It was a cool and cloudy morning with a very slight drizzle, when Cindy and I drove out to Tod Inlet. It was time for our annual hike to McKenzie Bight. Last year we went too late in the season and Cascade Falls had all but dried up. This year, the water flow was slower than we've seen, but there was still some gorgeous waterfall action.
It's a short but challenging hike. "Moderate" on the AllTrails app but my knees beg to differ. We walked down the Cascade Falls side of the loop because there are rough steps and handrails on the steepest bits. The falls were delightful, all deep mossy greens and slate grey rocks. We lingered there and gazed up at the falls from every possible angle.
Down at the shore, the water was dead calm. Barely a ripple across Tod Inlet, except for one big seal who bobbed up and down in front of us. The water was so clear we saw a massive pink sea star from the rocks well above the water line. We found a nice rock to sit on for a snack and then very gingerly scrambled about looking at the sedums in the rock faces, all blooming in their succulent way.
The highlight for me was that the woods were full of birdsong. I'm getting better at noticing a song that is new to me and then being able to identify it with the Merlin app. I added four new birds to my 'life list' based on clear calls: Chipping Sparrow, Western Tanager, Pileated Woodpecker and Wilson's Warbler. The warbler really warbles!
The walk back up is straight, smooth and quite steep. We took a slow, steady pace and stopped a couple of times to admire the masses of new ferns unfurling on the forest floor and the massive old trees: cedars, maples, arbutus and the biggest, Douglas Fir.
This is one of my favourite hikes, and only a 30 minute drive from the apartment. Wonderful!
so much green!
Peak sedum
wild daisies perhaps?