Verpas on April 25 during the coldest spring on record.

I saw the cottonwood buds swelling so decided to go verpa hunting. We found more than we could pick!   I wish these tasted better.  These are in a spot that I just discovered two years ago.  I've only hunted here once before.  I am happy to finally have a good verpa spot.  We picked these on April 25th. 

It was hard to keep Tato from stepping on them, but Sage used to step on mushrooms a lot too. 

Trillium with Hylocomnium splendens (glittering wood moss)

Verpa

 

Jackpot Lake. First hike with Tato Dog

 

  

I'm back in Mason County and quite sad about it, but having a new dog forced me to get out and hike.  This dog is a handful!  I've been questioning if we can handle him.  

Today is his birthday and he turned one today.  He is a blue heeler and he is so full of piss and vinegar!  He is a velcro dog like none other I have experienced.  I have to be careful not to trip over him.  No fears at all that he will run off like the hound dog I gave a trail run in our home two weeks ago.  The hound was half lab so I thought he might not run off, but that was all he wanted to do, that and try to jump on my bed.  He was a just a nose with legs.  He was a sweet dog, but I knew he could never go hiking off leash.

Tato is better about staying off my bed but he jumps on me all the time!  I think he is slowly getting better about that too.

He does not like water, I hope he can get over that.  He won't be too happy hiking with me in a rain forest if he hates water.  

He does love to fetch and I almost got him to swim today.  I threw his stick into deeper and deeper water until he had to swim to get the stick.  Whenever he got deep enough to lose his footing he got scared and went back to shore.   But at one point I'm pretty sure I got him to swim just a little to get a stick.

So Tato's birthday present was having a long hike and learning how to swim.   We took a side trip to Lake Nawatzel for Tato's water fetching lessons I guess that added half a mile to the hike.

The Greed Diamond land around Lake Nawatzel is all permit only now.  All the logging land in Grays Harbor seemed to be by permit only.  Filthy greedy logging companies with the agricultural land tax break while managing their lands for recreation.  The property taxes that they don't pay get shifted to everyone else so we pay double now, with pay their property taxes and we pay to walk on their land.

Don't even get me started on how logging companies got land from fake homesteads and railroad deals. But at least a tree farm is not as filthy as a cow farm.

 There were so many gross cow farms in New Zealand, they smelled so bad and most of the beef was exported.  So the country was polluted and the citizens did not get much out of it.  All those nasty cow farms helped me to hate a tree farms a little bit less. 

About 7 miles with 300 feet elevation gain

Compass Rose Trail Aberdeen

 

Another in my farewell Aberdeen series.  The weather was not the best for this walk. I parked at Morrison park.  I the past I parked behind Walmart near the start of the trail but that area is a bit sketchy.  I felt like my car was slightly safer at Morrison Park.   We are moving back home tonight.

Elton Bennett Park Hoquiam

Doing a farewell tour of Aber/Hoquiam today.  Here is Elton Bennett park.. sadly I did not have a memory card for my cameras so I only have phone photos for this .3 of a mile loop in the woods. 

Stewart Memorial Park Aberdeen

 This park is a nice surprise close to down town.  There are big trees in a shady grove.  Trail is technically closed though.  Also some shady (drug?)  activity seems to happen in the picnic shelter at times. 

This is a beautiful one mile loop that feels like it is deep in Olympic National park but it is actually just outside of felony flats.