Trip Report

Just in time for our afternoon start, the stormy rainy day dried up. Six lovers of slowly moving along a forest trail ascended the wide, recently cleaned steps (thank you Clara!) now decorated by fallen golden big leaf maple leaves, and headed up the butte. Had the rains forced ALL of the deciduous leaves to carpet the forest floor? Not at all! The recent rains had decreased the numbers of fellow hikers, leaves in Eugene gardens below were too soggy for leaf blowers and therefore a lovely silence permeated the mild autumn air. Only the chattering of chickarees, a couple seen off trail, and some bird song were to be heard until about 2:45 when an airplane soared past. Golden leaves remained on towering bigleaf maples, and lush green mosses draped snags and logs. Douglas-fir sap trickled down like large candle wax drips, some clear and sparkling in the light like little holiday lights.

We discovered quite the variety of fungi both on dead wood and popping up among fallen leaves. Many pictures from this outing should be consulted in the Nature Photography @ Spencer gallery. Carla Cooper is sure to have captured some beauty with her great eye. Hints of coming spring, multitudes of candy-flower shoots were seen and lots of healthy fringe-cup. Clara saw a different (as yet unidentified) kind of squirrel than the Douglas-squirrels (chickarees) that we spotted, and she heard Pacific wren, golden-crowned kinglet and chestnut breasted chickadee, and I think a raven as well. Joanna heard Steller's jay.

The walk was indeed slow, moving at less than one mile an hour...everyone went home satisfied with time passed together in that more leisurely than usual way.