Fabulous fall day! One to bring out the joy of the Cascades and work being done to restore Yakima fisheries.
A bit of rain but fall colors were glorious. Lots of colors in the valley, more on the hills and a hint of snow on the ridges.
A 100 yards up the trail from the Salmon la Sac trailhead is a waterfall and pool with about 60 bright red sockeye salmon swimming lazily in the current. These are the namesake salmon of the area, missing for almost 100 years due to water development in the Yakima - sockeye were extirpated. In 2009 the Yakama Nation reintroduced sockeye to Cle Elum. Now the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan is working to make fish passage permanent - that project is about half way done. This is a huge win for salmon, for environmental justice, for hikers on a glorious fall day.
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