I once viewed this trail as a sad, short, decaying path along a polluted ditch. But after several bikes, walks and runs along it, I now see its potential as a rare nature trail in North Portland.
The path consists of broken asphalt, gravel and dirt. The air frequently reeks of nearby industrial operations and exhaust from cars and trucks. Sparse homeless people camp in muddy, trash-strewn squalor. Finding the trail at all is difficult.
But it has so much potential. I watched herons and swallows and hawks. I saw California ground squirrels (they charge across the grass with tails pointed straight up, unlike tree squirrels, that bound and hop). I looked around and thought about how this could be a corridor for people and wildlife. It could be a vibrant, healthy waterway.
I walked the trail with this more positive mindset and encountered an incredible piece of art on a drainage pipe that stunned me when I finally noticed it. I wish I could talk to the artist and see how long it took to create. I’d like to see previous iterations and know if this ensemble (raven, moon, bear and elk) is a theme for them. I would also like to know what the symbol at the bottom means.
This page from the Trailkeepers of Oregon goes into much greater detail about the trail.
pseudoisaac 