This is the turn-of-season time of year in the Wenatchee Valley, where mud may hamper your first choice of how to spend time outside. I’ve gathered a long list of activities and events to keep you engaged in nature in my bi-monthly eNews. Take time to look closely at the ground to find the first leaves already up for many native wildflowers, even at the edge of melting snow. Listen for the first singing robins in your neighborhood. Spring is in the air.
During March, take delight in mud, as proclaimed in the Charlotte Pomerantz poem, The Piggy in the Puddle “Mud is squishy, mud is squashy, Mud is oh so squishy-squashy. Squishy-squashy, mooshy-squooshy, oofy-poofy mud!”
Enjoy an article I originally wrote for the Wentachee World almost a decade ago- reprinted here.
Head to the River for Fun in the Mud
Avoid damaging local trails by staying off them during the few weeks of mud season.
This time of year I think about our valley in e.e. cummings’ terms as “mud-luscious” and “puddle-wonderful.” During this in-between season, consider heading to a local riverside park, swimming beach, or boat launch to experience a muddy adventure. You may want to take a child along to make sure to witness first-hand the delight of new discoveries. With a kid along, you may even take off your shoes and let the mud squish between your toes.
Photo by Susan Ballinger. Beaver prints on the river bank. Compare with the human boot and drawing of a set of beaver prints.
As you walk along the shoreline scan the beach for fresh tracks left by a beaver, muskrat, or otter. Look for the webbed prints of Canada goose, or the slightly narrower prints of common merganser. Use your nose to find the earthy sweet smell of a cottonwood tree. Glance up into the bare-branched treetop to see if a bald eagle is perching. As you round a corner, you may flush a great blue heron from its bank resting place beneath a willow. Listen for the slow “whoosh” of its wings as it flies out over the water. If you stay for an hour, you are bound to hear the rattle of a belted king-fisher cruising by at eye-level above the river.
Water-splashed driftwood and rocks glisten against a backdrop of fine silts and it is hard to resist stopping to construct a temporary outdoor sculpture or stacked stone tower. Look for chiseled teeth-marks on a freshly cut green willow branch – evidence that beaver have been harvesting a next meal. Sharp sticks are just right for signing your name in the wet sand. Check-out the still leafless shrubs for signs of swelling buds. Look to see if mule deer have been browsing shrub tips, leaving behind roughly nipped branch ends.
Keep an eye out for the “just-right” flat skipping rocks, that fit into your palm. It takes me a few practice throws every time to get my rock to skip 2-3 times, but it is so satisfying to see the rock fly! Pocket a pretty rock to take home to display on your desk.
The few weeks of mud season are times when we need to stay off our local trails in the foothills and mountains. Most have been built by volunteer labor, and the damage done by hikers when using muddy trails is significant. On a muddy trail, we naturally try to walk on the higher sides to avoid the mud, and this widens the trails, damages native plants, and creates new places for weeds to grow. Plan to resist tracking up trail, and instead head to the river for an outing. During March, take delight in mud, as proclaimed in the Charolotte Pomerantz poem, The Piggy in the Puddle “Mud is squishy, mud is squashy, Mud is oh so squishy-squashy. Squishy-squashy, mooshy-squooshy, oofy-poofy mud!”