First Hike With Mallory

Today is December 13th, 2014. We have had one cold spell this fall and now it is so warm that I heard tree frogs last night! Mallory wants to do more hiking so we started with this easy one over at Palisades Park just a few miles from our house at the top of Sunset Hill.

I'm Training in the Rain, Training in the Rain

I woke up at 5am and hit the trail (Mt. Spokane State Park Trail # 110) in a light rain by 7am. I am very thankful for my Marmot light raincoat and my rain resistant pants from REI. My feet got wet near the top of the saddle between Mt. Spokane and Mt. Kit Carson because the trail was nearly covered by soaked bear grass and huckleberry bushes. At the top of Kit Carson there was a bit of a cold wind blowing the misty clouds over the top. These photos are from my brief stop at the crest. I turned back down and made the nine miles in about 3.25 hours. I scared up a fawn and later spotted a doe before she saw me. The wet, dripping woods were filled with the liquid sounds of veerys in the lower and middle sections. Near the trail junctions I heard what must have been the King of the Corvids; a raven with the deepest voice that I have ever heard..."GRONK ..... GRONK". It later switched to that fluid musical note that ravens make. I saw no insects or worms on the trail but I did pass through some strands of spider webs. I was certainly the only one on the trail until I passed a young couple starting out as I neared my car. At least on a day like today I had no chance of being run over by one of my mountain biking friends screaming around a bend in the woods.