One question and one exclamation. Any of you birders know what kind of bird that is? No racket like a woodpecker, but maker of thousands of little holes in that tree.
And, the bench is back! Missing for over a year, this bench at about the one mile mark replaces the one swept away in the flooding of ’21.
Despite the “meh” forecast, we arrived to the parking lot to 60 degrees and mostly sunny. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, there was a hint of a sprinkle around 3:00, but was a wonderful day to be in the forest along the Nooksack. On Tuesday I stopped by the River after the Litter Patrol to check on things. The water was a bit low. After three days of 60’s and 70’s, the river was flowing high and fast with snowmelt. Lots of white water. No kayakers today, though.
The trail was lightly used, but we exchanged greetings with a nice mix of old and young. May have also enlisted some new Club members when running into a group of enthusiastic women from a Vancouver, BC Meet-up outing. Peppered with questions about the Club and where it hikes, I encouraged them to check out the website for info.
Horseshoe Bend is a great trail for many reasons: only 4 miles round trip,
cool on a hot day, and the perfect intro to hiking for children and adults. Hilly, but not demanding. We began the hike on the original trail below the Hwy bridge. Because of serious trail erosion in the’21 flooding, it did require some side trips into the brush, over fallen trees, and a scamper up a tricky slope. But it is certainly the prettiest part of the Trail, right at the river’s edge.
Some photos will eventually be posted on Flickr.
Richard