Stimpson Family Nature Reserve

Taken along the trail

Melanie and I decided today to take a short but beautiful trip into the Stimpson Family Nature Reserve. I have never been here on the Reserve when it wasn't raining, but today the rain (which fell all night long) stopped just before we arrived. The reason we come here in the rain is because it's pretty much tree covered and very pretty even when things are very wet. From the above link:

The Stimpson Family Nature Reserve and Geneva Pond is 370 acres of forested land and wetland habitats protected by the Whatcom Land Trust and the Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department. The protected property, located in the Lake Whatcom Watershed between the Sudden Valley Subdivision and the Geneva neighborhood of Bellingham, includes sandstone ridges and cliffs with small wetlands and ponds throughout the space.  

Sun's rays shining through

Because of all the rain last night, there was a great deal of moisture in the air, and once the sun came out, we saw lovely scenes like the one above. It was harder to capture the rays than I thought it would be, because the sunlight came and went faster than I was capable of dealing with. This is just one of several attempts, but it's a pretty good one, I think.

Geneva Pond

When we made it to Geneva Pond, this reflection picture shows why we had so many clouds: there were more of them than we had sunshine. It was definitely hit-and-miss if you weren't quick with the camera. 

Mel took this of me at the pond

But we didn't come here for the sunshine, really. We just wanted to be amidst the magic of the forest, and we had plenty of that. We walked somewhere around five miles, more or less, before finishing up around noon, with a measly 550 feet of elevation gain and loss. I didn't want to try anything harder with my back still healing up, and I didn't have to deal with too much discomfort. I figure by Saturday I should be up for something a little longer.

Lots of moss and ferns, too

I am so fortunate that Melanie is willing to adjust her hikes to accommodate me. She's definitely capable of going much farther and faster than I can manage for the moment, but she seems happy to be out and about with me anyway. Fortunately, she's got other people to hike with on other days that can give her more of a workout.

Now that I am home and writing this post, all the sunshine has completely retreated, and it even looks like it might rain a bit more. I should sleep well tonight, though, having gotten in a good hike with a good friend! Thanks, Mel!

:-)