butte: maps & mantis
Took a walk on the butte... Wound up being 2 hrs instead of 1 due to interesting sights.
TRAIL NAME DISCREPANCIES
I'm trying to learn the trail names... But I've discovered that there are discrepancies in nomenclature. The main sign at the entry to the park doesn't show the Elderberry Trail or the Black Tailed Deer Trail. I'm also beginning to think that one or more of the trail markers may be mis-labeled.
The Elderberry Trail seems to overlap the Wild Horse Trail, which is a big loop. Elderberry leads to a little bridge across a stream, after which the trail up to the top is labeled "Cedar Grove Trail." I think that marker must be wrong... It makes more sense that Cedar Grove heads north from the intersection with Mt. Hood Trail, crosses the stream, and heads up the next hill.
The map at the restrooms shows the Mt. Hood trail leading all the way down to the Springwater. Again, I think the map is wrong. I think that the lower stretch, which passes by the Ellis Street Entrance is actually the Black Tailed Deer Trail.
I also note that the Raymond Street Entrance is not on the map.
WILDLIFE
As I was heading up 141st, I noticed that the house at the tippy-top has a lockbox on the door. An animal control truck was parked at the butte entrance. It makes me wonder if the occupants of that house have been evicted... But it might be unrelated.
As I entered the butte, I saw that there were four people in the wooded area near the far NW corner of the Russian sheep/goat pasture. I don't know what they were hunting for... But at one point I overheard a conversation about raccoons. Still, might be unrelated.
As I was coming up to the stream bridge, I saw a giant slug: yellow-green, with big black patches. I helped it "cross the road." Got my fingers stung by nettles in the process. Eek!
Saw a raptor with a white tail flying around the Meadowland area. Based on size, it may have been a hawk or falcon. It seemed to land in the grass for a while, then take off again.
Best of all: I saw a praying mantis on the signpost at the head of the Mountain View Trail. It was eating a wasp, and I stood and watched for about 20 minutes.
The mantis was holding the dead wasp in one hand, eating its head. I watched it eat the whole thing -- winding up with the wasp's butt. It would chew at the edge of the wasp's outer shell... Then it ate the meat inside. It pulled off a wing and ate it. With the exception of one leg that dropped, nothing was wasted.
The meal took about 15 minutes. You could hear the mantis chewing the wasp's hard bits. Its head moved around quite a bit on its neck -- and its throat looked like a dryer hose tube. When it was done, it licked its "hands" and wrists. I'm not sure if I imagined seeing a tongue or not; but it did have six little fingers around its mouth to help pull the food in.
All during the meal, the mantis was standing on the *side* of the post, with its head pointed down. At one point I was amazed to see its tail end open up and a little turd extrude -- upward! After the meal, it moved slowly sideways in a gentle rocking motion, as if to imitate a stick in the wind, and it brought its arms tightly together.
ROUTE & BUTTE NOTES
* I went up 141st.
* Entered via the Raymond Street entrance.
* Followed the Elderberry on its southern loop to the little stream bridge.
* Didn't cross the bridge, instead switched over to the Cedar Grove trail, heading back up the hill.
* I'm not sure, but I may have come out on the Meadowland trail, which connected to Goldfinch.
* Followed Goldfinch down the hill, northward then turning east to where the service entrance to the Powell Butte Reservoir is.
* Stopped at the parking lot / restrooms to consult the map.
* Traveled up the paved Mountain View trail halfway, then broke from it at the Meadowland trail.
* Meadowland connected to Goldfinch, and I followed it downhill northward again.
* Where Meadowland bends east, I took an unmarked trail westward, which brought me to an intersection of Meadowland, Elderberry, and the north service road.
* Took Elderberry home. (Discovered that it runs parallel to the service road for a stretch.)
The recent planned burn also affected areas on the north side of the butte, which I hadn't seen before. The areas north of the service road were burned -- and a large area where the Mountain View trail crosses the service road (quite near to the parking lot).
In a quasi-magical moment, the shadow of a two person plane crossed over me. Shadows of airplanes are rare and strange things to see on the ground... Even more so to have one run directly over you.
