We returned this weekend to continue our journey east under
clear skies and a light south wind.
Today’s hike would mostly be along the Garrison Dam followed by a short
jaunt south to where the trail is interrupted by the spillway (currently full
of water).
Starting atop the dam we enjoyed expansive views to the
south. We were not able to locate a
trail, so we followed a road that eventually provided access to the fish
hatchery and airpark. In addition to the
many gulls concentrated near the dam outlet, we saw three bald eagles and one
red tailed hawk. We even caught a
glimpse of an otter in a drainage ditch near the east side of the dam.
(Water tanks, turbines, and the river outlet)
(Damn, that's one big dam! No problem seeing where we're heading today!).
Not surprisingly, soils along today’s hike were disturbed
from dam construction about 70 years ago.
Periodic checking of our location revealed we were surrounded by
Ustorthents, essentially a dry ‘reconstructed’ soil with very slight
horizonization at the surface.
(Not quite pavement, but…)
With nothing to impede our progress, we made good time,
covering 6.1 miles in about two hours. A
good day!
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