Farah needed a ride, I did too! Bracken is the shortest drive - so that's where we went. It's hard - when I have so much to get done - to take the time to ride. The whole while I was thinking about what I should have been doing at home.
Our rig back at the parking area~
Farah was threatening to spook at about anything... Getting ridden once a week is not her thing! I circled her, then had her back up - which is how we took this photo. We have our somewhat standard loop now, through what is usually the muddy trails. Even with all the rain - the trails had held up well.
Dogwood Blooms!
At the shelter, I was surprised to see the dogwood blooming! Either it's a late blooming variety - or the wonderful late summer weather we've been having fooled it into a second bloom.
Mr. Bear~
Distracted... As we headed down the hill toward the river - something big & black caught my eye - moving down the lane about 150ft. ahead of us. For only one second, I thought it was a big dog, but as it ambled along, there was No doubt it was a bear! I pulled Farah up - got out my camera & took the photo. The wind was blowing right at us - I was surprised Farah had very little reaction? What to do? He was between us & where I wanted to go! As he moved forward - we followed - I started singing & by the time we were going past the fence - he had disappeared into the bush.
Such a truly gorgeous day - we went over Tin Bridge. Now, there was a bitter sweet quality to the crossing, the realization that it might be one of our last times across.
No more bales~
This year, the field of my Green Valley was cut & put into the round bales - a change from last year.
Looking at the new section of trail~
The trees that were taken out are still waiting to be hauled away - but the ecology blocks are off to the side, which opens a short section of the trail. As I regretfully resigned my position as the Centennial Trail Coalition Chairman - at the last meeting - I heard of the success of the
History on the Centennial Trail
event. The most common question asked; was when the Whitehorse would
be paved... I had wanted to attend this event - I could have maybe
changed some minds - but life got in the way.
Compaction~
Recently Parks released this information on the trail usage. "Over 12,000 people annually are already enjoying the trail, but when it is fully ready for use the projections expect almost 15 time as many visitors per year. Part of the future of the Whitehorse Trail builds on the expectation that Snohomish County needs to be ready for a 25% growth by 2035. As noted above, the most consistent question from people is about the surfacing plan. The proposal plans to put down a compacted surface adequate for ADA use."
As you can tell from the photo above, compaction for ADA use is hard - very hard - but certainly not as hard as paving.
Soft~
The softer, somewhat sandy surface that was of course my preference - won't happen. We are in desperate need of a BCH person willing to take over as Equestrian Representative for the Coalition. There are also upcoming changes proposed for Lord Hill - & Joan too, is in need of help & support. If no one steps up - the rolling stone - already covered with moss - will be rolling on paving - as more & more of the area's once designated for horses could be lost.
Current surface~
The leaves are already starting to fall & the smell was incredible. The most optimistic plans now are for the Whitehorse to open about this time next year. One of the things I'd hoped to do - was to ride it point-to-point :-(
Farah~
Farah picked up on my melancholy mood... She's watched as we've been cleaning out the barn, all the people who've been visiting - strangers, friends & family. A big change is in the wind for us...
Dripping sap~
We headed back, we got in Farah's little run - but thinking of that Bear - I didn't let her hit her higher speeds. I know I've been bored - if I dare say that! Having ridden these trails for so many years, as riding partners came & went... Looking so forward to seeing fresh areas, riding new places & having new friends to ride with!
Post Script~ This ended up as my last ride as a Washington State resident. It was beautiful, it was fun & it was fitting~
When I arrived at the Victoria parking about noon - it was full! Just enough space for me to pull in between to other trailers. Several riders were there I knew - Charlotte was kind enough to come over & say; "hi". Overcast - with big thunderheads rolling by overhead - I put my jacket on the back of the saddle.
Foxglove & daisy's
We were only a mile out when Farah stopped - I couldn't see a thing & she moved on without urging. Shortly after that, two deer appeared then disappeared into the woods. We were staying on the roads, I wanted to move out & was short on time, with a Centennial Trail meeting at 5:30 in Snohomish.
About to reach the bottom of Fast Trail - without any warning - I was thrown! Farah had suddenly gone into a violent spin & nothing was keeping me topside! I'd grabbed mane - which allowed me to stay on her side until the edge of the road came up - which is where I hit - hard! First my lower back, then my left shoulder & finally - the side of my head with a dull thud! Farah ripped the last of the rein from my hand & took off at a trot back the way we'd come.
Realizing that nothing was broken, just blood dripping from a gouge in my hand - I crawled to my feet & called her name. She stopped & waited for me to come up. Once I had her - I was Furious! She knew it - as I yelled & screamed at her - she took it with a look of stoic intensity. I called Butch - told him I was in one piece & that HIS horse was in Big trouble!
Gee Mom...
I'd remounted & gone a short way when I realized I'd lost my sunglasses. Dismounting - I started back down the road kicking at the low growing weeds trying to find them - when suddenly Farah blew herself up & stared at the woods! In the next instant I heard a distinctive, loud but low huffing! Branches breaking - the unmistakable sound of a large bear coming our way! OK! Forget the glasses! I mounted fast & we booked it out of there! Our last visit from the Bear cubs~
Mt. Baldy with rain moving in~
Once through Fast Trail - now almost totally overgrown, we galloped to the top of the mountain - a few raindrops falling by now.
Stunningly beautiful~
By the time we came out at the Monument - the sun appeared.
Olympics & Sound
I was still pretty shook, sitting down to eat my grapes, a bike rider appeared. Holly asked me; "What happened to you?" I looked at her? How did she know anything had "happened"? She said; "You're back is covered with dirt!" Oh! I told her my story - it was nice to have her company.
On our way down~
Starting back, the sun-breaks would come & go. I missed my sunglasses - my favorite pair :-(
Mt. Baldy again~
There's something about the way the storms hug the Cascades through here - I always find somewhat mesmerizing...
Sun & showers
Ever changing - fascinating - a landscape I could watch for hours on end. We got back to the trail-head in one piece. As usual, ours was the last trailer in the lot.
Our ride home~
Dismounting - the stiffness hit...
My helmet - not quite "fine" but OK!
Just a scuff mark...
Back of my vest~
I had to rush to get ready for the meeting, Butch drove us to Russ's office at Willis Tucker. We had our usual full agenda, but Duane didn't make the meeting - as representative for the tree farms - the largest of our adjoining landowners. After hearing my story - everyone agreed it was a shame he wasn't present - since he needs to be reminded to keep his Bears under better control! :-)
Where Mr. Bear found us~
A good ride is one where you can ride &/or walk away - I do think my helmet helped!
After the grand-kids left with their parents, Butch & I decided to go ahead & hike the Whitehorse Trail. We started at Haller Park & walked over the Trestle. Looking up - we were thrilled to see the Osprey now in place!
Osprey sits atop the Haller Trestle
Many thanks to Sarah Arney, for spearheading the effort, the Arlington Arts Council & our own Centennial Trail Coalition for contributing the funds to help with the purchase & mounting for the installation of the beautiful Osprey. What a wonderful work by artist Dan Brown that is now permanently perched on top of the Haller Trestle!
We headed to Resilience Arch & admired the new bricks that are much higher quality with deep etching that will hold up to the elements. From there - we were on the ballast rock of the old rail line.
On the Trail~
Such an absolutely gorgeous day - walking along the river was so enjoyable. We were about a half-mile out when we saw bikes coming toward us! At first I thought it had to be horsemen - I'd Never seen bikes on this trail! Too much heavy rock! But no - it was indeed two men on bikes!
All the way from Darrington!
I am literally 100% sure that these two are the first to have traveled this trail point-to-point! With only three bridges left to be decked, they had those to detour around on the highway - which was challenging. Otherwise - it was the rock that made the journey a long one!
Slide Area
Our next surprise - the area of trail that was impacted by the small mud slide, was completely cleared away! (Using the word small, in comparison to the horrible slide that is foremost in our memories.) Not at all small when it comes to the man hours that it took to clear all the broken trees & mud away. Many thanks to Snohomish County Parks & our hard working Park Rangers!
Views of the Stillaquamish~
Throughout this part of the trail, it's easy to take your time, take in the fresh air & appreciate the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
Almost to Cloverdale~
Butch wanted to continue on to Cloverdale & see the new survey work. I'm hopeful this is preliminary in preparation for the repair & completion of this section, so critical to everyone looking forward to enjoying the west portion near Arlington.
Interior of the barn roof~
We met the property managers of this amazing place, originally part of the tree farm properties. Then operated as a nursery - at least the year I first went through this area. It was a thrill to be invited in to see it. The owner has future plans to restore the barn which already sports a new roof!
Up in the loft - was the surprise of the day :-) Just too crazy fun & can you imagine the sound - especially with the wood acoustics of the barn? The remaining old barns in this area are such an asset to our rapidly urbanizing landscape. Private property owners wise enough to know this & preserve them - deserve our thanks.
North Fork of the Stillaquamish - toward Arlington
Beautiful from either direction~
In sight of the Arch~
I didn't have my GPS, so still need to check my records, but should have the distance recorded from a ride. Round-trip was probably about 7-miles :-) About half way back I thought of a quote from "A Knights Tale" - Chaucer:
"To trudge: the slow, weary, depressing yet determined walk of a man who
has nothing left in life except the impulse to simply soldier on."
My feet were speaking volumes by the time we got back to the park :-)
I'd wanted to get out on this stretch of trail for a while, with the tree farms now closed - the choice was easy. The slightly cooler temperature too, was nice. Just a few families at Haller park; wading & splashing in what little water left in the river.