TRAIL NAME DISCREPANCIES
I'm trying to learn the trail names... But I've discovered that there are discrepancies in nomenclature. The main sign at the entry to the park doesn't show the Elderberry Trail or the Black Tailed Deer Trail. I'm also beginning to think that one or more of the trail markers may be mis-labeled.
The Elderberry Trail seems to overlap the Wild Horse Trail, which is a big loop. Elderberry leads to a little bridge across a stream, after which the trail up to the top is labeled "Cedar Grove Trail." I think that marker must be wrong... It makes more sense that Cedar Grove heads north from the intersection with Mt. Hood Trail, crosses the stream, and heads up the next hill.
The map at the restrooms shows the Mt. Hood trail leading all the way down to the Springwater. Again, I think the map is wrong. I think that the lower stretch, which passes by the Ellis Street Entrance is actually the Black Tailed Deer Trail.
I also note that the Raymond Street Entrance is not on the map.
WILDLIFE
As I was heading up 141st, I noticed that the house at the tippy-top has a lockbox on the door. An animal control truck was parked at the butte entrance. It makes me wonder if the occupants of that house have been evicted... But it might be unrelated.
As I entered the butte, I saw that there were four people in the wooded area near the far NW corner of the Russian sheep/goat pasture. I don't know what they were hunting for... But at one point I overheard a conversation about raccoons. Still, might be unrelated.
As I was coming up to the stream bridge, I saw a giant slug: yellow-green, with big black patches. I helped it "cross the road." Got my fingers stung by nettles in the process. Eek!
Saw a raptor with a white tail flying around the Meadowland area. Based on size, it may have been a hawk or falcon. It seemed to land in the grass for a while, then take off again.
Best of all: I saw a praying mantis on the signpost at the head of the Mountain View Trail. It was eating a wasp, and I stood and watched for about 20 minutes.
The mantis was holding the dead wasp in one hand, eating its head. I watched it eat the whole thing -- winding up with the wasp's butt. It would chew at the edge of the wasp's outer shell... Then it ate the meat inside. It pulled off a wing and ate it. With the exception of one leg that dropped, nothing was wasted.
The meal took about 15 minutes. You could hear the mantis chewing the wasp's hard bits. Its head moved around quite a bit on its neck -- and its throat looked like a dryer hose tube. When it was done, it licked its "hands" and wrists. I'm not sure if I imagined seeing a tongue or not; but it did have six little fingers around its mouth to help pull the food in.
All during the meal, the mantis was standing on the *side* of the post, with its head pointed down. At one point I was amazed to see its tail end open up and a little turd extrude -- upward! After the meal, it moved slowly sideways in a gentle rocking motion, as if to imitate a stick in the wind, and it brought its arms tightly together.
ROUTE & BUTTE NOTES
* I went up 141st.
* Entered via the Raymond Street entrance.
* Followed the Elderberry on its southern loop to the little stream bridge.
* Didn't cross the bridge, instead switched over to the Cedar Grove trail, heading back up the hill.
* I'm not sure, but I may have come out on the Meadowland trail, which connected to Goldfinch.
* Followed Goldfinch down the hill, northward then turning east to where the service entrance to the Powell Butte Reservoir is.
* Stopped at the parking lot / restrooms to consult the map.
* Traveled up the paved Mountain View trail halfway, then broke from it at the Meadowland trail.
* Meadowland connected to Goldfinch, and I followed it downhill northward again.
* Where Meadowland bends east, I took an unmarked trail westward, which brought me to an intersection of Meadowland, Elderberry, and the north service road.
* Took Elderberry home. (Discovered that it runs parallel to the service road for a stretch.)
The recent planned burn also affected areas on the north side of the butte, which I hadn't seen before. The areas north of the service road were burned -- and a large area where the Mountain View trail crosses the service road (quite near to the parking lot).
In a quasi-magical moment, the shadow of a two person plane crossed over me. Shadows of airplanes are rare and strange things to see on the ground... Even more so to have one run directly over you.
1 Comments:
that is SO. cool! i'm sorry i didn't get to see it. :)
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