Trail Talk
Spring’s Glory Awaits – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – April 2023
As this is being written, spring seems far away, yet we know it has to come around eventually… in all its glory. Pussy willows that bravely pushed forth in mid-January were […]
Nature Bathing – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – March 2023
As the cosmic wheel of the seasons turns once again to warmer days and brighter sun, it’s time to renew our relationship with wild places. Pussywillows abound and Spring blooms push […]
Our Trails Community – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – February 2023
After multiple articles for the Jacksonville Review and other publications regarding the “Trails Community,” we feel this is an appropriate time to catch our collective breath. The last decade has seen […]
Going There, Making Tracks – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – December 2022/January 2023
Another year of hiking our forest trails draws to a close. It’s a time to remind ourselves to be thankful that we have the ability to get out into the […]
Forest Park…a Rough-Cut Gem – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – November 2022
For this issue’s musings, I’m putting on my Forest Park Volunteer cap. The last two years have seen a considerable growth in the number of folks enjoying Forest Park. In a […]
Larry Smith Releases “Jacksonville’s Emerald Necklace: from Goldmines to Woodland Trails” – by Ginna BB Gordon
In 2015, Larry Smith proposed to the Jacksonville Woodlands Association’s board of directors an idea for a book about the history of the “most successful, small-town, all-volunteer land conservation project in Oregon.” Larry says the […]
From an Alaskan Trail – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – October 2022
Reading the newly-posted Chugach National Forest trail sign for Carter Lake Trail near Moose Pass, AK, I thought that a nice morning hike was in the cards. According to the posting, […]
Perspective on Poison Oak – by Clayton Gillette
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. […]
Travel Preference – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – August 2022
Since I was born with two perfectly functional legs, my choice has always been to use them as my first option for travel. I enjoy being upright as Nature intended, and […]
Taking Care of the Trail – by Clayton Gillette
Trail Talk – July 2022
Once upon a time, two intrepid individuals carried a bundle of 50 ponderosa pine seedlings, along with the appropriate grubbing tools, up a steep ridge to rehabilitate a highly-eroded OHV track. […]