Trail Talk – February 2019

February marks the end days of those dark dreary dawns of winter. It’s a time of shortening shadows and greening hillsides. Warmth begins to reclaim its hold on our forested areas and brave blossoms begin peeking through the forest litter of last fall’s leaf drop. If we’ve been blessed with a wet winter, we can expect to hear the whisper of rivulets in former dry washes, and the chuckle of creeks tumbling over their beds. That musky dark wet aroma of damp woods lessens as warm breezes bring new fragrances to nostrils eager to breathe deeply in bright spring’s re-awakenings.

It’s time to lace up the hikers, double-knot the running shoes, or for the bravest, shed footwear altogether and get out on the trails. And what better time to visit old favorites to see what changes our winter has made? And what better time to strike out for new destinations, to boldly go where one has hesitated in past times?

A recent jaunt along Liz’s Loop at the far southwestern end of the Woodlands trail system on a winter’s day with warming breezes heralding an approaching rainstorm was reason to thrill again at the amazing variety and quantity of trails in the Jacksonville area. After toiling up through mixed madrone and conifer forest to gain the ridge, one is overjoyed to emerge in an expansive oak savanna with scattered ‘old-growth’ manzanitas dotting the open areas. Water seeped some in gullies, awaiting more rain to become seasonal rivulets. And a jaunt it was, as joy lifted my knees higher and lengthened my stride; glad to be out and about on a fine day.

And across the way, to the west, I knew that another adventure awaits those looking for a longer outing. Arrowhead Pass Tr in Forest Park is seeing some improvements. Most hikers approach from parking area P5, heading up Shade Creek Tr, while others climb Twin Peaks Tr and traverse Atsahu Tr. The old Arrowhead Pass roadbed has been blocked to prevent illegal OHV activity, and Public Works has installed a gate at the top for the same reason. The trail has been rerouted at the top to follow China Ditch, a hydraulic mining ditch much larger than expected, that’s been used in the past as a motorcycle and bicycle trail. (It’s still open to mountain bikes.)

From the ridge saddle, or from the new gate, the loop trail winds down through madrone forest that has overtopped some large old manzanita, leaving their silent grey skeletons as witness to natural succession in our forests. Old Man’s Beard hangs heavy with winter moisture, its pale soft green-grey wizened webbiness a stark contrast to the cold hard brittle dark maroon of living manzanita stems. This is a wonderland of our wet foggy winters, so removed from the staggering bright heat of this same forest just a few months ago.

Knowing this is a new area to explore for so many folks means you may find solitude there until its ‘discovery’. Forest Park has a new updated map being published which will show these changes.