Hike Distance: 3.1 miles      Yearly Hike Distance: 802.6 miles

Elevation Gain: 206 feet      Yearly Elevation Gain: 105861 feet

A very interesting day that turned out fairly well.  It began when I drove to the southern end of the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge and a volunteer walked up to me.  She then stated that the road and Kiwa Trail was closed due to the spotting of a cougar a couple of days prior!  They still allowed cars to drive around the loop but specified that everyone must stay in the car.

So, I headed north to the Carty Unit of the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge to go for a hike.  I stopped and talked with the wildlife service and they mentioned this area wasn’t closed, due to the cougar, because a large body of water separated it from this area.

I believed I could hike about 5 miles in this location, if the trails were all accessible.  Unfortunately, the water level was very high and much of the trail system was cutoff by high water. 😦  There was still opportunities for hiking, and I took them.  This is such a beautiful Wildlife Refuge and it doesn’t disappoint!  There weren’t many birds, but I still took some pictures of what I saw.  The oak trees were so majestic and are always a joy to see.

I did need to take extra steps to reduce the mosquitoes that were attacking my face but it wasn’t a big deal.  I did spend some time clearing the trail of branches with my loppers and it feels good to give back to the trail.

During this hike I was using a newly purchased Panasonic G9 camera.  I’m extremely pleased with the quality of the image and the camera’s capabilities.  My previous cameras just didn’t give me the image quality and features I was looking for so I decided to bite the bullet.  I’m selling my other cameras in order to make this camera more affordable, as I never planned on spending this much.  The major drawback to this camera is the weight and size.  That said, it’s quite a bit lighter than most SLR’s and it’s worth the sacrifice, to me, for what I’m getting.

As I said, an interesting day that turned out well and the fresh air and beauty didn’t disappoint!