Pine Lake

Patches thought this was the best destination ever

My mother who is only 65 is in the ICU, so I've not been able to hike as much as I would like to this week. I'm the next of kin and no one can find her living will, it's a big responsibility for me. I was told that she had an 80% chance of dying one week ago today. But now she is slowly getting better. She is still on a ventilator and has maybe up to a week before they can wean her off it it. This was a very close call.

She was in a medically induced coma and on paralytic drugs. But they were able to wake her up a few days ago and she was somewhat alert, communicative and responsive, so I finally felt it was safe for me to go hiking yesterday.

Still, I did a fairly easy hike because I am so tired from lack of sleep this week and I just need to take it easy.

I was disappointed to find a lot of litter and broken glass on the shores of Pine Lake. They just finished converting the road up there to trail and I think the lake may become more popular now. The lake is surrounded by old growth so it feels pristine when there no litter, but not this time.

I was really afraid that Patches would cut her feet on all the glass.  I moved all the glass I saw up into the woods and on top of logs. 

Someone had dumped potted plants onto the top of a log in the woods.  I guess this had something to do with the vegetation projects up there. 

dead potted plants and potting soil

I got some good exercise anyway and Patches had a good swim. When they converted the road to trail they killed all the S1 Tetraplodon mniodes (black fruited stink moss)  that was growing there. But have some T. mnoides that I've kept alive for about 2 years so I transplanted it up there on this day.

Patches flushed a grouse with cute little yellow babies. Mama grouse was pissed as hell and I thought she was going to attack us. I grabbed Patches collar and we slowly backed off while mama grouse followed us hissing and displaying. After mama calmed down we worked our way around her off trail. Mama and babies were gone on the return trip.



One pissed off mama grouse!

The lake is very high but I still managed to walk all the way around it. There was no sign of the huge patch of spearmint that used to grow lakeside but maybe it will come back when the lake level is lower.

7 miles with 700 feet elevation gain

the "Bubble gum" slime mold



Algae and moss

Tetraplodon mnoides protonema?

"restoration" makes it really hard to hike
on the old logging roads, tears everything up
and introduces invasive weeds.

What native plant is this?

Someone did not get the message in the picture above 

A patriotic fisherman's trash pit



Patriotic trash

bugs

Red tailed hawk