When the wetlands are doing EXACTLY what they’re supposed to do, it makes for some pretty poor exploring. But! We wouldn’t have it any other way. Back in December, our attempt to hike around the Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve was foiled by a rainy week. It still made for some beautiful pictures though!

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

While almost all of the trails were underwater, we were able to hike around towards the Tualatin River and part of the Kingfisher-Marsh Trail.

The day we went was also VERY cold, which meant that trail parts that weren’t underwater were frozen and so was some of the vegetation.

Even though it was chilly, the sun was out and it felt wonderful to be outside!

If nothing else, the trip out to Jackson Bottom was a great teaser for all of the trails to see during the drier months!

AND! As an added bonus, we picked up lunch from an incredible café in Hillsboro (The Meating Place), and will definitely be going back out to grab more sandwiches when we see Jackson Bottom again.

Happy (belated) Wetlands Day, Friends!