Les Hilde - Harry Osborns State Forest - Day Three~

It rained off & on again for most of the night, but had stopped completely by morning.  We had a yummy breakfast;  bacon, eggs, toast!  Farah was nice & dry under her blanket, as was Count.  

Ready to ride!

Our friends had called & were busy with a fencing project that they wanted to finish.  We were disappointed - but ready with a Plan B!

Brightly on our way~

It was foggy & seemed chilly, but really wasn't cold at all.  After the beautiful days we'd enjoyed, we were subdued too.  Our plan was to go back, find & collect that Cauliflower mushroom!  I'd checked it out on-line & found out that they do indeed grow back each season, usually in the same spot.

Vine Maples along the trail~

This morning, Linda took a different trail out from camp, she knew how to connect to where we were heading - which is now a Big Secret!  :-)

Vine Maple branches covered with moss~

We rode through an area where the Vine Maple branches were covered with moss!  The entire area was it's own mini ecosystem.  Maybe due to the protection provided from the deep gully that ran along side.

Another "Shroom"

Riding along - this mushroom above stood out from all the surrounding green!  Growing straight up off of a branch!  The only one anywhere that we could see.

Woods~

In the woods, the yellows of the maples were almost neon bright in the misty fog. 

Linda & Count on the trail~

It was eerie, it was very quiet, not even a bird chirped. 

Signage~

It was kind of a cheap thrill for me to see this sign.  Following this trail must be tough - since the trail itself disappeared in more than one place that we saw.  Linda & Count are amazing at finding trail where none seems to be.  Linda took one - that went a way - then dropped us down a steep bank into a dry creek basin.  Once there - we both realized that if we'd followed anything - it was another Elk trail.  Getting back out - hum...  up a four-foot high steep dirt bank, the same one we'd just slid down.  I grabbed Farah's mane & almost before I could worry about it - she jumped!  That jump & our landing was So Smooth that I didn't even move in the saddle!  We were up & in the next instant I heard Count make the leap!  I wish I could have seen it!  Linda said;  "Amazing animals aren't they?"  Oh yes they are!

Cantharellus "cibarius"

Finding the correct section of trail, we found the Cauliflower mushroom right where we left it!  I'd brought a doubled plastic grocery sack.  I used my knife to cut it off at soil level & was amazed at the weight!  Maybe five pounds?   I tied it to the back D on the saddle & we took a short break.  Count moved off trail & uncovered a Chanterelle!  We started looking & found several right around us :-)

At the creek!

From there, we decided to take the easiest & shorted route back.  The sack was bouncing in the rear, so we stopped again.  I moved it to the front of the saddle, where I could support it a little more.  We sure didn't want mushroom mush!  The fog didn't relent the entire ride, I was feeling a little claustrophobic - which happens sometimes when I'm in the fog, heavy forest & can't see out.

Rascal waits :-)

Returning to camp - we were greeted by the sight above :-)  Rascal sitting on my camp chair - waiting!  He knows full well he's Not supposed to get on the chairs - but...  :-)  Butch had us packed up & ready to go!  His plan?  To the Brewery for a late lunch/ early dinner & beer!  We got there in time to see the Seahawks lose another game :-(

Cleaned!

I gave Linda a portion of the mushroom, the rest I cleaned!  Contrary to what I'd read - there wasn't one bug in it!  Just a few pine needles & it was spotless!  It is as described, almost like a noodle in consistency.  I browned it in bacon fat & added it to our soup last night with organic baby potatoes, carrots, onion etc.  All I can say is "yummy" - Very!

Les Hilde / Harry Osborn State Forest - Day Two~

Ready to leave!

We woke on Saturday morning to another sunshine day!  Only a couple trailers had come then gone since we'd been here.  There was some traffic going into Cowboy Campsites - a few heading out, but not much.  We decided to go that way & see if anyone we knew was there.

Start of the trail~

It was a little cooler this morning with a few clouds, but nothing that looked like the rain that had been forecast.  Both horses were ears forward & ready to be on our way!  We walked around the CC area - most of the RV's are now gone for the season.  It was a quiet morning - no one was around.

Mt. Josephine

With the mountain looming overhead, we both would have liked to go up there - but with gunfire coming from the quarry & having heard a scary story from another rider about bullets whizzing between his chin & his horses neck...  we decided no way.  I wished I had more orange, Butch brought vests - I hope Farah will have her new bright orange rump rug soon!

Cranberry Lake

A very nice lady had come by our camp last evening & asked if we were planning a ride to the Brewery?  Yes we were, hopeful that our mutual friends would come up on Sunday & guide us.  Neither of us could remember the route.  The lady told us to go to Cranberry Lake, then take all right turns - except one left etc.  We did - we tried - but soon knew we were circling back toward camp.

Devoid of leaves, but beautiful!

Since we knew that finding the Brewery route on our own was a no go, we started off exploring again.  Finding some beautiful, if overgrown trail.  The farther we rode from camp, we found that the trails were less used of course & more in need of some brush whacking.

