Pine Creek Wilderness

 This past week i went to Secret Canyon in the Pine Creek Wilderness.  The actual trail is almost 16 miles long.  I haven't been on this trail in almost four years.  In order to hike in this part of the Cleveland National Forest you are required to have a "Adventure Pass" to park.  Since i have not been able to afford said pass, i have not been able to go. However, just recently my dear friend Kathleen surprised me with a yearly pass. i did not wait long to take advantage.

This trail is not a heavily traveled trail, so the trail is rocky and eroded and there is a lot of overgrowth, these things are not a deterrent for me, they are a plus!

As i said before this trail is a rather long hike.  In the past i usually cut across the creek, climb up from the canyon and then catch the fire road to make a nice loop trail.  that was my goal this day, however since four years had passed, there were suddenly trees where there were once none and shrubs and bushes and let's just say i got, "misguided".  NOT lost, just a little turned around.

Since it has been such a dry year, i was not expecting much water (if any) in the creek.

 i was pleasantly surprised!  I could hear the gurgle of the small creek and i was so happy to see some water, i was a little startled to see i wasn't alone.

while this is Federally owned land, there are portions of the Forest that are leased to cattle ranchers.  Seeing cattle always makes me smile!

The creek runs through the entire canyon and in some areas will empty into small pools.  The trail itself is along the ridge, so the constant sight and sound of the water is always relaxing (even when you're going uphill)

i discovered some of the "trails" i encountered were not trails at all.  they were simply the route that cattle would take to get to the water.  this led me to some rather dense and overgrown trails, but in the end, i met up with the fire road i was looking for and managed to make it to my car in one peace (and maybe a few dozen scraps and scratches.

The creek may not look like much, but just look at the difference in the canyon.  Everything is bright green.  There is grass and flowers and while the creek may not be rushing like it has in recent years, that water is still feeding the land. 

Due to the drought this year, the flora was not as plentiful as usual, but when i saw this i couldn't help but smile.  The drought tolerant Monkey Flower was blooming all over.

As you can imagine, the Hummingbirds were quite pleased with these blooms. 

Normally on a hike i really try to concentrate on photographing birds and i must admit, this day, the birds were not cooperating.  They sang their songs!  They shouted their warnings and flew nearby, but not a one would stay still for a second so i could get a photograph.  No matter. While i would love to photograph every bird, animal and landscape i see, sometimes it just isn't possible and in the end that's OK, at least i was there to see it!