Our group of 14 hikers headed up the Enchanted Forest trail. We found “enchantment” in the oaks with bronze and orange leaves brilliant in the sunshine. The maples have not committed to Fall yet and most leaves remain green.
At the trail fork with the “Enchanted Forest” sign, we turned right taking the trail through madrones and oaks towards the memorial. The last section of that trail descends into the memorial site and is shaded by the hillside. That’s where we always find the rare Fern moss (Dendroalsia abietina), an epiphyte growing on tree trunks. This native moss is only found in Oregon and Washington. Also, we spotted Tree Lungwort on another tree trunk. This is a lichen with leaf-like formations.
We lunched at the memorial, sitting on the tree logs provided by the BLM. We returned to the fork and some hiked further up the other trail toward the top of the hillside. There are more large maples there, but the leaves are still green. It was a pleasure to hike the Enchanted Forest woods on such a gorgeous autumn day with hiking friends. Afterwards most of us traveled to Pennington Farms for pies and other treats. Total distance – 5 miles, Elevation gain – around 600’.
Kay
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7.Lichen (1)
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7.Lichen
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8.Dendroalsia Moss (1)
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9.Dendroalsia Moss
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14.Mushrooms on 10-18-24 Rogue hike
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15.Tree Lungwort
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