Langfield Falls (Lost & Found, part 3)

Pacific Northwest September Travelog #7
Trout Lake, WA - Sat, 3 Sep 2022, 7pm

It took some doing, but we've now visited 5 waterfalls today. That's awesome because, well, first, visiting 5 waterfalls in any day is awesome; and second, our plan this morning was to visit 5 waterfalls, and now we've done that. Of course, the plan got changed several times between then and now. We've only visited two of the original 5 we planned. 😅

Waterfall #5 today is Langfield Falls, just off a quiet forest road somewhere near Mt. Adams.



The falls is named for a forest service superintendent decades ago who recognized that hiking trails and peaceful natural areas are critical for public appreciation of our public lands. Thus, there's a nice little trail from the road that leads about 1/4 mile downhill to the bottom of this gorge. And to keep it peaceful... well, they hid it in the middle of nowhere, and put up a sign that's really hard to see so most people miss it. We drove straight past it the first time. 🤣

Langfield Falls was #4 on our plan this morning. It slipped to #5 after we called multiple audibles this afternoon, including the unexpectedly nice falls on Lewis River.

The former #5 that fell off the bottom of our list today is Panther Falls. We know where to find it, we're just not going to get there in time. It's already 7pm and dusk is falling. It'll be almost full dark by the time we reach it. So... it goes back on the list for another day!

In beauty I walk. As long as there is light by which to see.

The Queen is Dead. Long Live the King.

Queen Elizabeth II of England passed away today. At age 96 she reigned for a record setting 70 years. She will be succeeded by her son, Charles, who will take the title King Charles III.

How much does it matter that there's a change in the UK's monarch? Not as much as some in the media portray. I remember asking British colleagues years ago what they thought about some particular scandal or another involving the royal family at the time. "A lot of us Brits really don't care," they said. They explained that the kind of people who follow news about the royals in the UK are the same kind of people who obsess over Hollywood celebrity gossip in the US.

Part of the insignificance IMO is that Elizabeth II was a carefully nonpolitical queen. Put another way, she really didn't do anything. She rarely made her opinion known on anything. Will Charles III follow in her anodyne footsteps? As prince he's spoken out forcefully on certain issues such as acting to stem climate change; but he's also indicated (in the past) that he would cease such advocacy if and when he became king. That's a shame.