Trail Talk – September 2022

Poison oak. An interesting plant. Actually, quite pretty, as plants go. Often sprouting brilliant scarlet and purple leaflets in the Spring, it matures to a rich verdant green as Summer arrives. The blossoms are quite delicate and even fragrant, attracting a multitude of pollinators, some as delicate as the smallest midge […]

Trail Talk – June 2022

What a delightful spring season we’re having. The cool, damp weather has made our walk-abouts so much more pleasant, and our wildflower season has been prolonged. It’s such a pleasant surprise to enjoy the calypsos (lady-slippers) along the trail, then stroll around the corner and see a late-blooming lamb’s tongue (fawn […]

Trail Talk – May 2022

One would certainly hope that folks got out to enjoy our wildflower show in our local parks this spring. With our warm, dry February, hound’s tongue violets and manzanita brush were blooming early, heralding an early showing of our other wildland flowers. Shooting stars soon followed and fawn lilies were […]

Trail Talk – April 2022

With the coming of Spring, we find ourselves anxious to be out and about on our local trails. Recent outings to many nearby wild areas have found most trails in fairly good condition because of another “less than moist” Winter season. Some of the heavier windstorms have brought down limbs and […]

Trail Talk – February 2022

A recent article in the Mail Tribune highlighted the efforts of our National Park Service to preserve the natural habitat surrounding the Grove of Titans in Redwoods State and National Park. An elevated walkway is being constructed to protect the shallow root system of this community of spectacularly large and ancient […]

Trail Talk – October 2021

That’s the late summer/early fall mantra for so many of us as we venture out for time on the trails. The cool, moist air that heralds the onset of our damp, foggy winters is still but a dream—but a dream worth having. To consider that we once wished for those dark […]

Trail Talk – July 2021

Summer is upon us, and it’s a time to get out and explore farther afield. Trails in our local wilderness areas have opened as the snowpack has melted, and though winter storms may have created blowdown over many of the trails, intrepid hikers should still be able to get through to […]

Trail Talk – April 2021

The blooms came late this spring, a welcome respite from years past, when all of Nature’s tapestry of color seemed over-anxious to burst forth and then fade even more quickly. The cool February weather, damp, but no wetter than normal, held in check previous year’s ‘too much, too soon’ extravaganzas. What […]

Trail Talk – February 2021

There is a time when the tumult and chaos of life in a 24/7 news cycle breaks the spirit of the bravest consumer. Overwhelmed by the cantankerous rantings of so many talking heads, the appeal of a timeout spent in the musty cold fog of our mid-winter world becomes undeniable. The […]

Trail Talk – September 2020

“Leave only footprints; take only memories.” The hikers’ mantra played loudly in my subconscious on a recent walkabout far from our local trails. A quarter century ago, two motorcyclists ignored a wilderness boundary sign and rode onto a pumice ridge, where they turned doughnuts in the powdery soil before diving off […]

Trail Talk – June 2020

Living in a dynamic world, we’ve often been surprised by just how quickly our comfortable metaphoric rugs can be swept from underfoot. We are creatures of habit, and when our circumstances are changed, it’s a frustrating chore to adjust normal practices. Our current status with COVID-19 is in daily flux, and […]

Trail Talk – March 2020

A recent conversation in Forest Park with a couple of mountain bike riders from the Seattle area gave good notice of the value of Jacksonville’s wooded trail system. Here, on a winter’s day, they found ample opportunity to enjoy their time off from a hectic work schedule. Though staying at a […]

Trail Talk – February 2020

After a dry fall, we are finally enjoying some winter weather. A noticeable scent fills our wet woodlands, and any walkabout permeates our clothing with an aromatic (some would say pungent) reminder that we’ve been out and about. For many, our New Year’s Resolution will see us hiking more often. Many […]

Trail Talk – September 2019

Ah…September. Summer begins to loosen its grip on our surrounding hills and we anticipate cooler nights, crisper mornings, and the trails stretching out before us. Fall will soon be here with its colorful palette. We yearn for the return of the gurgle of water […]

Trail Talk – April 2019

Spring is fully upon us and the wildflowers sing out to their admirers. After a long, cool winter, where the warm days seemed hesitant to ever re-appear, we are now in full stride toward a beautiful spring. The trails beckon.

Ample moisture this past winter should produce an abundance of plant growth […]

Trail Talk – December 2018/January 2019

What is a forest park? Jacksonville boasts both a Woodlands and a Forest Park. Portland has a Forest Park also. Ashland’s forest park is along Ashland Creek and is named Lithia Park. Another park there is Oredsen-Todd Woods. Medford maintains Prescott Park on RoxyAnn Peak. Surprisingly, this type of park […]