I'm feeling pretty happy that my back held up and allowed us to go on this hike. There was some mud in places, but the recent rain did us a favor. The "kitty litter" portions of the trail was wet sand.
Walking on that was much easier on my back. I had been expecting to have difficulty with the loose surface.

I had a hard time deciding which picture to upload today. Ramona Creek is easily one of my favorite stream-side hikes. Yesterday the moss covering the ground was bright, vivid green. Usually we see dry, yellow moss. So I really enjoyed the color. Later the many rhododendrons will be blooming, and I can only imagine how pretty the trail will be. It's hard to describe how beautiful the creek is. Later I'll be uploading at least several photos, but they won't really convey the feeling of being there.

For the second time this trip, we found fairy slippers (Calypso orchids). I considered uploading one of those shots. Another possibility was one of the two trilliums we spotted. We've been seeing a lot of them along the trails, but those were the first blooms we got to enjoy.

There were a lot more hikers (human and canine) than I expected. I took it as a good sign every time we saw somebody. I had some big concerns about this trail. There are many car cloutings at the trailhead. Right before we departed on this vacation I read a Portland Hikers posting about six car windows being broken. When we arrived, we saw a LOT of window glass littering the ground.

This was a wonderful place to be on a chilly overcast day. Tomorrow (Saturday) the weather is supposed to change and we'll be forced to endure sunny days. I know that most people would think that's perfect vacation weather, but almost all of my plans involve forest, creeks, and waterfalls, so cloudy weather is optimal. We'll still enjoy being in the woods, but I'm expecting that the photo ops will dramatically decrease. I guess that means less time with a camera in front of my face, and more time simply enjoying the experience.