Sunday, October 21, 2012

Life At Its Most Determined

Up the Sol Duc River. Usually you know just before you get there if the salmon are jumping. As the road came around the curve there were no watchers silhouetted along the bank of the river, no cars in the little parking lot for Salmon Cascade. But heaps of water, and yes, the salmon were jumping.

Sol Duc River, October 20, 2012. Some coho jump into the frame at about 0:07...

I had the river to myself for a while; could hang around, bouncing up and down a little to lend lift to the fishes, and cheering them on. Go go go, fish. Swim swim swim. Whoo, two and two more and another, whoo. They flap their fins and tails like crazy in the air, so when they land they are already swimming as hard as they can. They never seem to get through; but they must, because I've heard that if you know where to look upstream from this point you can see them making their redds (nests) in the tributary channels; and they can only have gotten there by succeeding in jumping up the cascade. Go go go, fish. Swim swim swim.

The biggest ones showed color... (Click for larger image.)

Some people came. "Are they jumping?" "Oh yeah," I said, but I didn't really need to answer, a couple of small ones jumped and then a big one. "Whoah!" said everyone. Instant joy. Now more people came, as it was clear to cars passing by that Something Was Happening. Wasn't it just.

Short jump movie

Thank you, Olympic National Park.

1 comment:

Being Human said...

Miriam dear,
Wherever you are.....i wanted you to know that the annual salmon run at brooks falls in alaska has begun. I have been thinking of you alot and of course, will continure to do everytime i see a salmon jump. Dear, dear, miriam, wherever you are, hello!