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St. Maries, Idaho--Page 5
The trail up the hill switches back and forth, winding its way quickly
upward. It can't really be called a road now. I believe it was scratched
out years ago to allow for the transport of a microwave reflector to the top
of the peak. More on that later. Here, you can see the tall Ponderosa Pines
flanking the trail. Ponderosas are wonderful trees. They only grow well
in dry areas, so you find them where there's a lot of sun. On a warm day,
you can smell the sharp aroma of their pitch hanging in the air. And their
bark looks like tanned leather, all shades of scaly brown. We don't have many
Ponderosas in Western Washington. It's too wet. That's what Douglas Firs
are for. They like it. But I'll take a Ponderosa over a Doug Fir, any day.
This is it--the top of the hill. That concrete pillar with the bolts embedded
in it is one of three. They're all that's left of that microwave reflector
that I mentioned earlier. When I was a kid, we used climb up to the top of
it. It gave a great view of the valley. But it always scared me a bit when
I was standing below it. Silent and ominous. A few years ago, it
disappeared. They replaced it with a more modern outfit across the valley.
The hill is better off without it. Now, when I'm visiting town, I climb up
and just sit on the that concrete block. From it, there's a 360 degree
view of all that surrounds it--trees and sky. It's a good place to think.
Here's another view from the top of the hill. That's St. Maries down in the
valley. See the mountain just right of center? It's called Baldy because of
the cap of rock and shale crowning it. I've been up there a couple times.
A fire lookout sits square on top. You can follow a trail down from the
lookout to Crystal Lake. It sits at the bottom of a deep circular
depression. I used to fancy it a volcanic caldera when I was younger.
There's not much to say about this one. Brush, grass, and trees, with
rolling hills fading into the hazy distance. I'll let it speak for itself.
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All text and pictures are
Copyright © 1995-2009 by Keith Folsom.
This is it--the top of the hill. That concrete pillar with the bolts embedded
in it is one of three. They're all that's left of that microwave reflector
that I mentioned earlier. When I was a kid, we used climb up to the top of
it. It gave a great view of the valley. But it always scared me a bit when
I was standing below it. Silent and ominous. A few years ago, it
disappeared. They replaced it with a more modern outfit across the valley.
The hill is better off without it. Now, when I'm visiting town, I climb up
and just sit on the that concrete block. From it, there's a 360 degree
view of all that surrounds it--trees and sky. It's a good place to think.
Here's another view from the top of the hill. That's St. Maries down in the
valley. See the mountain just right of center? It's called Baldy because of
the cap of rock and shale crowning it. I've been up there a couple times.
A fire lookout sits square on top. You can follow a trail down from the
lookout to Crystal Lake. It sits at the bottom of a deep circular
depression. I used to fancy it a volcanic caldera when I was younger.
There's not much to say about this one. Brush, grass, and trees, with
rolling hills fading into the hazy distance. I'll let it speak for itself.