Enchanted Forest

Gardening and hiking… my two favorite outdoor activities. With a pack on my back and camera strap around my neck, I am in Nirvana… as long as the trail is not too steep. I don’t claim to be a good uphill hiker. But give me a relatively flat trail and I could go on forever. We have 123-acres of land, almost all uphill. We have explored most of it, finding shady, little waterfalls and open spaces that give a grand view of the Seven Sisters. There is a grove of old growth spruce where we found an enormous red squirrel food cache. This kind of exploration calls for bushwhacking and bear bells fastened to our hiking sticks - the locals laughingly call them “dinner bells” for the bears. When we want a more civilized hike, we head for Ferry Island in Terrace. We first visited the Ferry Island Trail when friends came up for a visit from the States. What makes it special are over 55 carvings hidden in the trees that line the trail. They are all carved into the bark of cottonwood trees. For several years, it was a mystery… the little carvings just magically appearing. It was usually children who first spotted them, like elf or hobbit spirits living in an enchanted forest. In 1995, it was revealed that the mystery carver was local artist, Rick Goyette. Finding the carvings requires paying attention. They are not obvious. Hiking the Ferry Island Trail becomes a treasure hunt, and well worth the effort. (Photo: P. L. Morningstar)

... PLM