When a tree falls in the forest...
...they turn it into a bridge! At least, they do at Cougar Mountain.
This is a spot along Shy Bear Marsh where, this past winter, some big old trees were uprooted by storm winds. Over time, the wonderful crews who maintain trails here (virtually all volunteers - they rock) used chain saws to cut through and remove the trunks that blocked the trail. They're now using some of those downed trees to create planks for a pathway across the marshy sections.
Recycling at its best.
A cool feature here: they used a fallen tree trunk - cutting an opening to support the supports - to start this section of plank path.
Finn is actually in the photo above, just to the right at the start of the new planks. See him? His coloring allows him to harmonize with the forest trails; too often I call him to come, only to realize he's just a few yards ahead of me, standing still, blending it.
This is a spot along Shy Bear Marsh where, this past winter, some big old trees were uprooted by storm winds. Over time, the wonderful crews who maintain trails here (virtually all volunteers - they rock) used chain saws to cut through and remove the trunks that blocked the trail. They're now using some of those downed trees to create planks for a pathway across the marshy sections.
Recycling at its best.
A cool feature here: they used a fallen tree trunk - cutting an opening to support the supports - to start this section of plank path.
Finn is actually in the photo above, just to the right at the start of the new planks. See him? His coloring allows him to harmonize with the forest trails; too often I call him to come, only to realize he's just a few yards ahead of me, standing still, blending it.
The old planks - seen in the photo above, meeting up with new ones - didn't seem to be in bad condition, although the chicken wire tacked onto them to provide traction when wet was pulling up in places. They're replacing some, but not all, of the old planks. It's nice to be able to navigate through this gorgeous bit of forest without getting shoes sucked off in the muck during the long wet season.
As I took photos, Finn tried to convince a chipmunk to come closer and play. The chipmunk just chattered away from his vantage point. Smart chipmunk.
Elsewhere on Cougar, it's clear autumn is arriving as leaves start to cover the trails. I love watching the seasons change in the forest. Time to start digging out the gloves, headband, long running pants and jacket.