Muddy trail towards the Snohomish River.  Take the main river trail to versus the shortcut.

First signs of spring are visible.

Note:  If you are planning to visit Lord Hill, be advised that there is a trail running event scheduled for Sunday, February 18th, 2018, all day.  A sign posted in the parking area said they were expecting 300-400 participants.  I am glad I didn't happen upon that today.  Started from the south parking lot.  Horseback search and rescue were meeting there, but I didn't run into too many of them.  The trails are very muddy, some with standing water.  Getting sunshine and a picture of a hooded Merganser made it all OK.

Lord Hill is a hiking destination not publicized enough.  It is in Snohomish county what Cougar and Tiger mountains are in King county.  Lots of roads and trails, bikes, horses, and people.  Braided trails lace through the wet woods but most of the main trails have good signage.  Not big on views but certainly a reasonable workout close in with lots of variation.

The visitor center in Snohomish has lots of information on the area but maps of the Lord Hill park are scarce.  They are on the internet.  We hiked the main trail and the river trail.  There are some charming lakes with beaver lodges and a real beaver dam on the river trail.

Lots of opportunities for after hike brews and eats, but for our money the very enthusiastic barrista at House of Brews north on avenue D gets our vote.

I left my dogs at home today and ended up walking with a dog who followed me around for a couple of hours. I’m happy to say he is now reunited with his owners. 

Thank you to those who have been working on the trail around Temple Pond. The muddy spots look to be freshly filled in and drainage seems improved. 

I heard a few frogs and woodpeckers today. Looking forward to spring!

OK; I wasn't going to do a report today. I mean, we don't need one every week, right? But something caught my eye...

Yep. Another mylar balloon. I have a special dislike for them. They are the number one thing I find out in the bush... There I am, in the middle of nowhere, a mile into the bush, and I find a shiny sheet of mylar hanging from a branch. (this one was just off the Pipeline - see photo) Sadly, I have come to expect trash on the trails, but it's particularly jarring when you stumble on it in the middle of nowhere.

I got to thinkin' about all the balloons I've seen in the stores the last few weeks. Thousands of them! All different colors and sizes. Hearts, roses, stars, and the usual birthday wishes...

Now, I know it's fun (tradition even) to turn 'em loose and watch them til they disappear. And they do - out of sight, out of mind. They drift lazily away, eastward, til they hit the foothills. With not enough lift to get them over the mountains, they settle to their grave. Usually in the middle of nowhere...

But, I guess that's alright if nobody's ever gonna see 'em, right?  Except maybe me...