Count & Farah

Farah was being very nice to Count & he appreciated it :-)  She decided that he is a friend & enjoyed his faster pace on fresh trails!  At least until he hit his turbo trot & she had to gallop to catch up!  :-)  It was so nice to see clear, fresh water running in the streams we crossed.

Big Leaf Maple leaf - floats downstream~

So beautiful, especially with all the golds, rusts & yellows.  More rust this season, less color, but still - colorful!  The incredible smell of the air was intoxicating!  I remembered a particular trail, asked Linda about it - & yes we were in the vicinity.  Things had changed, a road had replaced a trail & at the top of the climb was a new cell tower.

Linda & Count

It was amazing at how a clear-cut hillside years ago, is now growing with trees already over ten-feet tall.  We stopped for a lunch break on a grassy trail, where Count & Farah did some mowing.

Skagit Valley

The late afternoon sky was hazy, gray high clouds moving in.  Notice that the weather was going to change.  We turned onto a wooded trail that was so pretty in the gray light.

Between Farah's ears~

This one went on quite a way, with some nice areas for trotting.

Signage~

When we came to this intersection, again it was so hard not to turn & head up to the lakes!  But, it was getting later in the day again.  Soon, we came to a sharp corner & looked down a very steep drop off.  The soil on this side is more sandy rather than slippery, both horses were ready for the drop.

Linda & Count about 1/2 way down

I asked Linda to stop here to get her photo, but it doesn't do the drop justice :-)  Farah loved it - I did too, she's as good on these downhill slides as she is going up the steep climbs.

The steep trail~

Once we'd gone down to the creek - crossed & climbed back to the top - we found this sign!  Being  challenged when it comes to direction - I had no idea how far we were from camp.  It came as a surprise when we came out of the forest right to the side of someone's camp - just across the road from the Cowboy Campsite location!

A beautiful loop around camp!

It was warm enough & still early enough that I put on my crocks & took Farah down to the creek.  She actually stood still & enjoyed having all that salty sweat washed away.  Back at camp, we toweled her off & once dry, put her waterproof sheet on.  Good thing - as while we were sitting around the fire after dinner, the rain started.  Light drizzle at first, it eventually drove us into our respective campers for the remainder of the evening.

I mentioned to Butch that I loved the sound of the rain on the roof & he said that I must finally be a true north-westerner :-)

Les Hilde / Harry Osborn State Forest - Day One~

We head out on a simply beautiful afternoon~

We were pretty excited!  Linda was ready for a shakedown trip with her new Arctic Fox camper!  We'd planned a three-day weekend of riding at the Les Hilde Trailhead.  It had been over a year since my last visit & many more since either of us had ridden this area on any kind of regular basis.  Butch had a busy week & was happy to have an excuse to get away.  With the opening of rifle hunting season on the same day - we were warned to stay on the lower trails & not venture too high on the mountain.  It was a Very Warm afternoon, more like summertime than Fall! 

Along the trail~

Linda used to know all these trails well, so she was our leader as we set out to see what of the trails we remembered were still there.  In 1995 I'd ridden my third fifty-mile ride here on Jasrada.  The Bully Wully is still remembered by those of us who've ridden it - as one of the toughest ever.  In the early years before the GPS, with the first ride manager, the course was thought to be short.  In 1998, with Dory as the RM, she made certain that 50-miles was indeed 50-miles & the complaints abounded - that it was too tough to do within the time limit.  Karma & I had made a couple errors in our ride plan & ended up hardly making it back in time for completion!  It was crazy tough that year!

Lots of leaves down!

We found our way from trail to trail - one of the prettiest Fern Gully.

Linda & Count

Count was in the lead, really moving out in his fast trot when I saw something!  I'd done some research on mushrooms & fungi a couple years ago, after finding a beautiful specimen on Whidbey Is.  I recognized this one, called out to Linda & pulled Farah up!

Sparassis Mushroom!

We both dismounted on the narrow trail & I had to get photos!  Neither of us had any bag with us & I'm usually all about leaving the wild untouched as possible - I took my photos & we continued on our way.

Out to a road~

Soon, we were quite a way far to the south of camp.  It was getting later in the afternoon & sunset is coming earlier!  Linda thought we could find old trails on the far side of the Crown Pacific Mainline, so we tried.  We did a stunning loop - ending up back where we'd started :-)   We tried again, the trail Linda remembered being here - was lost in a clear-cut.  We did some road work, then found the next trail - again looping around, but not getting much further toward camp.  Back to the road again & finally back on trails!

Back to camp!

Butch was waiting for us, hoping to see us before sunset :-)  It was getting chilly & both horses were covered in sweat.  The most sweat I've had on Farah since Mt. Adams.  These trails are technical, lots of up/down & up again.  We'd covered over 12-miles in just over 3.5 hours & climbed 1,450 feet.
The Stonewall saddle performed perfectly on both the steep assents where I had to grab mane & the downhill slides to the creek beds.

Our route~

We had a super time!  Both horses enjoyed seeing new trails so much!  We had dinner, then sat out with a fire burning & admired the stars on a perfectly clear night!