Snake River State Forest is not heavily used. The hunter walking trail was overgrown with thorny raspberry bushes that gave me a lot of little cuts. Next time I will bring thicker pants. I met some nice ATVers (not allowed, but their tracks helped me get through the underbrush) and swam with them in a sandy swimming hole below a rocky dam in the clean, tea-colored Snake River. I had time to watch the sun set.
I pitched the hammock between some aspens. I am finally reading On the Origin of Species. It is actually pretty readable.
In the morning a freak lightning storm came through and I evacuated at 5 am. I took the advice of a backpacking book and draped the sleeping bag over my shoulders for protection from the rain. I need to learn to bring a goddamn tarp. What the hell is wrong with me?
The storm was over quickly and I headed to Saint Croix State Park to see the place in full summer. I was rewarded:
- eastern towhee
- leopard frog
- striped skunk
- northern flicker
- common yellowthroat
- belted kingfisher
- wild turkey
- red-bellied woodpecker
- common raven
- porcupine (roadkill)
- killdeer
- and finally: a red-headed woodpecker.
This last one I cannot remember whether I’ve ever actually seen. They are very uncommon. I even heard its beautiful call (it was more like a gurgle-shriek, it was not beautiful). It was tinier than I expected.
Another reflection, a not so happy one: some people use staring as a way of expressing hostility, of showing that they don’t like the look of you and you are not welcome. It’s an aggressive act, but it just has the effect of making them look frightened and weak.
pseudoisaac 