Moments in Dirt and Ink

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge Click for interactive map The fact that the National Wildlife Refuge doesn't allow dogs (or horses or bikes or even running) tends to create more possibilities for wildlife encounters. That this particular bit is closed Tuesday to Thursday and sits beside a bit that's closed to all except those who have obtained a permit makes it a little more wild. For one frequent volunteer with the Friends of the Dunes, that meant getting to watch a family of otters diving and chomping away at their catch from the end of one trail. After the regular third Sunday removal of invasive beach grass on the far north end of Ma-le'l South, I headed out to where the otters had been seen, not that I really expected to see them too. Kayakers on the Mad River Slough send the shorebirds on the nearby island into flight. The otters were seen a the end of Tsoutsgish Trail, a very flat route following the old railroad grade at the edge of Mad River Sloug...

Shasta-Trinity National Forest Click for interactive map We hit the Swift Creek trailhead for a day hike up to the snow survey cabin. Daniil wanted to do a survey of the terrain, but the fact of the cabin suggests it's pretty safe hiking in winter. We only hit snow on the road shortly before the trailhead around 4000 feet, although the trailhead parking was totally covered in white. We started out with the snowshoes on our backs. Snow exists, as we see at the trailhead. Into the wilderness that started a quarter mile back down the road according to the map. Soggy trail with a little running water at the second sign for the Trinity Alps Wilderness. The morning wasn't freezing and the trail ran with water. We passed several very seasonal streams and the ones marked on the map tended to need a well placed rock to keep the feet out of the water. When we hit snow, it was neither hard nor particularly soft. Swift Creek churning below. Closer to Swift Creek. Bei...

 Smith to Summit: Smith River ; Smith River National Recreation Area: Mar 22-23 Summit Valley  Ossagon Creek, Fern Canyon, and Friendship Ridge ; Prairie Creek State Park: Mar 29  Wooley: Deer Lick Creek ; Klamath National Forest: Apr 4-6 Haypress Creek Salmon River  Waterfalls and Snow in Canyon Creek ; Shasta-Trinity National Forest: Apr 13  Humboldt Trail ; Shasta-Trinity National Forest: May 1-2  Black Mountain Lookout ; Shasta-Trinity National Forest: May 3  Red Mountain Lake, Blue Lake, and Fish Lake ; Six Rivers National Forest: May 18  North Trinity Mountain, Waterdog Lake, and Mill Creek Lakes ; Six Rivers National Forest: May 25  Preston: Sanger Lake ; Six Rivers National Forest: May 29-Jun 1 Raspberry Lake El Capitan Youngs Peak  Rhododendrons on the Rhododendron Trail (with CREA excursion) ; Prairie Creek State Park: Jun 8  South Yolla Bolly: Square Lake and Burnt Camp Connector ; Mendocino Na...

Shasta-Trinity National Forest DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3 Purple lines for day 3. Click for interactive map We didn't have much to do for the third day except head on out. Daniil decided he wanted to go up the mountain for the early morning rays on Mount Shasta. Shasta was a no-show, but he stayed up there a while. He was bundled up well. I decided to take a larger tour around the upper lake to visit all the little ponds of the area. No new ice on the lake this morning. There's a nice rock ramp heading up the hill from our camp, so I took that to start the big loop. It takes energy quickly, but the rocky slope is pretty stable. The curlleaf mountain mahogany 's view. Once up on the shelf I had seen above the camp, I found an unexpected bonus pond, frozen solid. A tidy little depression.