It's not a hike, but a saunter...
“I don't like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not 'hike!' Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It's a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going they would reply, 'A la sainte terre', 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them.”
- John Muir
Join us on September 21st from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. for a one mile walk along Sutton Creek. The hike begins at the Holman Vista Overlook (6 miles north of Florence in the Sutton Recreation Area). Designed as a self-guided hike with a fact sheet aligned with numbered markers along the trail, you may walk alone or with a volunteer familiar with the trail.
At 5 different locations you’ll learn about this creek that salmon pass through on their way to spawning creeks above Sutton and Mercer Lakes. You’ll hear about Snowy Plovers and our ever-changing dunes. Head upstream and along the way you’ll look at debris jams, diversity of species, and finally some of the common invasive plants where, in the meadow - if you choose, you can help with removal. This marks the end of the walk, and provides a perfect spot for a picnic, a sandy beach to wade in the creek and cool your toes, or to return to the parking lot. You can complete the Loop Trail (about ½ mile) or allow a volunteer to shuttle you back.
There is no cost for this walk. Donations to the Siuslaw Watershed Council can be made at the time of registration or @ www.siuslaw.org or to ECO (Ecology in Classrooms and Outdoors @ www.ecologyoutdoors.org are greatly appreciated and welcomed to support watershed education for our local youth!
Additional information: contact Educational Saunterers Jim Grano @ 541.268.9954 or Dennis King @ 541.999.9213
(NOTE: Sutton Recreation Area - Holman Vista, is a USFS fee site … multiple Interagency passes including the Oregon Pacific Coast Passport accepted.)
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