The Coalition had ordered new bricks from a different supplier & found a new person to do the engraving. A higher quality brick & higher quality etching. We're hopeful that people using the trail will notice & place orders.
Soon, we were on the prettiest part of a separate area of the horse trail -
Even here in the shade of the trees - it's dry~
The grass, along side the paving - was so dry that Farah was slipping.
Toward Bryant~
It was great that the mowing got done before things dried out, making it easy to set a medium trot & just go. There were just a few people out this morning.
Horse trail mowed too~
This is one of Farah's favorite sections :-) On our way up to the bridge over Pilchuck Creek. No need to wonder why the trail was so expensive to put in - when you consider all the obstacles.
Pilchuck Creek from the Bridge
It's absolutely, deeply worrisome to see this beautiful little river going dry. I was hopeful earlier on - when we first knew this drought was going to be bad, that we'd keep flow through until at least the end of Aug. Now - I'm not so sure...
Unimproved Trail - into Skagit County
We went on past the barn & followed the unimproved portion of the trail up to where it stops at Hwy 9. There was still quite a bit of water in the wetland here & flowing in places along the trail. I found a spot in the shade, with grass for our lunch break. There was a small area where Farah could get down to the little creek for a drink. On the far side was one of the largest Douglas Fir's that I've seen in forever. So big & standing so silent that I did a double take at his amazing size. Tucked away in the shrubbery - I hope it continues to stand hidden & safe - forever.
Back across the Trestle to Haller Park
We stepped up the pace on the way back. The bugs were awful, I had to get off twice to spray Farah's face. We both still came home with fresh welts... (At Bryant, a little girl was just finishing up her apple as we came by. Farah was so happy to take the core! :-) At the far right, in the photo above - you can just see how far out of the water the end of the boat launch is. Several feet at least! Farah was watching the kids playing.
Down in the river bed of the Stillaquamish!
It was so warm by the time we got back, that we took the sandy trail down to the water. Every step Farah took, we chased little minnows - now just trying to stay alive in the rapidly disappearing & warming water. The blob is pretty scary - so is the long range weather forecast. It will take many months & lots of moisture to even begin to return us to the wonderful mild & wet Pacific Northwest that most of us enjoy so much...
In the meantime; I'm going to ride where I can & hope that the forecast for a cooler than normal fall will help mitigate the drought.
Pat & I had planned to ride today, it had been a long time since we'd gotten out. Then Dena texted - she had a rare day off & wanted to ride! Tomorrow Butch & I are manning the Centennial Trail Coalition booth up in Darrington. Usually, we just promote the trail, but then I received word that the local bike representatives planned to share the booth with us, handing out their informational brochures. It was too late to get all the BCH brochures I would like to have, but Scott was kind enough to leave a stack of Cascade Chapter brochures at the shelter for me to pick up!
Pat leads the way on the Whitehorse~
It was already getting hot by the time we were on the trails. I was thinking shade - in a big way!
Friends No More!
Farah & Bella used to be VBF - but No longer! Every since Bella, for some unknown reason kicked Farah at the beach last year - Farah has decided that she no longer trusts Bella! Bella can't figure out why Farah isn't responding to her friendly gestures? :-)
Cleared out!
Pat & Dena were game to go see if there were any changes on the trail - just past the infamous "hole". The lady in the house, came out to tell us that we couldn't go past her yard, but I explained that there was a sign saying that this was the future trail & that's the way we were going. (On the return, we went up the driveway - out past the big barn, through the man gate & around the edge of the yard at Cloverdale - to avoid the issue.)
The trail has been brushed!
I'd heard at the last meeting that a section of the trail had been brushed, but Russ wasn't sure where. Well - it seems that it's the direction that I've been waiting to go for a long while now! Towards the newly decked bridges!
To the first of the newly decked bridges!
This was really a Wow moment for me! The last time I got this far on this trail was with Diane, years ago... We walked the horses across a bridge that was full of holes, hoping it would get better as we went further... It didn't & we had to turn back. This was before there were even sides on Tin Bridge!
Lunch spot
We stopped here for our lunch break! Cool, breeze off the river, just a perfect spot to enjoy a perfect afternoon! I would have gone further~
Continued brush cut back!
I'm sure that the clearing must go on at least to the second of the bridges - & two more past that are now decked. Soon, very soon - you can bet I'll be out this way again to see just how far I can get! From here - we turned back. Dena had managed to loose her phone...
She had planned to do a video of us crossing Tin Bridge... So I used my camera to take this as we were crossing back. Back at the shelter, there were several other riders - Dena hardly got the words out - when they were responding "YES"! They'd found the cell phone! Yippee!
I was happy that I handled the heat much better today, after my mini meltdown on Monday. No change in my routine - so I'll just go with feeling OK & glad of it! Perfect day - if warm! Great ride, lots of chuckles & stories too! :-)
