last hike. This time we didn't get that far, but we were rewarded with trilliums, toad lilies, yellow violets and fawn lilies. Also, the trail has been rerouted a bit and an awkward to get at footbridge has been removed.

Cherry Blossoms at UW

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0700

03/26/26 - Cherry Blossoms at UW

We took a special trip into Seattle just to see the cherry blossoms at The Quad at the University of Washington. It's always something special. We had been watching the webcam, because that's the only way to tell when the blossoms are near their peak.

It was a quick trip with plenty of time to wander among the trees with their flowers and enjoy the energy of the crowd. Everyone was there to see the arrival of spring. People dressed up and photographers abounded. People posed in kimonos, pushed strollers full of children and had picnics on the grass. There was even a quinceañera party in formal dress.

Elwha to Altair with Skunk Cabbage

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700

02/27/26 - Elwha to Altair with Skunk Cabbage

Spring is coming soon, so we decided to see how things were progressing along the Elwha. We didn't expect much. The mules weren't coming back for at least a month, and it's early for most spring flowers. To be honest, we were hoping for skunk cabbage and not much more.

We made it all the way up to the Altair Bridge, and we got to see and smell a lot of skunk cabbage along the road a bit south of the ranger station. We also saw that the river had had a wild winter. Huge logs had been tossed about and new channels cut. A section of the trail was under water.

It was too early for trilliums, fawn lilies or the little violets, but the trail was in good shape. We're hoping to get back soon as spring progresses.

Flying to Seattle

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700

02/03/26 - Flying to Seattle

We flew to Seattle in the afternoon and had amazing views of the mountains and waters. We're off on an adventure.

Dinner in Seattle

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700

02/02/26 - Dinner in Seattle

We stayed and ate dinner near the Pike Place Market. We had an early flight - this time on a big airplane - the next morning.

Flying Into Charleston

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0700

02/01/26 - Flying Into Charleston

There aren't a lot of good flights to the southeast from Seattle. Usually, one has to change planes in Atlanta, but Alaska Air has a lone daily non-stop flight that leaves in the morning and arrives in the evening. This time of year, that meant we caught the sunset. We didn't see any mountains as we approached the city. The land was flat and the rivers meandered.

Guale Preserve

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

01/31/26 - Guale Preserve

One of our favorite places to wander on Big St. Simons Island is the Guale Preserve. Coming from the Northwest, it's exotic country with its flat terrain, gnarled trees, sandy soil and palmettos. The first part of our walk had a bit of up and down though not enough to qualify as terrain. It was old sand dunes now covered with organic matter, forest and palmetto. We headed back on the old telephone line trail which was completely flat. Welcome to the Southeast.

The Beach at Sea Island

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

01/30/26 - The Beach at Sea Island

We took a walk along the beach looking for birds and sea life. There were some sand dollars, some peeps and some pelicans flying. There were also a few machines moving around sand at low tide.

Fort Frederica

rssfeedback@kaleberg.com — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0700

01/29/26 - Fort Frederica

We also stopped by Fort Frederica, now long abandoned. There was a whole town here along with the army base. Now, there are old trees and a few old fortifications. The British were worried about the Spanish heading north and invading back then. Now, it's a historical park and a very nice one.