Journalist By Nature: Lovely, Level Lacamas Heritage Trail

private dock on Lacamas Lake

Eschewing elevation gain for a longer but level distance we set about exploring the banks of Lacamas Lake in Camas, Washington. Known to many within smelling distance, the paper mill in Camas would seem to be its defining feature. However there is a rich history of the city worth knowing. Lacamas Lake and its surrounding parks and trails is a very busy place any day of the week. Joggers, moms with baby strollers, dog walkers, sauntering couples deep in conversation and groups like ours join to compose a human stream of trail users. One group of men, the MOS (men of steel), have been walking together for decades, so said one man as he hugged my arm close to his side in a moment of friendly camaraderie. The occasional boat can be seen floating on the water, fishermen relaxing in wait for a trout or yellow perch to bite.

The heritage trail is part of a cross-city trail system with this portion paralleling the southern bank of the lake for 3.5 miles. Wide enough for three or four abreast, the pathway is packed dirt and 1/4 minus gravel. Traveling within a few feet of the lake bank the trail winds through older stands of Western red cedar and Douglas fir, carpeted at their bases with a long list of wild flowers: Vancouveria hexandra (Northern inside-out flower), Maianthemum racemosum (False Solomon's seal), red elderberry tree in bloom, skunk cabbage, bleeding heart, corydalis, salmonberry, thimbleberry, Lamium purpureum (purple dead nettle), Western trillium and red flowering currant to name a few. There are even some endangered species listed in this park: the slender-billed nuthatch bird, Oregon white oak, Bradshaw's Lomatium (similar to desert parsley but yellow) and the small flowered trillium. The area at the lake is described as a wet prairie eco-system or one in which the soil remains very moist during the growing season but with poor drainage. As the lake's water level dips in the dry months, the odor of decaying matter rises.

Tiarella trifoliata (foamflower)

Heading down the trail with energized determination to quickly complete this seven mile in-and-out walk we gradually splintered into talking groups, catching up on each other's lives and travels. Photography and aging joints slow my pace so that I am able to study the just-blooming flowers and shifting views through the trees. Dampness oozes down the hill and into the lake on one side while vine maple leafs out at the water's edge. Old trees lie where they have fallen and one ancient cedar stands as a reminder of earlier years when it would have had a whole forest of like-sized mates.

On this sunny spring day the surface of the lake sparkles as a heron circles overhead, eyeing a potential landing spot. It finds a tree limb angled out of the water on the far side and perches in anticipation of a tasty snack. Bald eagles and ospreys battle it out for air space supremacy. Today the ospreys held the advantage. Bird calls echo through the treetops and insects busily buzz and crawl through their daily schedules.

If you're in a hurry, jog this trail; if you're in a contemplative mood, stroll as far as you wish and clear your thoughts as you experience a mini-woodland tour. The neighboring Round Lake is anchor for a number of shorter trails, including one that circumvents a huge camas field, blue in its blooming this month. You don't have to travel far to enjoy the delights of the luscious Pacific Northwest region. It's sitting right at your front door!