Theler Wetlands Nature Preserve

Our weather has been pretty iffy the last couple weeks; yesterday was pouring but today looked like we had a good chance of staying dry so we headed out for a new adventure.

Today we decided to check out the Mary E. Theler Wetlands Nature Preserve in Belfair, WA.   The guide book says its a 3.5 mile hike round trip and takes you to the Union River estuary that feeds into Hood Canal.  The trails are very well maintained and easily accessible to all (flat, wide and smooth). Even on a busy Sunday afternoon,  the bird activity was high.   We were serenaded the entire trip by birds all along the grassy meadows and waterways.   We saw whole colonies of Red Winged Black Birds and Swallows,  as well as sparrows, a pileated woodpecker, what we think was kingfisher, and many more we couldn't ID.    This would be a great place to come with binoculars and spend extra time just sitting on the many benches along the way and bird watching.   We only brought the outdoor camera, but still managed to get a couple shots:

One thing to note - no dogs are allowed in this area due to the fragile ecosystem. The sun was warm and the breezes were cool. It was a nice, easy Sunday afternoon hike with beautiful views and amazing birds.

Green Mountain via Wildcat Trail

I pulled into the Wildcat Trailhead about 1:30pm. Probably want to start this hike a little earlier next time as I didnt finish until 7pm. Dont forget to print and bring a copy of the Green Mountain State Forest Trail System map to guide the way.

 

The first part of the trail is similar to the Green Mountain via Gold Creek Trailhead hike in that the very first part of the trail was clearcut recently, I would estimate about 10 to 15 years ago, so there is enough regrowth to make it tolerable. I was lucky enough to pass about 10 women on their way down from performing trail maintenance. They must have been some sort of community service "volunteers" I presume based on the fact they were accompanied by some sort of corrections officer. They did a great job as the first part of the trail was nice and clear and easy to make good time.

 

The trail is not very steep but does climb gradually for the estimated 5 miles up to the Green Mountain summit. Unfortunately, the weather was poor on this day, it drizzled pretty much the whole time. I crossed the forest service roads a couple of times before reaching the Green Mountain Horse Camp at roughly the halfway point up the mountain. In clear weather, I belive the trail becomes more interesting at this point as it skirts a ridge on the east side of Green Mountain. I believe there are views of Seattle and such similar to the view at the summit. But I couldnt see a thing. I kept going and Wildcat trail eventually merges with the Gold Creek trail and then leads to the Green Mountain Vista.

I reached the top exhaused but only stayed long enough to scarf some raisins and carrots before heading back. The were no views for the clouds and I wanted to get back before dark. I passed 3 mountain bikers on my way down. That looks hard.

Not a bad hike, even with the weather. Completing this one means I've now hiked all the official trails in the area and a few of the non official ones including the Gold Mountain TV tower summit and the Tin Mine trail hike. I belive there's still a few good days of exploration left, though.

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