Hoot Owl Trail & Charlie

As usual, Charlie was our trail leader. He actually keeps up a pretty good pace.

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The Hoot Owl Loop we did on Friday had a water crossing. I asked Bill if he was willing to get wet and he said that was fine. So off we set to explore a 'new' trail. I had ridden this trail nearly 30 years ago. It has been re-routed over the years to avoid erosion.

Did I recall it? No, not really. I do remember going through an area that the locals called The Rookery. But little else.

Rock formations at the 

start of the Hoot Owl Trail

I wore the Kurgo backpack in case Charlie got tired. I wanted to place him in it at some point and give him another taste of what it is like to be carried.

Otherwise I just carried snacks and had my little red camera attached to a strap on the front of the pack. On my belt I had my little infrared camera.

We weren't really interested in a photo taking session, but merely wanted to take enough shots to be able to recall what the trail was like. 

I wanted to see if this trail would be good in the winter also. However we discovered it wouldn't be as a whole loop. The map below shows where we parked and followed the trail.

The purple diamonds are wet crossings. The first one wasn't much and only needed a rock hop. The second one was about 10 feet across.

Bill's phone is very old but he took this shot for me.

The funny part was, I started out across and had hold of Charlie's little line. Charlie dug his feet in and when I turned around I realized there was no way he could swim this creek or cross it on his own...and he was letting me know! Talk about a brain fart!

We made the crossing safely and decided to continue on for the next mile of the trail. I'm glad we did. We found some not so common plants on a bluff hillside that was overshadowed with pines.

Rattlesnake Plantain

A White Turtlehead

That was fun!

Finding a plant and then hunting it down to Identify it is always quite interesting. I guess that is part of the reason I had signed up for the Master Naturalist Class.

We stopped along the trail and had snacks. Charlie never tired and was on the GO GO GO! While we had our apples and talked about the trail Charlie entertained himself by digging.

We reached marker 8 which ends the Hoot Owl Trail and begins the Cut Off Trail and headed back to our vehicles where we sat and chatted. 

I couldn't have asked for nicer weather. It was warm in the sun yet comfortable in the shade. 

After Bill headed out I sat with Charlie in the back of the Subaru with the tailgate open. Charlie was content to just lay there and nod off.

We didn't have to use the backpack, but twice I'd put him in it and gave him treats. 

He was okay with that.

I'd like to do Big Valley next, but looking at the map I'd have to start out and go halfway and return. Or prepare to hike the mileage and then walk back on the roads.

I may take Bill on the Cut Off Trail next, I've done that one a few times before. The last time I did that was December of last year with the neighbor and her children.

The difference of hiking in mid summer and in mid winter is startling.

Hope you are having a great weekend.