Spirit of the Woods at Big M

 
Today was the trail club outing at Big M. We had a small turnout, but we had a good time. There is a large and beautiful warming shelter there, with a wood stove. A Boy Scout troop was there before us and the building was nicely warmed up.



Thanks to a slim inch of snow last night that topped off the icy base, we were actually able to ski. Only Loren and I actually went out on the trails, though. It wasn't fantastic skiing, but in a winter where we count the times we've even been able to ski on our fingers, we'll take anything we can get!



We talked a bit about how to attract more people to come out on our hikes/events. We used to regularly get quite a few, but that has certainly changed, and we don't really know why.

	See Snow Fun at Big M See Playtime at Big M
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Immature Red-Tail Hawk

 
There I was in the (really) tiny town of Harrietta, shooting a picture of the roof of a house, when a hawk soared over the house. I caught two shots, and they are both pretty good.

I could see it was light colored, but couldn't tell what it was till I looked at the pictures on my computer.

This is an immature red-tail hawk, before it develops the red tail.



How do I know? Overall, this is a stubby hawk with a short, broad tail. That makes it a Buteo hawk, which narrows the choices.

The tail has a whole series of narrow bars. The breast is light and speckled. The only other choice in this range would be an osprey. But the osprey has longer wings that are bent back at the wrists more like a gull. The osprey also has distinctive dark patches on the wrist.



I wish I had pics this good of an adult red-tail!

	See Red-Tailed Hawk It Is
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Foggy Morning

This picture was taken about 9:30 this morning, but the fog hung around until afternoon. It did move out and we had a bit of sun in the late afternoon.

My car had a tune-up. The little Subaru doesn't need them very often, but when it's ready it lets me know with a consumptive little cough.

Tomorrow is a work day. It's also predicted to be sunny, so I'm hoping to bring you some pretty pix from.... somewhere!

	See Foggy Mornings
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High Point Oceana County

 
Have I mentioned on this blog that I've started writing a weekly column for the Mason County Press? The proprietor is just getting it started, so for now, no money, but there is hope that will actually change. Of course it's about outdoor adventures.

So, today, I went to find the high point of Oceana County which is just south of me. I'll be showing you different things from what I'll use for my column, which will run on Feb 23.

All in all, as a means of getting exercise, the trip was a dud. Supposedly, there are four peaks of equal height (or so close that you should visit all four to be sure you got the highest). Here's the obvious one.



That picture was taken just about where I parked, so you can see how difficult of a walk I had. Not.

However, I was rewarded with a couple of decent views, except for the fact that the day was completely overcast. Here's what I could see to the east.



The other three points are along a ridge just on the other side of the road. I got two of them in one picture. I've pointed them out with arrows, because they certainly don't stand out.



But Maggie and I dutifully walked to the top of each of them. The only views were more trees, albeit a little lower down.

I'm glad I've done it. I always wondered where the actual high point was. Oh, it's 1083 feet above sea level. I'm not sure I walked that many horizontal feet to visit all four points!

	See Mason County High Point
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White Birch is Brown

 
There are few trees that say "north" as clearly as the white birch. It's such a beautiful tree with its snow-white bark. It often grows with dark green hemlocks for lovely contrast, or among maples where it shines against their fiery autumn colors.

But did you know that white birch aren't always white? If you have a white birch tree in your yard, I'm sure you already know this.



In winter it's especially easy to see this. Young white birch trees, and the young branches don't make any pretense of being white.

They are a dark, glossy purple-black. The white bark doesn't begin to show up until the branches are about an inch in diameter.



Birch twigs, or the bark from dead logs (never pull bark off a live tree) is a wonderful firestarter. There is so much natural oil in it that you can light it when it's damp... almost when it's dripping wet.

Anyway, when I saw this row of birch the other day, I thought it was good to illustrate the white birch.

	See White Trees- Part II See The Blindness of Familiarity
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