If anything, I thought we might bump into a bear on the Drum Creek Loop. We had plenty of reasons to think so, as there were several large piles of fresh scat. However, it was a moose that Heather spotted off in the distance, just behind some bushes.
At first I didn’t see her. Then she emerged and stood perfectly still as I pulled out the camera and got a few shots. What a beautiful moment, as we vocalized our appreciation for her presence on our walk.
The first half of this loop was easily identifiable with beautiful views and more berries than you can possibly imagine.
Saskatoons and thimbleberry bushes were scattered throughout the higher elevations. At one point, there was 30 feet of low lying Saskatoon bushes on both sides of the trail. The best part was that the berries were ripe for picking, with no blemishes. The first berry picking we did a few days earlier required more work to pick out the good ones.
The thimbleberries, very bright red and akin to raspberries, seemed to get tastier the higher up the mountain we went. How many calories we consumed on this walk, I couldn’t begin to quantify. I imagine the bears (and maybe our special Moose friend) will be well fortified for the winter ahead.
The last half of the loop was quite difficult to traverse as the trail was overgrown. Plants encroached on much of the walk as did many fallen trees. This particular area was ravaged by fire about 15 years ago and has a lot of deadfall. We made it through though, making lots of noise the entire way as there were lots of twists and turns that might have contained an unsuspecting bear or two.
The Drum Creek Loop ended up being 8 km, though admittedly, my legs seemed to feel it was longer than that. They were pretty heavy by the time we did the final two kilometres back to the house. Coco and Shay were feeling similarly, as was Heather. It was a great day on the mountain and lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches made by Heather’s parents was heartily welcomed.
Comments
Post a Comment