Spruce Run Creek, April 5, 2023

This is a new trail for me. For the first time this year I went west into the coastal forests to this creek where it joins the Lower Nehalem River. The hike is steep uphill for a mile and a half, and there were two sets of stairs that helped somewhat. I was very glad I had my trekking poles. The forest was soggy from recent rains and the ground was muddy. But because the ground was muddy, you could see the large number of elk tracks along the trail, crisscrossing the trail with elk tracks heading up and down to the creek. I was lucky enough to see a small herd of about 25 females and young elk as they walked on one of their trails above my hiking trail. I had a macro lens on my camera and by the time I was able to change to a longer focal length lens, the elk had moved out of my vision. I did not see them again the rest of the hike. The moss on the trees was impressive, again reminding me that Oregon has its own rainforest. New wildflowers for this season were coltsfoot and trillium. Coastal toothwort and western violet were the only other wildflowers that were blooming.

Catherine Creek, April 12, 2023

Catherine Creek, March 30, 2023