Wandering the Weeds at Portage Creek
Focus: Snohomish County
I’ve been poking around a bunch of wildlife areas over the past couple months while updating my old guidebook, Hiking Snohomish County. The new third edition goes to the printer soon. More on that later—once I have a new cover to show off. In any case, I thought I’d share a few pics for anyone interested in getting out there in the weeds while it’s still early spring. I’ll post a couple of others later.
Today, I visited Portage Creek Wildlife Area in Arlington (before cruising around the Arlington Airport on my bike—see my previous post). This place has great potential for a good walk of a mile or two, but alas, the paths have not been maintained recently, if at all. So the short of it is don’t go. At least not for the “hike.” Not yet anyway. Maybe the parks people are waiting for drier weather to run a mower around the perimeter? I think not, but will ask. For now, the area probably works better as a birdwatching stop later in spring. I didn’t see much today, other than a couple of hawks and a few little brown jobs.
From the parking lot off Kraetz Rd south of SR 530, the way begins nicely, but then quickly fades in a field of knee-high grass and a blackberry fortress. I got around the latter and into some muddy woods, but then noticed a sizeable cat track in the mud and turned myself around. Instead, I ambled in the open again and soon ended up sinking in the watery stuff between hummocks near the creek, once stepping into a deep hole with a surprise splash. Oops. I picked myself up and trudged on, trying to read the landscape for drier ground.
After some wide wandering for any sign of an old trail, like the one that shows up on my Gaia GPS map, I gave up. At which point, of course, I stumbled on a faint boot path leading to the pond that had eluded me so far. Cattails dead ahead were a dead giveaway. I could finally catch a glimpse of the pond. But the path disappeared too soon and the sucky ground turned me back again.
Off to the northeast, I noticed what looked like an old interpretive sign and applied the grassy-hummock step I’d just learned to get myself over to it. Indeed, the sign was all about wetland restoration. The sign was surrounded by grass and muck. Perhaps the restoration work had exceeded expectations.
However, the GPS promised I was now on a trail, although there was no trail. Just a tired old sign and a lonely bench. It was kinda fun to sit and enjoy a moment, knowing I was fairly close to the path I’d come in on. Another fellow with a big camera lens was wading in the damp fields as well, and I warned him of what I’d found over yonder.
All in all, it was just an hour of pathfinder-me not finding much of a path. Perhaps the county has a plan for something more accessible? A couple of boardwalks could be fun. It might be heresy to say, but maybe we could de-restore just enough of this cocky wetland to allow for less-wet feet? In the meantime, rubber boots might be in order, at least through April. Then go if you must. I’m sure that lonely bench wouldn’t mind a little more company.
