Echo Basin

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comments (2)

Mark Ridgway

Lion

That looks great country to wander around. As an ignorant foreigner I would have guessed that type of country was further south. If the rocks were redder it could even be Australia. Beautiful scene. Posted 9 years ago
1. morpheme
  
  Lion
  
  Even though it isn't hot year round, eastern Washington is quite arid - it's called a cold desert, otherwise known as shrub steppe. It gets very little rainfall - only about 6 inches a year, so only areas around springs, ponds or running water support anything as large as trees. Even where there is water it is often rather mineral laden. Most of the lakes have white rings at their shorelines. The landscape is mostly old basalt that is showing and carved in the incredible canyons and coulees that you see because of a series of massive flood events that occurred during and at the end of the ice age. A giant lake formed behind an ice dam near the Idaho Montana border. Some 25-40 times the dam formed and burst leaving behind the amazing landscape that we see today. Walking the coulee bottoms is quite fun. You can see for a long way, and without trees getting lost is nearly impossible, so maps and even trails are unnecessary. The biggest obstacles are wetlands, which can mean long detours if you get stuck having to go around, but they are usually apparent because of the abrupt changes in vegetation. Walking the coulee tops can be less easy, mainly because you may find your path ends in a sheer cliff and the only way to go is back the way you came. Posted 9 years ago, modified 9 years ago