A gentle amble in the sunshine, with forest flowers for company. The park was much nicer than I had remembered, though that could have been the sunshine talking. Seeing all the fresh flowers was great: buttercup, lots of False Lily-of-the-Valley, piggy-back plant, fringecup. The horsetails were growing tall. I was doubly surprised by the forest itself, which was a nice mixture of old-growth with a few decent-sized cedars and Douglas firs. The highlight of the hike is undoubtedly High Knoll, offering a great view of the marsh and beyond. It’s a pity there isn’t a better view to the east with Golden Ears seeming so close.
All in all a pleasant hike, which we dawdled. We even found a new gelato stop, in the most unlikely place: a billiard hall. I was in the process of pulling over to turn round and head to the 7-11 we’d just passed, when we noticed we were right next to a little unassuming place advertising gelato, adjoining yet another dollar store. Reasonably-priced, and a fair selection. Have to remember that one.
Distance: 6 km
Elevation gain: 200 m
Being. Outdoors. 