Journalist By Nature: Explore Everything!

Flipping our collective hair at the weather report and turning our faces into the breeze we gathered at a member's home in the Gresham area for a hilly excursion into the nature area south of the city. The rolling terrain is largely undeveloped around the Butte Saddle area, site of a holly and filbert orchard of a couple of centuries ago, now in a forest recovery stage. Deteriorating paving initially directed our feet down a steep pathway that soon become a gravel-coated and then compacted leaf trail.

The open woodland scene is populated by a variety of deciduous trees now fully leafed out, providing spattered shade for the lush ground cover of ferns, mosses, spires of foxglove, dots of diverse yellow flora and the carpet of invasive, pervasive and noxious "Stinky Bob" (Geranium robertianum). Although grinning innocently with its tiny pink face and lacy foliage, "Stinky Bob" overgrows native plants and propagates rapaciously. It has reached the stage of English ivy in that it is impossible to eradicate now.

Carpet of "Stinky Bob"

With legs aburning and lungs gasping we labored up a steep grade devoid of switchbacks to reach the top of the butte and view of Gresham below. Turning on an adjoining trail we applied the hip and knee brakes to control our steep decent downhill to another turning point. Summiting another hill brought us to The Bus, an ancient food cart sort of vehicle, long past its glory days, abandoned in the woods and now sprouting tree branches and a colorful and multi-layered tagging finish. It was a photo op to be sure!

Two hours into this uphill and downhill rhythm, we voted to head for our cars and seek nourishment in one of the many little cafes in the city. Stowing sweaty backpacks, jackets and hats we made our way to Selma's to view an array of Syrian fare such as hummus, orzo salad, baba ghanush, tabbouleh, pita bread and enough other dishes to make choosing a pastime in itself. Then there was the

dessert display. Traditional baklava, ma'amoul (a date-filled molded sugar cookie), countless other sweets all made by Selma herself, a gracious and hardworking businesswoman aided by her husband and son.

Hidden hiking treasures await the curious adventurer throughout the Pacific Northwest area. Poke around and see what you can find by searching municipal websites and local activity newspapers. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you discover. Happy hiking!