Washington Park Arboretum
Sunday 1:15 pm
61 degrees F
Today I did my first observations at the Washington Park Arboretum. It was a very mild day; no rain, no sunshine, just cool and cloudy. A lot of people were out on their boats on Lake Washington, fishing, exploring, or taking a walk. I began by walking through the trails of Marsh Island. Not having been there before, I discovered that Marsh Island is connected to Foster Island. There were a lot of great places to stop and record my surroundings, but I decided to keep exploring other parts of the trails. Once I came to Foster Island, it was pretty muddy, so I back tracked to find a final destination. My final point is marker 21, a bridge between the two islands.
My immediate surroundings are Lake Washington facing one way, and trees and plants facing the opposite direction. In the lake, are numerous lily pads floating atop the water. I was actually surprised to see so many of them scattered here and all around Lake Washington. All of the little plants and shrubs are unknown to me, but I'm sure I will start to learn the names of them eventually.
Looking farther out, there is an endless amount of lake, and an endless amount of greenery. Being on the bridge, I can either walk towards Marsh or Foster Island Trails. I can hear sporadic chirping and quacks, as well as airplanes flying over head. It smells fresh and woody, and the atmosphere is just really soothing. Along my walk I saw a few different birds. Earlier on in the trail there was a huge flock of geese and farther along I saw a variety of different ducks. I know that one of them was a male mallard, but I don't know about the other two kinds.
As a kid, I didn't go hiking on trails very much, but the few times I did were pretty memorable. When I was in elementary school, my dad made me go backpacking with him, my older brother, and some family friends. I just remember the backpack being extremely heavy, and the walk seeming endless. Plus they were getting mad at me for not being able to keep up. Another time that I was out in the wilderness, was going bird hunting with my dad. This was definitely not as bad, I really enjoyed being out in the quiet, and spending time with him. I remember that it was always in very dry climates in Yakima or Arizona, and we had to walk for hours. One time I got really freaked out because there was a decomposing cow in the middle of a field in Yakima.
My most recent hiking experience was in the Columbia River Gorge. I live a short car ride from all the trails in Portland, but I never had gone before this past summer. I really enjoyed looking at all the smaller waterfalls. It was very peaceful, and there weren't many people around, except when you get to Multnomah Falls, which is so big and beautiful that everyone wants to get a picture on the bridge. In retrospect, I really enjoy the type of nature that has some body of water close to it; it seems much more alive and lush. Hiking in Yakima was not bad, but it was very dry, and so it seemed like everything was brown. Living in Vancouver and now Seattle, I really appreciate all the green surroundings, and I think that the place I have chosen in the Washington Park Arboretum is perfect because it is very abundant in plants and birds, and is surrounded by a beautiful lake.
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