Half the group waited at the wrong trailhead. After an hour of walking, we found the group we were looking for.
Wild iris ridge opened in 2017 and is part of Eugene’s ridgeline trail system (though not actually connected). Many large oaks, madrone clusters, and bushels of poison oak decorate the landscape.
The views are nice; it is above west Eugene, you can even see Fern Ridge.
The surrounding grasses are not native. The native grass was coarse and hard to digest for the cows brought from Europe by the settlers.
Nature shows us patterns and lifecycles such as:
deer into coyote
found in scat by bird
to become fur nest for young.
Coyotes eat cherries too and leave the pits on the ground in a pile.
There are three groups around us: native, non-native, invasive. Native is good. Non-native is good when complementary. Diversity we like. Invasive is sometimes troubling when it overtakes and replaces too many natives. For example, scotch broom. The will to live in scotch broom is huge. It nearly bursts with desire to be here and spread and grow. Scotch broom seeds can lie around on the ground for 50 years and one day, sprout. They have spunk.
“Why do trees bend?” – someone asked. Because they are phototropic. They grow toward the light. We are all attracted toward the light and go in that direction. Or most of us. I do think others avoid the light, tending to the shadows.
Our guide referred to “Hazel,” which appeared to be a small bush that might some day grow nuts, hazelnuts.
Natives burned the hazel bush
to make it start over
to grow tender shoots
for baskets.
Madrone has names carved into its skin. One of the oldest noticed was from 1902. Eventually the bark heals. The etched traces of people vanish back into the source.
Dave cut down a young spring shoot of a broad-leaf maple branch. He removed the skin on part of it and notched it in 2 or 3 places and blew into it. It whistled. He learned this as a kid when they used to bring pocket knives to school and make things like this on recess.
You know how they have benches to sit on in parks and they often are in memory of someone? I wonder what would happen if we had plaques for people who were still alive- to bring our attention to them, to remember them now. We’d see them like we see all the trees here, very alive.
We lost part of the group. We started late. Our lift back had a dead battery. Is Mercury still in retrograde? Is it the lunar eclipse? As someone said at some point amid confusion, “well, I’m still enjoying myself.”
It’s Eugene first Saturday walks day again, check it out!
this is the hike where me n Lur got misplaced and walked and walked and walked and found a shirtless man with a dog and nipple rings that pointed us in the right direction. he did not use his nipples for that purpose. I did not know coyotes ate cherries. I think they like hot fudge sundaes too but NOT writing on Madrone bark. glad you went, and, had a good time!