Currant Events

Day 180: Staying abreast of currant events is very important because this occurrence means that the hummingbirds won't be far behind. Red-flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) is extremely popular with our tiny avian friends and they may often be seen hovering around the flower heads even before the individual blossoms have opened. The inflorescence of the Red-flowering Currant is its best feature. The small black berries are rather bland and uninspiring, if edible in a pinch. The plant itself is a woody shrub which grows to about eight feet in height.

Prospective Tenants

Day 179: They say that the best time to look for a new house is during bad weather so you can tell if the roof leaks or the windows sweat. Violet-Green and friends are checking out the local real estate in vast numbers following yesterday's downpour of rain. I'm sure they will find accommodations to their liking because I gave each house a thorough cleaning last fall when I took them down for the winter and re-roofed as well.

Three species of Swallow visit my property and two (Violet-Green and Tree) make use of one to three apartments each season. The third species (Barn Swallow) takes its summer lease in a neighbor's outbuildings. My photo records don't indicate any type of time-share arrangement between the two types of bird; rather it seems to be a matter of who stakes the first claim.

Tachycineta thalassina (Violet-Green Swallow) is easily differentiated from Tachycineta bicolor (Tree Swallow) by the white feathers surrounding the eye. Tree Swallow's eye is set in dark feathers. The color of the back feathers is often hard to distinguish reliably, although Violet-Green's two-tone iridescence is what gives the species its common name. The female Violet-Green will lay 4-5 eggs in late April or early May, and hatching will commence approximately two weeks later. The young will fledge when they are a little over three weeks old. Both parents will tend the young and may sometimes continue to feed them after they have fledged.

Western Coltsfoot, Petasites Palmatus

Day 178: A sight almost as common in our lowland bogs as Skunk Cabbage, Western Coltsfoot is another early-spring emerger. Its odor isn't nearly as strong, but to my nose, it is less pleasant. Oddly, field guides seldom mention the scent. The flower heads burst into bloom before large, palmate leaves develop, often rising to a height of two feet. Sweet Coltsfoot (another variety of Petasites) is found at higher elevations and has a more strongly divided leaf. It blooms in late summer.

Going The Distance

Day 177: Which pair of boots has gone the distance, top or bottom? If you based your guess on the torn out D-ring and lack of heel tread on the bottom pair, you would be very wrong. If there is one adage to live by as a hiker, it is this: never buy cheap boots. The bottom pair, destined now for the garbage can, were purchased less than two years ago. A second identical pair is almost as worn, and that's just from the abuse they received during the fitness challenge.

On the other hand, the top pair is forty years old, and as my favourites, they've seen thousands of miles. They've been to the top of Mount Rainier and several other Pacific Northwest peaks. They've suffered rocky terrain, saltwater sand, volcanic pumice, soaking rain. They've been resoled four or five times, but the leather is still in good condition, if rather scuffed. The bottom pair cost me a whopping $69 at a national outfitter. I knew they wouldn't last. I shelled out $189 for those trusty, trustworthy Bambinos in 1975 (a lot of money in those days) and they'll be good for another several thousand miles. Unfortunately, the boot is no longer made, but if it was, I'd be willing to spend $400 on new ones.

Boots are an essential part of my wardrobe. I have eight pair. I am attentive to their care and feeding, drying them carefully when they get wet, sealing them against snow and water, keeping the leather soft and pliable. That said, I expect them to serve me well. I want them to go the distance with me, not wear out after a lousy 1500 miles.

Banished!

Day 176: Hie thee hence, device of torture! And stay there until next winter! Yep, I have achieved my final mileage goal in the winter physical fitness challenge, and the exercise bike has been sent into exile. When I got up this morning, I only needed the aerobic equivalent of 16.5 walking miles to bring my total to 1500, and between riding the bike for almost two hours and walking 7.5 miles, I'm done!

A few statistics here, because when you're as old as I am, this is something to brag up:

Starting on January 7 and ending today, I rode the exercise bike for 216 hours to earn the aerobic equivalent of walking 891.5 miles. However, the actual odometer reading was significantly greater: 3456 miles "travelled" at an average of 16 MPH. As for the walking portion, I put 602.5 miles on my feet, covering a variety of terrain from pavement to steep, muddy trail. The remaining six miles were accrued with sweat equity while digging holes and planting trees in rocky ground for three hours. Thus the breakdown is 891.5 plus 602.5 plus 6 for a total of 1500 aerobic equivalent miles.

Over the course of the challenge, I lost 12 pounds and am now as trim as I've been at any time in the last five years. My leg strength has increased and my endurance is up significantly. Overall, I feel much perkier and energetic. That's not to say there haven't been a few days when I really had to push myself to get out there, but any program like this is as much a test of resolve as it is of physical ability. Fortunately, I have always enjoyed walking and challenging myself on a physical level. Just like climbing a mountain, the only way you'll get there is by putting one foot in front of the other one, over and over and over.

Three Falls Tour

Day 175: I had a delightful walk in Pack Forest today, taking in all three cascades of the Little Mashel River. With the amount of rain we've had, the falls were in their prime, but the trails were less than optimal. The mud was deep in places, very clayey and slick, and the trail down the embankment seemed primed for a landslip due to the saturation of the ground.

The approved access which I used begins at the administrative compound on the west of the property, and follows the 1000 Rd. for about two miles before taking off on a secondary spur (the 1070) for approximately half a mile before reaching the trailhead proper. Pack Forest maintains the trail to the lower falls, and the upper and middle falls which lie outside Pack Forest's boundaries may be reached on unmaintained branch trails. There is much evidence of partying at each of the cascades, left by locals who come in via an illegal point of entry on the east side.

My hike was completed with only sprinkles of rain at the beginning and end of the trip, but precipitation returned soon after I'd reached my car. I think the Weather Gods were exceptionally kind today, my reward as the winter physical fitness challenge draws to a close.

Sunny Cats

Day 174: Just let the sun stream through the window, and Tip and Skunk both go bonelessly limp. What is it that makes cats such heat lovers? They'll lay beside the fireplace until their fur feels hot enough to ignite, and a sunny spot on the floor makes them spread out like too-warm pats of butter. I can't abide feeling melted, yet these two seek out the experience and revel in it. A sunny cat is a happy cat, "limp dishrag" look or no.