| Date: March 16, 2007 | | Location Eel Lake Trail Hike | | Where: William Tugman State Park | Being finished with our grapevine pruning and the promise of good weather provided the opportunity to go on a hike. Janet Schaller joined Jeanette and I on this hike on the Eel Lake Trail. The trail is a bit of a mystery as there are no signs to identify it or help you find it. We had found it last September, but had not finished it. I was curious to find out the actual length of the trail. I had been told it was 5 miles in length.
|  | | Jeanette and Buster at the start of the trail We soon noticed tiny yellow Wood Violets, then the more noticeable Skunk Cabbage. Red colors were added from Red-flowering Current and Salmonberry blossoms, whites, from Trilliums, Oxalis, and Toothworts.
The winter wrens melodious song could be heard all along the trail. On the lake we were able to spot Western Grebes, Pied-billed grebes. Several pairs of Canada Geese, and a pair of Mallards were to be found back in the bays, and several Double-crested Cormorants sunning on a log.
|  | | Janet looks for an emerging grebe At two and a half miles be came across a trail closing sign. I now had the answer,-- the trail is not 5 miles long, but 2.5, giving a 5-mile round trip. We continued on perhaps a half a mile as the trail became less maintained to the point it seem prudent to turn around.
|  | | Janet & Jeanette at the closed sign Statistics for the day: 6 miles, 4 ¼ hours, 620 ft of accumulative climb. |  | | end of the trail |  | | Double-crested Cormorants |  | | Salmonberry blossoms |
|
|
