MCR Hike

It was beautiful today. Sunny, temps in the 60's, and not a cloud in sight. Mike and I took advantage of the springlike weather and went up to Merrill Creek for a 7.5 mile hike. We were hoping to spot some wildlife, but mostly we just wanted to get out for some fresh air.

Unfortunately, everyone else had the same idea and the park was packed. I knew it would be bad when we parked in the field lot instead of the main parking area, and it was standing room only. We seemed to be going the opposite direction from everyone else, so we didn't have to do much along the lines of human interaction. Once we got past the visitor center, the foot traffic slowed significantly, and once we were in the dead woods, we were pretty much alone. Still, I'm glad we opted to leave the dogs at home for this one. Because of all the people, the wildlife was scarce. We saw one whole squirrel for a moment. Other than that, there were some sea gulls and geese along the shore lines and some buffleheads further out. As a result, we walked faster than we usually do and took fewer photos.

Towards the end of our hike, however, we were walking through the eagle nesting area. We had heard some men on the dam talking about a rumor they'd heard about the eagles no longer being at MCR, and we were disheartened. That portion of the trail is bordered with strict warnings about keeping out of the nest site. Just as Mike and I were wondering if they mark one side of the trail to keep attention of the actual whereabouts of the eagles, I spotted the nest to our left. Right after I saw the empty nest, Mike spotted the birds, both of them, sitting on a branch far, far in the distance, along the water's edge. Even after he saw them, he had to really point them out to me for me to figure out where they were. (I bet he was having proposal flashbacks, haha.) Seeing them was one thing, but getting pictures was a whole 'nother ball game entirely. I cannot believe Mike's eagle eye. The funny thing was that, even as we were standing there, pointing and taking photos, people just kept right on walking by without even noticing.

We made it back to the car just as the temperature started to drop, and we were home before dark, which is pretty much unheard of when we go hiking. All in all, it was a beautiful day, even if the pickings were slim photography-wise. It was really good for me to get some fresh air and sunshing, as I've been feeling rather down in the dumps lately, despite things going well in life. I am choosing to ignore the forecast for the next week, and just focus on the fact that it really felt like spring was in the air today.

Anyway... have some photos.

 I had a lot of fun photographing the icicles stuck to the floating logs, and trying to capture the water drops as they fell: