Time-outs

The trails and stairs going to the Elk Falls river bed are long and steep; going down, my old knees protest. Going back up, I have to stop to catch my breath. And then I lean on the railings and look at whatever's just in front of me.

This time, it was a section of Douglas fir trunk.

Moss, lichen, salal, shed needles, growing on crevassed bark.

And then there was a patch of Western Maidenhair fern.

Adiatum aleuticum, with the ever-present, ever-green sword fern in the background.

Double-checking the name, since it once was included with the Eastern species, I came across an interesting pair of quotes:

The name, maidenhair, originated from another plant — a European bog species that young girls once used to turn their hair blonde. (Central Coast Biodiversity)

And: 

The Quinault burnt the leaves and rubbed ashes in their hair to make it long, shiny and black. (Native Plants, PNW)

But other sources say the name refers to the black root hairs, or, conversely, to the glossy black stems.