Shelton View Forest — Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020

I prepared for this hike with:

Shoes, Adidas running shoes, circa 2010, more or less adequate for the hike conditions, dry sunny weather, cool fall day.

Water, about 1.5 liters taken, only about .5 liters consumed on hike.

Food, ate before hiking, 2 toasted hash brown patties with melted cheese in the middle. Took no supplies with me on hike, could have been tragic mistake, if it were not for my home being about 3 blocks from the entrance to this park.

During most of the hiking excursion, I did not feel threatened by the wildlife close by. They were safely distanced from the trail, so as not to cause alarm or danger to hikers. Most wildlife consisted of squirrels and a few woodpeckers, and one banana slug did attempt to cross my path, but I stepped over him to safety. I have heard rumors of black bears being sighted in this particular forest, however, I have also heard rumors of military checkpoints during the covid lockdown, and I never saw any of those either.

The most notable observations of my senses came from the audible category. Throughout my hike I could hear distant sounds of cheerful children playing and discovering joys in the park, and evenly interspersed with the sounds of high power riffles being fired way off in the distance, and the low thud of a shotgun blast now and then, echoed off of the hills nearby. You might notice while hiking here that this park spans between an elementary school on it's East boundary, and across the street from a local outdoor gun range on it's North boundary. So, imagine recess on the playground as the civil war slowly approaches but never arrives.

The beer of choice for this hike was not actually taken on the hike, as I was concerned I might be mistaken for a homeless camper, although none of those were observed while there. I finished with a refreshing glass of Fresh Hop Moist Cascade Trail Ale from 192 Brewing while relaxing on my deck back home writing this not so helpful hiking report for you.