Forest Minutia

After church this morning Tim and I packed up a lunch and headed for the hills. We wanted to take advantage of a day without rain. A 10-minute drive takes us to Tod Gowland Park which sprawls along the Saanich Inlet. After an hour on the trail we stopped for lunch, eating our bread, cheese, hardboiled eggs and date loaf while drinking in beautiful scenery.

Materfamilias recently posted about the fauna she encounters on her runs around her island. So I determined to notice what I might see in the way of wildlife. The count didn't begin auspiciously - my first sighting was of a dead crow, partially eaten, beside the trail. 

Then, I fished a gnat out of my tea mug. Things were not looking good in the wild creature department. I did notice seagulls, white dots against the blue water, and later, a native red squirrel dashing along a tree limb. But that was about it, although I did hear plenty of crows rasping harshly in the forest.

Misty, distant islands beckon when we turn away from the inlet to the waters between us and the mainland.  These are the waters and islands we travel through on the ferry. To me, today, they looked magical, like something from Narnia, full of mystery and adventure.

Another hour took us to Jocelyn Hill. Tim snapped a quick photo of me with my walking stick. We each have one. Tim's father made them, and when he passed away, we each asked for one. They have never been used, until today. We both found that walking with a stick gives our upper bodies a bit of a workout. And going down steep sections of the trail, I found I had better balance and could travel faster, using the pole as a brace.
 

Here is some of the minutia I noticed on the trail - thin, curled shreds of arbutus bark, soft and fine bright green moss, a tangle of silvery moss on the trail, and a collage of fir tree needles. Thirteen kilometres of hiking up and down makes for very tired feet. This evening, I'm happy to just sit and read blogs.

And for anyone who heard about the earthquake in our area, we are fine. No tsunami, no shaking. We were sitting on the couch at the time it happened and didn't feel a thing. And I'm thankful. Meanwhile, we are thinking of all those on the east coast in the path of Hurricane Sandy.

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at the Little Red House.