At Allison Pass in the Canadian Cascades lies the source of the Skagit River. Close to its source, it flows northwest, traveling into Manning Provincial Park. From there it makes a sharp turn to flow south into Skagit Valley Provincial Park. Along the way, it receives water from other streams: Snass Creek, the Small River, and the Klesilkwa River. It flows into Ross Lake which spans the border between British Columbia and Washington. Still high in the Cascade Mountains the river enters Ross Lake, a reservoir that is nearly 25 miles long formed by Diablo Dam. Additional creeks drain into the lake. Below the dam it enters Gorge Lake, formed by the Gorge Dam. The three lakes of the Skagit, all formed by dams are part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. The hydroelectric project was an important part of the efforts to support the United States war effort during World War II. The electricity generated powered aluminum plants that produced aluminum for airplanes that were being manufactured to fight in the war. The aluminum plants are no longer producing and much of the hydroelectricity produced helps power Seattle City Light.

Downstream from the dams, the river forms the boundary between the sister cities of Burlington and Mount Vernon, Washington before flowing into the Salish Sea at LaConner. The river is around 150 miles long and drains 2,600 square miles. The water flows by at 16,500 cubic feet per second, but can flood to 180,000 cubic feet per second.

For most of its length the Skagit has an aqua green color caused by the large amounts of granite dust suspended int he water. The grant dust is the product of glaciers that are wearing down the Cascade mountains.

Like the other rivers of my life, the Skagit has a story to tell and every time I am allowed to spend time near the river there are lessons for me to learn. For a year, from October 2020 to October 2021, we lived in Mount Vernon and we often walked along the Skagit and marveled at the great variations in depth and flows.

The Skagit is a salmon river. Prior to the building of the dams, the ocean-going fish would return not just to the Skagit, but also to all of the tributary rivers and streams to spawn. The various kinds of salmon had different seasons for the annual journeys. Kings and cohos and pinks each had a time when they filled the river. This made the river banks a natural place for people to live, but they quickly learned that the river was prone to huge floods. Spring thaws combined with abundant Pacific rainfall and caused the river to swell well beyond its normal channel in places. The river would fill with dirt and debris from the shore. Banks would be undercut and trees would fall into the water. The logs would jam and create dams that in turn would be washed out sending walls of water downstream.

The cycles of floods created an extremely fertile delta for the river. The land around the lower Skagit is very productive for farms. After settlers arrived in the area vegetables and grains were planted. The region produces delicious golden baking potatoes and other root crops. Because of the flooding, skilled engineers from Holland were invited to come and help build dikes and diversions. They brought with themselves bulbs and planted tulips and daffodils. The lower Skagit now produces the majority of tulip bulbs planted int eh United States and the blooming fields provide huge loads of cut tulips to florists nationwide.

Offshore in the Salish Sea, the salmon attracted sea mammals. Seals, sea lions, dolphins and orcas all feasted on the salmon as they made their way to the river. Sometimes the mammals would follow the fish up into the river itself. The fresh water from the river mixes with the salt water of the ocean in the delta and ocean creatures thrive in the lowest part of the river.

There is so much more to the story of the Skagit than I can write in a single journal entry. I am only one of those who have Skagit stories to tell. I try to listen carefully to the stories of others, seeking out opportunities to listen to traditional indigenous elders, scholars, and others who know parts of the story of the river. In turn, sharing the stories of the Skagit with our grandchildren has become an important task for our generation. Even though the children now have moved to a home in Nooksack country, a drainage to the north of the Skagit, they can see Mount Baker from their farm. The Baker river is a major tributary of the Skagit. The snow that is on the mountain year round is part of the source of the waters of the Skagit. Furthermore, their father is the community librarian in Mount Vernon. Their family used to live in Mount Vernon, which is how I came to learn the stories of the Skagit.

This year, as we did last year, we have some of our grandchildren with us as we camp in Skagit country. Last year we camped near the Baker River and played in Baker Lake. This year our campsite is alongside the Skagit. The river has created wonderful sandy beaches in this area, yielding a great area for the children to play at the edge of the river. The river is close enough to the snow and ice of the mountains to be very cold so the children don’t stay in the water very long, but they are learning first hand lessons that children have learned alongside this river since time immemorial. In the evenings around the campfire we tell stories, including stories of the river and the creatures that live in it.

Grandparents have been camping with grandchildren and telling Skagit stories in this region for thousands of years. Surrounded by a lush forest of giant Cedar, Douglas Fir, Hemlock and Spruce trees we are sheltered from the winds. Leaving their technology behind the children have time to play and read books and tell stories.

Grandpa has his computer and sneaks a few moments to write in the night, but soon it will be put away for another day of playing, learning, and growing together.