Pine Street Woods

One of the things that makes Sandpoint so nice and a Mecca for outdoors enthusiasts is a community that develops public spaces for recreation. Pine Street Woods is just such a place. Located a couple of miles west of town it sits on a hilltop and has a range of hiking and mountain biking trails groomed by volunteers. In winter cross-country skiing is available on some trails and the narrow trails are for snowshoes, bikers, and hikers. Well behaved dogs are welcome.

Since we are retired we increasingly avail ourselves of these trails during the weekdays when they are practically empty. We take Molly and who loves running the trails and woods.

Yesterday we were out in the fresh snow and had a wonderful walk in the quiet of the falling snow and I vowed to take Molly back for our morning walk the next day. I also took a camera along. I was going to take my too long abandoned Mamiya 645 film camera but alas the battery is flat and I had to order a new one. The battery is on its way so hopefully I will be back out with it soon.

In any case the Fuji GFX 50sii would have to do. I brought the ever versatile and portable 70-210mm Tamron lens with Olympus mount. As I have discussed elsewhere, it is a great setup when you don’t have anything planned. I also brought a tripod but being there cold powder snow I wasn’t sure how well Mollie would stay warm if she was forced to wait for me to setup for a more complicated image. As a result it did not get used.

On the drive up Sandpoint was shrouded in fog which I was anticipating as interesting. Sandpoint has the most fog and mist and low-lying clouds of anyplace I have ever lived by a long shot. It can be wonderfully atmospheric as a result.

As we drove further west it was clear the fog was lake-bound as the sky shone blue with warm sunlight striking the hill and mountain tops. It was hard to stay to the speed limit as I anticipated the hike.

Once on the hill top I was taken aback by the contrast of the deep blue of the snow and warm yellow orange of the sunlight.

The trail starts from the parking lot and winds its way up the tree clad hillside.

Once you reach the south side you get glimpses of distant mountains.

The snow was light and crunchy, the trees layered in snow lending that muffled silence I remember from living in Flagstaff in the winter.

The westside of the trail has wonderful vistas…

The fog obscures most of the peaks at times…

Looking east over the hilltop the sun’s rays made for a spectacular display of light in the coalescing whisps of cloud.

About this point I met a woman walking her dog. I noticed them on my way up, she parked on the lower lot and I drove past them on my way up to the upper lot. We chatted and I recognized her as the squirrel lady who lives a couple of blocks away where Mollie and I walk past almost every day. She said she used to care for abandoned baby squirrels and injured ones for years. She worked at the local library. This is not unusual in such a small town to see someone you recognize.