-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Witches, Rattlesnakes, Bears, Waterfalls, BK9, BK24, Camo Chickens and a BK15
- Thread starter Eero
- Start date
Ethan Becker
Moderator
- Joined
- Sep 1, 1999
- Messages
- 3,564
Wow......I wish I could get my Iphone to do that.......thanks for the pix.....purtiness, purtiness.......
Ethan
Ethan
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2012
- Messages
- 191
Eero,
Let me know when you're planning another trip, I live about a quarter mile from the park at Rattlesnake lake, I've been tramping around that mountain's game trails and logging trails for years. There's a bunch of waterfalls, and some really cool ecosystems there that you never get to see on the "official" trail. Not to mention plenty of wildlife, the deer and elk are a nuisance, as are the bear for much of the year, though they're hibernating now. Bobcats are fairly common, coyotes more so, I've even seen 2 cougars. Usually in the trees that were behind you when you were photographing the stumps, there are a couple pair of nesting bald eagles (they don't nest right by the lake, but they perch at the tops of the trees while they're fishing). The lake is not naturally occurring, on the other side of the mountain, they dammed up the Cedar River to make a water source for the city of Seattle, as the reservoir rose, the meadow that is now Rattlesnake lake flooded. There was a small town and forest there, the town was moved, and the trees logged, leaving just the stumps. The water level can vary over the course of the year, at some points, you can stand on the taller stumps, and just have your head out of the water, at other times you can walk across much of the lake bed and not even get muddy. I'm sure you got to meet the local flock of geese. Its not unusual to find loons on the far end of the lake, though they were more plentiful before the park was built. If you're into mountain biking or rock climbing, there's a great multi-use (hiking, biking, equestrian) trail that starts there, it used to be called the John Wayne trail, it's an old railroad bed, and goes at least as far as Idaho. We used to be able to ride it up to the pass, and then go through the old train tunnel to Hyaak, it was closed, but has been renovated, you can't get through in the winter though, it used to be cool (literally) riding through with a head light on in complete darkness, the walls of the tunnel used to be soot covered so it was really dark, now though they've cemented up the walls so flashlights do a better job of lighting it up. It's almost 2 and half miles long and cut in a curve, the first half is uphill the second half down hill, I'm not sure what the grade is on that part, but you definitely can't see through it, as a matter of fact, from the mid point, you can't see light from either end.
Anyway, it's a great little place to have as a back yard
I've lived in the neighborhood for about 14 years. What really bums me out, is that I'm moving in about two months 
Erik
Oh yeah, just in case you were wondering, there are no Rattlesnakes in the area, it seems there was some kind of weed whose seed pod "buzzed" like a rattlesnake that was common to the area before it flooded. I've heard said weeds seed pods buzzing in the wind, and I've got to say, I think it was a mis-translation from an indian word, or whoever came up with the sound comparison never heard a real rattlesnake. Anyway, no poisonous snakes this side of the pacific crest trail, though there are some reptiles to avoid... there's a native newt that is actually quite deadly (though rare), so don't go licking any newts...
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2012
- Messages
- 5,521
Unfortunately my ex-girlfriend thought she was entitled to my digital camera when we broke up so all I'm working with at the moment is my iPhone 4. It takes OK pictures but really doesn't do mother nature the justice she deserves. Hope to mount a covert mission soon to get camera, and all my memory cards back... have a lot photos on there that I never transferred to my computer from my last trip
What is really cool is this place is only about an hour drive from my new house in Seattle. I'm coming back in the near future for sure...
I have some great images from that area too. And I used an IPhone 3Gs. As a matter of fact, my wife uses one of the images on all her business cards, flyers and promotional stuff. That area is truly great country. In that area its really hard to take a bad pic, regardless of the camera.
- Joined
- May 6, 2012
- Messages
- 2,232
If you come to BeckerWest with your iPhone I'll give you a quick lesson....
Eero,
Let me know when you're planning another trip, I live about a quarter mile from the park at Rattlesnake lake, I've been tramping around that mountain's game trails and logging trails for years. There's a bunch of waterfalls, and some really cool ecosystems there that you never get to see on the "official" trail. Not to mention plenty of wildlife, the deer and elk are a nuisance, as are the bear for much of the year, though they're hibernating now. Bobcats are fairly common, coyotes more so, I've even seen 2 cougars. Usually in the trees that were behind you when you were photographing the stumps, there are a couple pair of nesting bald eagles (they don't nest right by the lake, but they perch at the tops of the trees while they're fishing). The lake is not naturally occurring, on the other side of the mountain, they dammed up the Cedar River to make a water source for the city of Seattle, as the reservoir rose, the meadow that is now Rattlesnake lake flooded. There was a small town and forest there, the town was moved, and the trees logged, leaving just the stumps. The water level can vary over the course of the year, at some points, you can stand on the taller stumps, and just have your head out of the water, at other times you can walk across much of the lake bed and not even get muddy. I'm sure you got to meet the local flock of geese. Its not unusual to find loons on the far end of the lake, though they were more plentiful before the park was built. If you're into mountain biking or rock climbing, there's a great multi-use (hiking, biking, equestrian) trail that starts there, it used to be called the John Wayne trail, it's an old railroad bed, and goes at least as far as Idaho. We used to be able to ride it up to the pass, and then go through the old train tunnel to Hyaak, it was closed, but has been renovated, you can't get through in the winter though, it used to be cool (literally) riding through with a head light on in complete darkness, the walls of the tunnel used to be soot covered so it was really dark, now though they've cemented up the walls so flashlights do a better job of lighting it up. It's almost 2 and half miles long and cut in a curve, the first half is uphill the second half down hill, I'm not sure what the grade is on that part, but you definitely can't see through it, as a matter of fact, from the mid point, you can't see light from either end.
Anyway, it's a great little place to have as a back yard
Erik
Oh yeah, just in case you were wondering, there are no Rattlesnakes in the area, it seems there was some kind of weed whose seed pod "buzzed" like a rattlesnake that was common to the area before it flooded. I've heard said weeds seed pods buzzing in the wind, and I've got to say, I think it was a mis-translation from an indian word, or whoever came up with the sound comparison never heard a real rattlesnake. Anyway, no poisonous snakes this side of the pacific crest trail, though there are some reptiles to avoid... there's a native newt that is actually quite deadly (though rare), so don't go licking any newts...
Wow. It's truly a small world we live in. You have an amazing backyard. I'll PM you next time I'm headed up to that area for some insider/local tips. Maybe we can even do a little hiking and wood chopping with our BK's. I was wondering about the origin story of that lake and the stumps that seem to almost be walking out of it. I did a doubletake a few times thinking maybe a few of them had moved and were starting to follow me
I did see the bald eagles and have been on lookout for a deadly newt for a while now.