Mid-July – – – a hot and beautiful summer day. It had all the makings of a fun trip to the Carty Unit in the northern portion of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.

After parking at the trailhead, I hiked over an arched foot bridge above a set of railroad tracks. A cedar plankhouse, built in 2005 as a representative of the 14 plankhouses observed by Lewis & Clark in a nearby Indian village, was soon passed.

This was the beginning of the Oaks to Wetlands Trail, a well-marked path passing several lakes. Eventually the Trail emerged on a butte overlooking much of the area.

After returning to the plankhouse, I decided to add a few miles to the outing by hiking another three miles in the open fields along Lake River.

A pleasant outing indeed.