Willow Creek Trail

One of my favorite trails for a short stroll, regardless of the weather.  Situated at the southern aspect of Willow Point, this little oasis of a trail presents some of the most diverse seasonal flora and fauna of any other trail I have seen. 
 
Willow Creek itself is a wonder as it plays host to a large number of Coho salmon that sometimes spend several years in the small pools hiding under rotting logs and natural forest debris before making the journey to the ocean.  This has been going on for countless generations and the Creek is still quietly active today.
 
Many of these small pools are nothing more than what we would think of as ditches and yet back in the day before having been logged and the proliferation of residential development the Coho were so abundant that the local farmers used to rake them out of the creek to fertilize the fields.
 
The one thing that I notice most about this particular trail is the diversity of wildflowers.  From very early spring until the last stages of autumn, there are a generous number of species represented in this forest, some so tiny as to fit on pin head, yet abundant in numbers as to carpet the ground. 

Click the picture for a video
 
Having been logged sometime in the 30's and 40's, this relatively young forest presents clear evidence of the healing power of the earth, with nurse logs where once mighty giants stood.  The rejuvenation of indigenous species proliferating from what was harvested and left as a barren wasteland when originally logged.
 
It is a delight to witness the enchantment of this forest, which is once again paramount, perhaps not in the same manner as it once was, but an enchantment never the less.