Hiking
Click to visit the Snoqualmie Falls Candy Factory
Note: The Hiking Trail is closed
until 2013
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Hike Of The Week: A bad day brings out its best side
The short trail to the base of Snoqualmie Falls during
high water levels is really more of an experience than a
true hike. The trail is a tourist stroll on a nice day, but
the falls often are at their most dramatic during bad
weather.
Watch Video: Hike Down to the Falls
Note: The Hiking Trail is
closed until 2013
I had never seen the waterfall when rivers were on flood
watch. Last Friday, many other people had the same idea. The
observation deck was jammed with observers, several with
cameras. The roar from the waterfall made conversation
impossible and photography a challenge as wind-driven mist
soaked those of us who braved the observation deck.
The shelter vibrated from the force of the thundering
falls. It was a bit scary -- one child burst into tears and
had to be escorted away. On such a day, one can see why the
Snoqualmie Indians believed the falls to be a spiritual
place.
Snoqualmie Falls is the most famous waterfall in our
state. It is 268 feet high with the width ranging from 50 to
150 feet, depending on water levels.
The nature trail to the river begins a few yards from the
observation platform and it is well-signed. Though very
short, the trail is scenic as it descends through old trees
to the powerhouse and views from below. The trail continues
behind the powerhouse (this section is enclosed with
fencing) to a boardwalk that leads toward the base of the
falls. At the powerhouse, look through the windows to view
the turbines generating power.
In summer months, hikers often continue from the end of
the boardwalk and boulder-hop for a closer look at the
waterfall, but for now, the trail ends at the end of the
boardwalk -- it is unsafe to go beyond that point. Last week
the mocha-colored river was high enough that it flowed
beside the boardwalk and around the trunks of the deciduous,
lichen-encrusted trees near the riverbank.
According to Michael Fagin of Washington Online Weather,
on that day the Snoqualmie stream flow was at 151 percent of
normal. He writes, "On Friday, the Central Cascades received
3.3 inches of rain from 1 p.m. on Thursday afternoon till 5
a.m. Friday. The freezing levels were at 6,000 feet." That
is why the flow was so great, according to Fagin. He added
that Friday's flows "would have to be one of the bigger
ones" and explained that a larger snowpack at lower
elevations (with warmer temperatures) would have resulted in
an even greater flow.
Hike Of The Week: A bad day brings out its best side By KAREN SYKES
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Thursday, February 6, 2003
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