Hike Coordinator: Richard O’Neill
Narrative by Richard O’Neill
Yup, it was raining, yesirree. That might explain why only 4 hikers set out on the North Umpqua Trail beginning at Toketee Lake.
But really, it wasn’t raining that hard and besides which, that’s what rain gear is for. So, accompanied by the steady patter of rain drops striking hat brims we set off on the trail and were immediately greeted with a colorful palette of autumn hues and colors. The forest along the river was really putting on a show with pink dogwoods, yellow bigleaf maples, and multi-hued vine maples making things festive despite the inclement weather.
By the time we were nearing the Deer Creek bridge, our intended turnaround point, the rain abated and a good hike was taken to the next level. On the way back, our two photographers Tim and Richard lagged behind speedwalkers Lindsay and Patti, as the camera-toting duo felt compelled to take photos of everything, be it colorful leaves, emerging mushrooms, crusty lichen, coursing river, or anything else that struck their photographic fancy.
Because of the rain, we did not stop for lunch so we availed ourselves of that opportunity at the covered pavilion at the trailhead. And right on cue, the heavens opened up. Lunch just tasted better when accompanied by the sound of rain on the roof and we all agreed we had partaken of a grand hike and actually felt sorry for everybody that stayed at home because of the weather.
Read about this hike on Richard O’Neill’s Blog
More pictures on Richard O’Neill’s Flickr page
Pictures below by by Richard O’Neill
