July 8th
Elfin Cove
High overcast with a bit of rain in the morning which carried on all day.
Emmelina, Jordan, Liz and I hiked up the waterline trail to the muskegs above Elfin Cove. We were under the impression that the waterline originated in a lake and went in search of it. The trail was narrow, wet and muddy. The mud was deep enough that we lost the 5th member of the group very early in the walk. I considered finding my own trail, but the slope was pretty cliffy and stayed with the group. The forest was a mix of Yellow cedar, western and a few mountain hemlock. The shrubs were blueberry, Menziesia, and some Copperbush. Found one Viburnum edule and one European Mountain Ash. Thelypteris limbosperma was relatively common along the trail.
Emmelina, Jordan, Liz and I hiked up the waterline trail to the muskegs above Elfin Cove. We were under the impression that the waterline originated in a lake and went in search of it. The trail was narrow, wet and muddy. The mud was deep enough that we lost the 5th member of the group very early in the walk. I considered finding my own trail, but the slope was pretty cliffy and stayed with the group. The forest was a mix of Yellow cedar, western and a few mountain hemlock. The shrubs were blueberry, Menziesia, and some Copperbush. Found one Viburnum edule and one European Mountain Ash. Thelypteris limbosperma was relatively common along the trail.
As we gained altitude, there were more muskeg-like openings in the forest as well as lots of rock outcrops. The rock looked like some sort of Granite.
Blooming in the muskegs at the lower summit/bench were Dodecatheon jeffreyii, Nephrophyllidium crista-galli , Coptis trifoliata, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Pinquicula vulgaris, Vaccinium uliginosum, and Eriophorum angustifolium.
Jordan and Emmelina turned back at the bench as they had a variety of errands to do, but Liz and I carried on.
We left the trail and continued on in hope of finding a lake (soon after this we found out there wasn't a lake to find). We were disabused of the lake notion by a phone call from Mary Jo Wild. She had my cell phone number in order to arrange a museum visit in the afternoon and called to confirm. Decided to ask her about the "lake", got a laugh and the straight scoop. The water line comes out of a water tank which we didn't think sounded quite as interesting to seek out.
There was one small meadowish area near a very small stream with Viola langsdorfii, Frittilaria camschatcensis, Dodecatheon jeffreyii, Rubus arcticus, Erigeron peregrinus, and several Athyrium filix-femina. We dropped down into a creek in a small ravine, found Petasites frigidus and Caltha leptosepala, both were done blooming.
We intially missed the trail on the way down, but relocated it by side-hilling. We were anxious to find it again as we wanted to miss the gnarly looking cliffs we had seen on the way up.
After the hike we were visited the tiny, but interesting Elfin Cove museum. What made it so interesting was the personal tour that we were given. Mary Jo Wild seems to have been the driving force behind the creation of the museum. She tells a good story, an often very poignant one about her life in Elfin cove.
Elifn Cove isn't an incorporated city, but a non-profit corporation connected by a boardwalk. There is a small grocery store, a post office, fuel dock, a cafe, 8 charter lodges and two harbor areas and a power (small hydro plant). 12 people spent the winter in Elfin Cove last year. There are only two children (1 was born a couple of months ago). The school closed because of low enrollment (0 at this point). I met the mother of the two kids on the boardwalk and she is actively trying to recruit immigrants with children so that the school will open in time for her kids to attend school.
The garbage disposal method is pragmatic, but not pleasant. Every day someone burns the refuse on the beach by the harbor. The smell of garbage burning is exactly what one would expect, bad. What won't burn gets dumped off shore.
Lots of ranunuculus repens along the boardwalk.
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