Trail Talk – March 2018

So, the rains came. And the creeks rose. Water flowed into the old reservoir and mallards returned, quacking with delight at the prospects of dining in the newly opened establishment. After so many arid days under sweltering skies, here was blessed respite. Now the turtles came forth from their damp tunnels to feast on spring’s crop of nightcrawlers, and graze in the renewed waterweeds.

And in the heaviest of downpours, the park visitor was surprised by so many other travelers on the trails. Far more folks wandering but not lost, appreciating the change in seasons, the end of chilly days shivering away in winter’s final gasp.

Some smells of the forest trails we simply can’t ignore. Consider the Washington lily, that highly fragrant cousin of the meek-mannered Easter lily. When this massive bloom rears head-high along Cantrall Creek Tr in late spring, one can’t escape the heady aroma, leaving one to stagger along under its intoxicating spell. As this massive bloom matures from white to pink to magenta, its unmistakeable bouquet lingers in the narrow canyon, a rich counterpoint to the cascading waters along the trail.

On the sun bedazzled ridges, one finds the subtle sweet-nectar scent of early spring’s blooming manzanita brush, unavoidable in the manzanita tunnels of Halls of Manzanita and along Jackson Ridge. The lusty white-noise buzzing of pollinators overlays the honey-rich air on warm March days in the upper reaches of Forest Park. A rest stop at a viewpoint bench, looking far out over the Upper Bear Creek Valley, rids the hiker of any residue of winter’s foggy, cold memory.

The towering black cottonwoods of the canyon bottoms, those close cousins of the Balm of Gilead, also strongly flavor the air of the forest. Sticky sweet branch tips split into new leaf clusters, dropping their leaf sheaths onto the forest floor to ride home on our shoes and pant legs, as well as firmly glued to our puppies’ fur. Sweet caramel is called to mind, also sticky brown and sweet, permeating warm spring days, heady and aromatic.

Interestingly enough, Forest Park boasts ‘soapbrush’ ceanothus, often called ‘wild lilac’ with its distinct spring bouquet, but has no wedge-leaf ceanothus, AKA buckbrush. Yet in the Britt Woodlands, this common ‘pucker brush’ with its exquisite white clusters of tiny blooms delivers a knockout punch of flowery decadence every spring. One can’t hike here on a warm April afternoon and not be overwhelmed by the sweet, rich buttery flavor of this often ignored, yet ubiquitous Southern Oregon flora.

June brings us the glorious ‘white-noise’ intoxication of mock orange in the cozy confines of the creek canyons. Towering overhead along with ocean spray’s cascades of frothy blooms, these deciduous shrubs create fragrant tunnels for the olfactory delight of the hiker. Summer birds nest in their dense foliage, and the Pacific wren is quick to tattle on the unaware visitor.

Go forth, breathe deep, and enjoy.