Beith Creek in flower and snow

Arcata Community Forest

(map link)

We woke up Wednesday morning with snow falling. Big wet flakes were plopping against the ground after only half surviving the journey down and not surviving contact with the ground. More waves of snow came throughout the day, only sticking to the most exposed areas in a thin layer. As the light started to dim in the evening, it began to stick properly. It built up until the morning dawned with a blanket of the stuff. There was snow all the way down to the beach! Things were less thickly covered by the time the sun got to shining a bit on the trees, but still plenty more than seen in a decade.

A look along Panorama to a patch of backyard trees. The garden rhododendrons have been blooming a few weeks, but the wild ones won't be for a few months.

Down the stub end of Margaret to another patch of private trees holding rare snow.

Up the steps and into the community forest itself. Yeah, it's not all that much snow.

Snow was on the trees and dropping off. Under the trees was generally sheltered enough to have none. The breaks between the trees left the undergrowth packed in snow.

An inconsistent covering of snow under the trees where things are low.

The redwood sorrel has folded its leaves away just as it does when it is too hot out. They've only had a few flowers out and I didn't find any for today.

I turned onto the Beith Creek loop hoping to catch some violets still with snow. They shouldn't be feeling too roughly done by this odd weather. While snow isn't common, clear nights are often freezing this time of year and plenty of water comes down other days.

Bright waxy caps have been poking up in reds and yellows.

A patch full of redwood violets looking a little constricted.

Close up on the one still perky redwood violet.

Mushrooms on a log.

Fresh fern fronds wearing hats of snow.

Snow all the way up, but not too much.

One of the few exposed rocks in the forest.

The creek wasn't flowing very high as I came to the biggest crossing with no bridge. The other part of the forest gets bridges over all the flows, but not here. There's a few challenges when the rains get heavy over the Sunny Brae Tract.

Find a rock or two to cross this creek.

Then it's time for the biggest, steepest climb in the city! There could only be more snow up at the top.

Another bridge-free crossing that can take a bit of a jump.

The snow brings attention to things I've not seen before. I was sure there were no manzanita in the forest, but there it is, and in bloom.

Across Arcata and the bottoms all the way to the waves of the Pacific Ocean as a branch loses its snow.

The snow was indeed thicker after the climb.

I got to a few places where there was enough snow to note that I was the only person going my direction. Everyone else wanted to go down the steep climb instead of up.

Just a light powdering as the trail gets to a more normal steepness.

A spot that must be particularly sheltered from the breezes knocking the snow down.

The currents may not have liked the snow much and shed a lot of flowers afterward.

A little stream is a band of green in the snow.

Another bit of water requiring another mildly challenging hop.

The arctic butterbar has been thinking strongly about flowering.

Heavily hang some of the redwood limbs.

Another viewpoint, this time of marsh and Humboldt Bay before the far Pacific Ocean.

I passed the top of the trail to return around the loop and decided to continue on and climb that last little bit on the Arcata Ridge Trail. There weren't many footprints before and were fewer on the spur. A couple bikes had gone past in the snow that hadn't done the loop.

Further tracks in the further snow.

The irises have only put out a bit of green so far.

Snow was a delicate powder over six inches deep on the bridge.

The city put up a barricade on the trail when the rains started and it got soggy. The people seem to disagree with it and have put it to the side. Where the rocks were placed is very nice, but the next step after them is a very soggy water bar and after that, it's rather slimy and slick in spots. I didn't go very far. They were probably right to block it.

Laurel among the redwoods by the creek has fallen and made all its branches trunk.

The stream above the bridge is almost lost in the green and white.

The trail continues upward.

A hermit thrush was out in the snow.

And so I proceeded back along the powdery bridge and to the junction to now follow the Arcata Ridge Trail down to its start.

Just wandering down the hill again.

Stumps with just a little bit of snow around the edges.

The evergreen huckleberry was doing a good job of shedding the snow.

There was still snow on the roofs as I finished, but a little had come down a couple of times while I did the loop. Okay, the first had a bit of water mixed in. It felt like another wave of cold passed over with the coming of the second little snow. I know it's not much snow compared to folks who actually get it, particularly compared to what some folks are seeing currently. This comes with great green accents, which is quite nice. The roads here never got more than icy. It's quite a bit thicker where I was for the last hike.




*Beith Creek album*

©2023 Valerie Norton
Written 2 Mar 2023