Newts, Owls, Winter Wrens

What do these three things have in common? All part of today's walk!

After a long day at the office, I was glad to see that the radar was pretty clear for a late afternoon walk. I'd planned a 3 miler so we headed out to our Sulphur Springs out and back. Temps were pretty mild and I ended up shedding both jacket and vest before I was done. The trip up the hill gave me time to shrug off the day's stresses, too, and before long, I found the pace of my thoughts slowing down and a deep sense of peace coming over me.

We got to our half-way point just as the sun broke through the clouds. I paused there to soak in the stillness and be fully present to the light streaming between the trees. That's one of the reasons I love these walks--the experience is as much spiritual as physical sometimes.

It wasn't just me and the dogs on this walk. There's a great big puddle at the top of the hill that attracts many Rough-skinned Newts. I saw one lazily swimming in the turbid water as well as another crossing the trail later on. I love to watch this amazing little creatures: deliberately and resolutely walking, mechanically stepping, gracefully gliding through the water, bright rusty red bodies, funny blunt faces.

Farther down the hill, I paused to listen to the rushing stream in the ravine below. Moments later, a Great-horned Owl added its voice to the babbling waters, echoing across the ravine, raising the dogs' curiosity, bringing a smile to my face. A Winter Wren was singing there, too, adding his rollicking voice to the song of the creek.

Good Lord, I am so grateful.

Spring, Spring!

Wow, did it ever feel like spring today!?! Warm and sunny weather and many other hints: spring ephemerals are sprouting on the forest floor, Violet-Green Swallows are back and singing, Dark-eyed Juncos are pairing up, buds are swelling on many trees, and Turkey Vultures are soaring over open spaces.

Today's 2.6 mile walk covered my Jackson Creek loop. We hoofed it up the hill (proceeding counter-clockwise as usual), then enjoyed a more leisurely pace from there on. Streams are running full and noisy; big dog even got to soak his belly (one of his very favorite things to do in warmer weather). We stopped at the meadow on the return to have a little mousing time, too.

Breezy romp at EE Wilson

After checking out the radar and making a good guess, we headed up to EE Wilson for a breezy walk between bands of rain. Our timing was excellent: the wind died down, the sun peeped out, and we got a full 4.0 mile walk in before the rain started back up.

There were lots of frogs croaking the marshy spots along with singing Red-winged Blackbirds. Tons of robins were gobbling up the zillions of earthworms that have been driven up out of the ground after all the rain we've been having.

My mileage goal for this week (that is, the past seven days) was 11 miles. I bested it by a little: 12.5 miles for the week. For next week, I'm aiming for 13 miles total with a five miler in there somewhere.

Please don't forget to keep me in your prayers. Will you consider donating to help me walk the 3 Day in September? Just click on the big pink badge to the right. Any amount is greatly appreciated!

Long Time, No Update!

Wow, I had no idea I had let this much time elapse since my last update.

Today's walk was a nice 3 mile out and back in the sunshine. This makes nearly 7 miles for the week so far. We walked Jackson Creek for 1.75 on Tuesday, a forest road off Tampico Road on Wednesday for 2 miles. Making progress! My goal for this week was 11 miles total--I think I'll make it with no problem (especially if the weather holds).

EE Wilson for wet day walk

It was a wet week and not one very conducive to walking. I did manage to get a little mileage in though, with a 1.5 mile stroll at Lewisberg Saddle on Wednesday and a 1.5 mile hill climb at Sulphur Springs on Friday. Today, being another soggy day, we were looking for a route that would minimize the muddy dog factor. E.E. Wilson Game Management area was just the ticket.

E.E. Wilson is located north of Corvallis, right off Hwy 99W. Once a military base, it's now a state managed game reserve that is crisscrossed with paved roads in the midst of open fields, regenerating scrub, and marsh. We walked a simple out and back for a very pleasant 2.45 mile jaunt.

The upsides to EE Wilson are plenty: tons and tons of streets to walk that are now blocked to traffic, lots of wildlife to enjoy (we heard Marsh Wrens, Virginia Rail, Red-Winged Blackbirds, and frogs to name a few), and no mud even on very wet days like this one. There are plenty of downsides to this area, too, though: being a game management area means hunters so you'll need to be aware of what season it is and avoid the area when hunting is going on. It's very near Hwy 99W so there's lots of traffic noise and in addition, it's right across from Coffin Butte (the local landfill) so it sometimes smells a bit iffy. Nonetheless, it's a very pleasant place to be and the dogs love the puddles for splashing and the fields for mousing.

Signs of Spring

In downtown Corvallis this morning, I noticed some optimistic daffodils were already in bloom. Elsewhere, crocuses are popping out and bursting into bright yellow, pink, and lavender blooms. Alders have catkins, ornamental pears are budding; robins are caroling, the Scrub Jays are yakking, and the Bewick's Wrens are singing like crazy. Yes, spring is on its way. However, winter isn't over yet--the rains returned today.

We waited until afternoon to do a short but intense uphill walk. This is a variation on my Baker Creek route but instead of remaining on FR800, we took the first left fork on FR811 and hoofed it up the hill for a 320 foot elevation gain. We stopped at the end of Alpha Trail which has been recently graveled (it needed it). A nice 1.5 mile round trip.

Saturday Hike at Sulphur Creek

I was out of town for most of last week; my dogs and beloved stayed home while I went off for a writing retreat. When I got back, I was greeted by a happy man and two very ecstatic dogs. This afternoon, the whole family went out for a nice solid hike on a route that is rapidly turning into one of our favorites.

When arrived at the parking spot near the gate across FR72o, there were several cars already there. The sun was still shining but high thin clouds were starting to appear. By the end of our out-and-back walk, clouds were starting to filter out the sunshine.

Puppy was in an especially playful mood, locating someone's lost tennis ball, carrying up the hill, finally losing it somewhere on the way back. Big Dog was moving slower than usual but found plenty of energy to play with a Yellow Lab we met along the way as well as to race Puppy up the hill later on. It felt great to be out in the woods again, chatting with my husband, and enjoying the sheer joy that two happy, hiking dogs can feel.

On a training note, it's time to get serious about mileage. I'm aiming for a 24 week training period and will start building my base soon. My man scouted a ten mile long route this week (by car) that I'm looking forward to tackling in a few weeks.

Finally, please consider donating to help me walk the Breast Cancer 3 Day--just click here and make a small contribution that will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!