exploring up north..

This weekend, I went home to Marin County to spend the 3 day weekend. While at home, my mom and I went for a hike on a new trail on the mountains behind our house. While I had been on different parts of the mountain, we had never taken this specific trail and I haven't been up there in years. I told my mom about this class, so she thought it was a good idea to bring the camera and helped me explore off the trail.

I think the most interesting and unique thing we found was a tree that had holes in it. We guessed the holes were from a woodpecker, but then a majority of the holes were also filled with acorns. We guessed that the acrons had been filled in by either squirrels or a bird. We took pictures of the tree and the low branches that almost touched the ground.

On the way back down the hill, we saw a man walking with his two sons and a large bird on a stick. The people on the trail had dogs, and as dogs passed, the bird would say "bad dog!" and then laughed. There were also horses, mules and cows on the tree. Last, many residents have said they have seen mountain lions and coyotes on the mountain, so we couldn't let my dog off the leash...
Since it was winter, a majority of the trees had lost its leaves. Also, some of the trees in Marin County are dying from Sudden Oak Death, which is a fungus that lives in the tree and the tree can die within 3 days of being infected (so says my mom!...) Other than the trees, the grass was dead and yellow, and there weren't any flowers in bloom. Today, it was in the 60's, and as we got higher up, we definitely started to take off layers of clothing. We eventually had to turn around and head home when we realized we had forgotten water! It was a really good day for a hike, and a nice way to spend some time with my mom while I was home. Although I think exploring on my own is a good way to reflect on the world around me, I also enjoy going on explorations with other people. Usually, they point out things that I completely walk by or would otherwise miss..