September 10, 2001

       In the middle of August there was a storm that dropped  4.75 inches of rain on us in two days. The Hoh River rose 4 feet in just over 24 hours. People in our area were stunned. I watched the water in my well rise three feet and you could almost hear the cabbage growing in the garden. Chanterelle and Chicken of the Woods mushrooms came out of nowhere and some of them found their way into egg, pizza and other pasta dishes at the hostel.

       The high fresh water flows reached the ocean and sent out a chemical invitation to the Coho Salmon to begin the last leg of their migration to their spawning grounds. An additional one inch of rain came over the Labor Day week-end. This was the straw that broke the camel's back and it triggered the migration into the coastal rivers of the western Olympic Peninsula.

      Hunting and gathering is the main activity now. Blackberries are showing up in many aspects of our cuisine. My favorite is as a topping for ice cream sundaes made with vanilla bean ice cream adding whipped cream over the somewhat tart berries. Some will hunt deer with bow and arrow; while I, the ever ready fisherman, will chase the Coho Salmon.

      The days are shorter and the nights are cooler, but the cabbages continue to grow.

                      take it with ease,  Jim

One of the wonderful families who have visited the hostel this year.	And who could forget Carl, an outstanding fisherman!