9/28/20 A Trip to the Post Office

It is an easy thing to walk down the dock, open the car door, climb in and start the engine. After that, getting to the Post Office a mere 1000 meters or so.. is just a matter of making your way out of the marina parking lot… hanging a left on Gull Drive, a right on Heron Road, left on Harbor Drive, Left on Marina View Drive, another left on Oak Bay Road, a major two lane arterial sporting traffic and everything, left on Scott Court, turning into the little “village Center”… and park near the Post Office. Phew! That’s a lot of left hand turns now isn’t it…

And.. it is so pedestrian… especially when the post office is so close. That being stated, there are hiking trails that lead there and it was a beautiful, sunny late September day in the Northwest and only increased the distance to 1250 meters.

We decided to walk. We put on sturdy shoes and made our way out to Oak Bay Road. After about 100 meters walking along Oak Bay Road we were able to enter part of the Rainier Loop Trail that started our upward progress. After 150 meters or so the trail came out on Wells Ridge Court which merged into Rainier Lane. After another 100 meters we were able to enter the Osprey trail and leave the paved roads behind. This is a spur trail that give access to the lower 3/4 of the Osprey trail:

The first few steps were stair assisted…

We immediately met a clump of older maple trees that most likely grew out of a mother stump. As a group they are quite impressive, adorned with the usual moss that likes to live on well seasoned maples

I did mention they were impressive… The enjoined branches and leaves covered a lot of territory up in the canopy. It seems that their joint effort is working well for them

Descending a bit further down the trail is the first resting bench. On the one hand, this is a fairly hilly trail that can tax the cardiovascular system. On the other… the benches provide a great place to sit and ponder the deep woods feel of the terrain, flora and fauna.

As the trail reaches bottom of the ravine, there is a split log “bridge” that spans the seasonal creek that runs through it. It’s a bit wetter down here and the resting bench is not as inviting.

But… the foliage is magnificent and the only sounds are birds skittering through the canopy chittering to each other and the occasional grey squirrel that gets all puffy and territorial scolding us along our way.

What goes down… must work its way back up to get out of the ravine. Well placed steps make hiking easier. They also reduce erosion and preserve the quality of the trail.

After attaining the Western side of the ravine the trail traverses through more swordfern, maples, hemlocks and Douglas fir.

Licorice Fern makes its home snuggled in the moss on the trunk of an old maple… a favorite perch. It seldom grows on the ground.

An old stump that has become a nurse for several trees. We’re getting closer to the Post Office… Really we are…

The upstarts are comfortable now, sunning themselves on a warm September afternoon, but in another 30 years as their base disintegrates… they will topple… Not the best strategy for long term survival

Another 250 meters and we gained Oak Bay Road at the “village center”, retrieved our mail and started the walk back to the marina. What a great way to go to the Post Office, eh?

3 thoughts on “9/28/20 A Trip to the Post Office”

Leslie Frater says:

September 29, 2020 at 7:58 pm

It was a really good walk.

On Tue, Sep 29, 2020, 7:49 PM Northwest Boating Travels With Blair, Les, and Kai wrote:

> frabl posted: ” It is an easy thing to walk down the dock, open the car > door, climb in and start the engine. After that, getting to the Post Office > a mere 1000 meters or so.. is just a matter of making your way out of the > marina parking lot… hanging a left on Gull Dr” >

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dakotaventures says:

September 30, 2020 at 8:26 am

Beautiful. Reminds me of the hike between Van Donlop and Squirrel Cove.

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1. frabl says:
  
  September 30, 2020 at 7:17 pm
  
  Yes, that is a good hike… minimal trail, lots of ferns, moss, cedars, firs, hemlock and WOLVES!
  
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