Category: Bridge

North Fork Skokomish Fire Before and After (3)


The Olympic National Park opened up the Staircase Rapids Loop Trail on July 8th for the first time since the fire in 2025 devastated the area. The valley of the North Fork Skokomish was one of my favorite locations and I went to take photos of the area on the 8th. Each set of photos shows the same location before and after. Some images aren’t exact matches … but I did as well as I could with the images I had. The Staircase Loop Trail leaves from the Staircase Ranger Station, runs 1 mile (1.6 KM), crosses the river (on a bridge that was protected from the fire) and returns back to the parking lot.

Staircase Loop Bridge Before

In order to save the bridge, the Park wrapped the bridge in fire protective material. The bridges further up the valley were mostly all lost to the fire. It will be years before they are all replaced.

Staircase Loop Trail Bridge After
Upriver View From the Middle of the Staircase Loop Trail Bridge Before
Upriver View From the Middle of the Staircase Loop Trail Bridge After
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North Fork Skokomish Fire Before and After (1)

The Olympic National Park opened up the Staircase Rapids Loop Trail on July 8th for the first time since the fire in 2025 devastated the area. The valley of the North Fork Skokomish was one of my favorite locations and I went to take photos of the area on the 8th. Each set of photos shows the same location before and after. Some images aren’t exact matches … but I did as well as I could with the images I had. The Staircase Loop Trail leaves from the Staircase Ranger Station, runs 1 mile (1.6 KM), crosses the river (on a bridge that was protected from the fire) and returns back to the parking lot.

The first set is from an overlook close to the trailhead (but slightly off the trail).

Up River View Before
Up River View After

The second set is of the Slate Creek crossing. The wood single stringer bridge is completely gone.

Slate Creek with Bridge (before)
Slate Creek Crossing with No Bridge

(Note the woman on the left for scale)

13

Cambridge

Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

I went to England in 1999 to see the total eclipse of the sun (it was cloudy). But while I was in London, my brother and I spent the day going up to Cambridge where we visited the University and I was thrilled to come upon the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics … one of the hangouts of Stephen Hawking.

We later walked over to the river Cam and I poled a punt (skiff? … ?) on the river. My brother was a little nervous with my poling … not having been with me during any of the hours I had spent poling my canoe. This was lots easier … not nearly as tippy. It was fun to pole under a bridge on the Cam.

Poling on the River Can
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Upstream and Downstream

Upstream

These photos were taken from the Graves Creek Bridge on the East Fork Quinault trail in the Olympic National Park. I thought the difference between the two was interesting … you just wouldn’t likely think the photos were taken the same spot. The difference between the two ‘sides’ is purely a result change in gradient … there isn’t any dam or blockage below this point on the creek.

Downstream

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