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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
August 6, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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August 6, 2020
 
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Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020 Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A-39 Trail: Why understanding ‘the switch’ is so important '~ continued from 37 whistle being blown by Officer Friend— ly meant we were spotted playing ei- ther behind, above or along the ledges leading to the falls. ' Increasingly, however, waterfalls are an old, tired obsession at times. At 64, I don’t have the limber joints and extra energy I used to draw on. I’m at that point where I have to make myself care. Maybe you can relate. Sooner or later we all face this precipice regard- ing our habits and hobbies: to con- tinue or give them up. , With hiking, it seems I can’t get over the logs as easily as I used to. Climbing one is a long, tactical series of maneuvers, whereas a few years ago, I just hopped over and jumped back down. Now, when I am only 4 feet above ground, I hesitate to jump, not trusting that I will land without a spill, fearing that the impact will send my teeth chattering. Experiencing this in real time, completely aware of the new, slower me, is a sad dance. Then, when I heap a little disappointment on top — fail- ure to find the waterfall I recognize my batting average is slipping below .100, the kind of number that sends most guys to the minors. That’s why understanding “the switch” isso important. The switch is The Beatles’ “Let It Be,” or, more accurately, George Har- rison’s “All Things Must Pass.” It’s a state of mind I switch into when I can see things are not going my way. I find that if I let goof an unten- able situation, the sense of failure and its emotional sting lessen. When the sting subsides, then I can start feeling buoyant and optimistic again. It’s like meeting your son’s fiancé’s parents and knowing they live on a different planet than you once you . get over it, you’re free. ADVANCING UP THE VANCE So it turned into a pretty sweet day, meandering slowly up one of the driest creeks I’ve ever explored. Every few hundred yards, water would pool against a bank, or it would seep out of sand, run thin as a dime for a hun- dred feet or so, then disappear below. I went up as far as where the gorge starts to deepen, which was still a good mile or more from the Vance Creek Bridge. It’s slow walking on stones the size of softballs. I met a pair of dippers, the gray chesty birds known for their comical, dipping posture and the way they dive under water to feed. I also came across a pair of well- developed campsites on watery sec- tions of the creek. The lower campsite featured rock work that must have taken days to shape into a dam. Two tents sat side by side, the one a small tent for. kids, with a sleeping mat- tress and stuffed animals still inside. The upper camp also had a tent, plus three camp chairs in a semi-cir-' cle, a large plastic cooler and a stand- up metal propane barbecue stove. Both sites had many plastic pool toys, air mattresses, kayaks and in— flatable rafts. One had a half dozen Barbie Dolls. Both sites looked thor— oughly used, as if local kids came here every year, but now seemed aban- doned, but I’m hoping only temporar- ily, as most stuff was quality gear. But if you’re not coming back and you know who you are, please make an effort to retrieve your tents, your , float toys, your camp chairs, your Barbie Dolls and beer cans behind the baby crib. Beer cans behind the baby crib —- those are the kind of words you’d expect Merle Haggard or Hank Wil- liams to sling, but they are Mason County poetry, through and through. I Mark‘WOytowich is a writer, pho- tographer, video producer and author of “Where Waterfalls and Wild Things Are.” He lives in Potlatch with his “0n the Trail” column appearing ev- ery other week in the Shelton-Mason Journal. Reach him at his website, www.wherewaterfallsare.com, or by email at eyefive@hctc.com. Lam sou: Lake 34; 2. Sharon Corrigan and Mary Lou ’I‘rautmann, 35; 3. Elaine Ducken and Gail Gag- Go ner, 36. Mixed division Low gross——1. Dave Blowers Two person best ball and Kerry Torkelson, 41; * July 27 results J0e Wilkerson and Carla E1- 44; 3. Rem'e Dyson and Kerry Torkelson, 47. Low net— 1. Carla Elliot and Pegi Reese, Mark Woytow/ch On The Trail column/st Men’s division Low gross—1. Lance Levine and Ron Graver, 37; 2. Vern Duggan 811d Jerry Nokes, 40. Low net—1. Budd Morrow and Terry MONOW, 27; 2. Gene Reese and Joe Wilkerson, 28; 3. Dean Dyson and Ron Graver, 33. Women’s division Low gross— 1. Nadine Dun- ning and Sheryl Perkins, 43; 2. Sue Ingersoll and Pat J ankord, hot, 42; 3. Joel Gray and Kristi Gray, 44. Low net—1. Gene Reese and Pegi Reese, 27; 2. Bob Darling and Susan Dar- ling, 29; 3. Jerry Nokes and Sheila Nokes, 30. Longest drive No. 3 hole, men—Ed IrVin; women—Sheryl Parkins. Closest to the pin No. 7 hole—Dave Blowers, 15 feet, 2 inches; womenASusan Darling, 13-8V2. ’5 ‘ v 5 '8 Above, float toys add color to a shrinking, drying channel of Vance Creek. Below, a humble oasis of riverside shade lets one keep an eye on the kids while cooling the feet and quenching the thirst. Journal photos by Mark Woytowich ‘ For the week of AUGUST 6 through AUGUST 12, 2020 “ ALLYN | Case Inlet DAIE HIGH (rm) LOW (rrrn SUN moon AM PM AM 3M mmmwmmmwmmmm- mmmmmm .. mmmmmwmmmmwm 9 mmmmmmmmm wWMMMMEmmmmmm-' ‘ H mmmmmm , awn-mammmnmmm ‘ SHELTON l Oakland Bay . l 4 ' DAlE HIGH (FEED LOW (FEET) H sun moon l , mmmm :26 mm : ? 4:03 i o H Iummmmmmn , . amwmmmmnwmmmm UNION l Hood Canal an HIGH (FEET) LOW (fEEl) sun moon I AM PM AM PM ‘w 6 unusualmarshmalnmmnnaaanamnu .7 mmmmmmmm BIflfllfiflflfllfiflflfllflflfiilflflflllfiflfihlfll 9 HMflEllflflhilflflflllflflEllEflMfllEflfil mmmmmmmm “MWEMMEMMMEEE “MEMMMMEWEMED Weekly Tide Tables Sponsored by . v erwmzcmuouwmmsmsmm Tide tables have been transcribed and (360) 4260933 > may contain errors. Not intended for navigational use. Tidal Information Courtesy US Harborscom