Alice and I love going on hikes and we love going to the beach. Put them together and you have the perfect birthday party! Alice, Liam, Roisin, Connor, Victoria, Cora, Jenica, Emma, and Signe were ready to hit the trail, wearing their slug antenna. Henry and Merrick blazed the way and off we went.
Our favorite naturalist, Miss Holly, led the kids through an educational and fun adventure through the forest. "Shhh... Everyone point to where they hear a bird. That's a winter wren."
The kids were great sports about hiking through the forest.
Along the way, we spotted a hawk and a huge eagle's nest.
We spotted salmonberry bushes with their little pink flowers, smelled Indian plum bushes, and compared the bark of a Spruce and a Cedar.
We saw the first signs of spring - skunk cabbage!
Near the end of the trail, we were rewarded with a view of the bay and bright sunny skies.
The beach!
Holly provided some direction and off they went to explore.
Sea stars and anemones and sea slugs and whelks. Oh my!
Even a pile worm. Also known as a mussel worm or clam worm. Nice find!
We learned how to tell the difference between a male and female crab. This was a female.
We saw limpets and learned that a limpet has more teeth than a shark. And we found tons and tons of whelks.
And... their soon to be babies. These were snail eggs. Fascinating!
Such a glorious day for a beach birthday party. It was pouring rain about four hours before this. Apparently my pleading, begging, and praying to Mother Nature paid off.
Alice had a wonderful birthday and was celebrated by all her friends.
Happy birthday, Alice!
1 comment:
That trail and beach is one of my faves in the area. When you get to the beach there's a HUGE flat rock down to the right that we used to lie on and read books in the sun. Wonderful! The trail guide was a great idea - so cool to be learning the names of everything you see.
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