Who’s up for a bit of adventure?This Saturday, the 29th, is WinterFest at the Morse Wildlife Preserve, which is a bit of totally preserved habitat outside of Graham.
There will be nature walks, cocoa, and opportunities to climb up the bird tower and check out the boardwalk. It’s from 1-3PM, and you can drop in any time during those hours, though I’d go early to have the best chance at a parking spot. This isn’t a long adventure, or an action packed one-but it’s a nice opportunity to get the kids, “Unplugged,” for a bit and explore this special place that is only open to the public a few times a year. The walks were no more than 10 minutes last year, so even a young child should be able to handle them. Both the boardwalk and watch tower were slippery slick with frost, so you do want to be mindful of that. The time is later this year, which should mean this won’t be an issue. Update: I spoke with one of the organizers this morning, and she said some of the trails are still primitive, so you should wear boots.
As I mentioned, the boys and I did this last year. Their reviews were a bit mixed. The big kid enjoyed climbing up the tower, checking out a beaver dam, and looking through the binoculars. Henry got cold in about 5 minutes and spent most of the time whining, though he did like the cocoa. Dress warmly.
Update Two: I spoke with one of the coordinators, and she said you are fine to show up even if you didn’t register. To get directions, go here. She did urge you to carpool. As of this moment, they’re expecting about 25 folks, which should be close to the most vehicles they can manage. Hopefully, not everyone will go at once! Keep in mind I never know if posts I write will get 5 people showing up or 50… or more….I think the out-in-the-literal-sticks nature of this activity will mean it won’t be super crowded, but again-think carpool if you can. We didn’t have a hard time finding it at all, but it did feel like we were close to finding the edge of the world!
When I saw this post, I cancelled my plans for heading out to Lake Kapowsin and took my daughter (7) here. It was ok. They were talking about opening again in the spring when the land is green and more birds are around. We saw a Raven, Ducks, Geese, and a lot of vegetation from moss to berries and I think even some poison ivy (off the trail).
Thanks for the report! We saw a big beaver dam when they were there last. It would definitely be nice to have more trails.