North Fork of the Skokomish

Beaver Burn, a photo by wild trees on Flickr.

Skokomish.  The North Fork.  It's not really a river name that rolls off the tongue.  "The North Fork of the Skokomish" doesn't quite have the same ring as the Elwha or Solduc.  And you can't really say Skokomish without specifying, because the other Skokomish, the South Fork, just isn't quite the same.  Something about Simpson Timber, the Forest Service and logging.  Or some such.  I guess they cut down a bunch of trees over that-away.  But the North Fork?  Above the lake it's ridge to ridge old-growth.  Amazing trees, big trees, old trees.  Wild trees.  In this photo you can see clearly see the impact of man on this landscape:  the dammed river in the center, the clear-cut beyond, the big light green spot from the burn started by some moron and their campfire.  And yet, this place is still wild.  A huge expanse of wilderness, the domain of bears, elk and cougar, where a few humans have the privilege to walk next to a river that still jumps its' banks and below trees that pre-date Columbus.