A Hike!

Hooray!!! We got out for a hike!! A few weekends ago... Did I mention I'm behind on blog posts?

We tried a different trail this time... and there's a cute little stream with a bridge.

And a little lake.

So pretty!

I like arbutus trees, they look so beautiful.

Oh wow... that looks like it would be a great bridge across the lake... what do you think?

I had my human test it and it appears pretty solid.

Maybe I'll just sit here and look cute!

We found some pussy willows!!!

Big, fat ones too... they are plush like a stuffies fur....

It's so good to be out on an adventure in the woods.

Wow... that's cool. A little salal bush growing in an old broken off tree trunk.

Neat!

Signing off from Sandy the Adventurer!

Swamp Bear - Part 2

Hullo... in my last post, I left us all hanging... wondering if I would be able to cross the murky swamp...

Particularly given that my human did not come prepared with appropriate footwear.

Luckily... I did come prepared!! I brought rubber boots... we did this excursion last year and I thought some boots might just come in handy this time!

Ta-dah... no excuses now! Let's go!

Yup... see... perfect!

I is such a smart little bear!

Oh hey... look at that... fresh deer droppings... I wonder if we'll see any deer? Live ones that is...

Oh yes... I remember this... soooo murky!

Did I mention I was a smart bear? Yes... I guess I did... well, it bears repeating. Anyhow... on the hunt for pussy willows...

Somewhere along here...

Goodnesss.... so wet here!

Ta-dah... pussy willows... except they're not quite ready yet. Sigh...

On the other hand... do you see what I see?

There are deer over there.

Quite a few as it turns out...

Hello deer! Not shy at all really.

Oh, I missed this last year... some old piece of farming equipment...

It's got pointy thingies on it... maybe for making furrows?

Whew... that was quite the adventure! No pussy willows but that's OK... I had a lot of funny anyways!

Pussy Willows!

Well... it's getting to be that time of year... time for... The Great Pussy Willow Hunt!!

It's been beary wet lately so the trail is a bit murky...

Good thing I have a sherpa to carry me over mucky sections.

Today we are hunting the elusive Power-line Pussy Willow... shhhh... be verwy verwy quiet...

There, do you see it??? Right between my ears...

I see them...

I snuck up on the pussy willows and they are stunning.

Beautiful specimens!

What do you think??

Now... mrph... if only... I could.... erg... find.... the pocket knife!

Whaddya mean there's no pocket knife??? I thought we had this discussion last year about keeping the backpack full of Important Items! Sigh... good help is hard to find.

But... they were easily ripped off. I didn't take a lot...

After the exertion of hunting pussy willows... it was nice to have a quiet stroll by the lake. Nice picture but...

I think it looks better with a bear! Don't you?

As Ajdin would say... Life is Beary Good!

Harbingers of Spring

I saw an awesome sunrise this morning! Which I think boded well for the weather... And I was right, because I got to go for a hike today!

Hmmm... little bear vs. big kitty... hmmm... Oh well, as long as I don't stray too far from the humans I should be OK...

There were some big trees that came down after those 18" of snow. Guess they weren't used to all that weight.

And look!!! Green leaves - real ones (not those evergreen things like arbutus and holly).

And some Canadians are back home from over-wintering down south. I bet they are looking for a nesting spot.

Ooohhhh... letters painted on rocks underwater... I wonder what it was supposed to say...

I also found as skunk cabbage! They don't smell beary nice but they are the first indicators that spring is really here.

I have to say, they do look pretty...

But then it started to rain and so I got tucked into Mama's jacket... I hope we keep going on our hike...

Oh my goodness... can it be???? I think it is!!! Pussy willows!!!

Under the big power-lines (always a good place for pussy willows). These are in the shadow of the mountain so spring must be a bit tardy here. I got a bunch of little scraggly ones.

And then found another bush with long, straight branches.

Finally... pussy willows!!