27. Time Traveling with Forest Giants

A group of BIOL180 students took a trip to Quinault Lake over on the Olympic Peninsula on Sunday.  It was a time to get away from Seattle for a few hours to learn about old-growth forests, their ecological processes, and to see first hand the diversity and intricacies of life and how the line between life and death is often blurred.  We came home a little tired, very much soaked, and a bit more humble about our place in the wider scope of things.

But first, we had to get there.

Then we got to see these beauties. 

The perfect overcast skies. So dreamy.

Learning about logs. We like logs because they give new plants a better chance for survival.

These grooves are made from beetles that laid eggs in tree bark. 

Once the eggs hatch and the beetles leave their nest, we get a beetle gallery.

plant identification

snack time!

Home at last.  Riley makes a wonderful dinner with quinoa and soup.  

After the much needed refuel, we headed to the Neptune to see James Morrison.

I definitely felt rushed to take pictures during the hike.  We were trying to cover so much ground in a short amount of time, that I didn't have a chance to get all the shots I wanted. It was a cycle of stop, quickly snap a picture or two, and running to catch up with the rest of the group. By the end of it, I'm out of breath with only a handful of okay photos to show. But that's okay because it means I was busy paying attention to the learning that was supposed to be going on, right?

I still haven't explained the time traveling part of this post, but I really should be doing my homework right now...
An explanation will come sooner or later. Cheers.