Trail Hiker Seeking Wisdom

The anatomy of a stream is one of form and function. In my biology and environmental science courses, I teach my students what I feel is a pillar of the content: structure equals function. The stream is a great example of that. As the water flows from the headwaters to the mouth, it changes not only its role in the stream or the land around it, but the stream itself. The main parts of a stream are the riffles, runs, glides, and pools. Each serving an important function for the stream and for the life in the stream. This past week I had the pleasure to spend a few days with our church's high school youth in the Washington National Forest hiking and camping at the Caroline Furnace Lutheran Camp and Retreat Center. We learned of the Big Pool Spring that fed the creek that ran through the camp. As we were hiking, I was, in true teacher fashion, pointing out the parts of a creek. As I said, "that is were the riffle meets the run" one of our youth said, that should be your book...