On Christmas day, I went for a hike on the Monte Cristo Road, off the
Mountain Loop Highway in the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie Natl. Forest (Snohomish
County). The Snohomish Valley was socked in with dense fog when I drove
through it in the morning and still foggy when I drove back in the
afternoon, but the MC Road was above the fog (1,000 ft? 1,500 ft?
Something like that.) in clear sunshine sparkling with a few inches of
packed snow. The road was easy walking in tennis shoes. The bird species
count for the day was one (1): I heard a couple of flocks of Chestnut-backed
Chickadees. Also heard a few chirps from a probable Winter Wren. If you
want to get out of the fog, go high. If you want to see birds, you're
better off in the lowlands.

(But it was a nice hike, anyway.)

Kelly Cassidy