The clouds parted and the sun shone so I packed up the new birthday stove and headed out into the woods for a bit of spring. Flooded fields were in view on the walk to the oak woodland. I wondered if the trail would be above water and regretted passing up my hiking boots.
I followed the upland trails so there was only a single spot with mud and water flowing on it. Both of the trails that I’ve used to the overlook were completely under water. So I worked my way through the blackberries along the ridgeline and was able to avoid the flood zone. I like this place as it isn’t frequented, it’s on the far side of the ridge from the rail line and the view is pretty good.
I sat under an white oak and prepared to brew up. This was the first time I used the little Pocket Rocket stove since receiving it for my birthday; it worked perfectly. It will be great for summer camps where fires are strictly restricted; such as here.
I sat against this tree and waited for the water to boil and the wildlife to ignore my presence. A pair of Bald Eagles circled overhead screaming to each other. I lost sight of them when they landed in a Cottonwood next to the river. A house wren sang out the delights of his location to all of the wren chicks in the area. I heard the occasional rustle of a rabbit or towhee moving unseen through the shrubs and the plops of carp in the surrounding flooded fields.
After I finished my drinking my coffee I wandered around the point. It was very much reduced by the flood. The trails that I will use next summer were not visible under the water. Typically I can leap across parts of the creek channel visible in the photo. Today I can’t even see the shrubs along the channel banks.
Quietly walking along the ridge I was alerted to a garter snake by the sound of the animal slipping over the dried leaves. I paused to watch what it was stalking but it was just searching for a sunny spot. I watched the snake for a time just listening to the quiet sounds of the woodland.
As I was thinking of resuming my walk I caught a flash of motion from a coyote ducking onto a side trail. The animal must have seen me just as it passed the trail junction. I wasn’t quick enough to get a photo but I did find tracks in the soft mud.
The smudged tracks record where the coyote reacted to me. The boot tracks were from a previous visitor who turned back upon reaching the flooded portion of the trail. Closer examination of this spot in the trail disclosed the tracks of a previous coyote, a squirrel (crossing from upper center to lower right) and a Cottontail (down the trail from right to left).
The flood waters have concentrated the animals on higher ground. This must make hunting a bit easier and with the lack of leaf cover, evasion is more difficult.
The wildflowers are not yet in bloom. I was somewhat surprised to find that the Tolmiea menziesii was sprouting up all along this part of the trail.
I was curious how much of the west trail was open. As I followed it down to the flood zone I recognized the smell of Skunk cabbage. The smell isn’t in the least repulsive, but it is distinct. The plant was growing in the small creek draining the hillside and had developed only a single flower. I was reminded of how important the plant was to the local tribes.
Just over the slight ridge to the east there is a ten acre pond that is flush with Wapato. It’s the only lake with that rich starch source in the area. It’s certainly possible that over the last 100 years farmers have exterminated it from all of the other ponds, but I choose to consider this the local Wapato larder.
The rest of my trip was uneventful. A pleasant walk through the woods. I tested my new stove and enjoyed the company of the residents of our local wild lands.