A walk on Don Baack's birthday

Today is my friend Don Baack’s birthday. Don founded and leads SW Trails, which has established, mapped and maintained a network of trails in southwest Portland.

This afternoon, on a lark, I decided to try out one of the trail loops on the SW Trails map. I didn’t do it to celebrate Don’s birthday, but I might as well have. As I hiked and explored, I thought of Don and his SW Trails colleagues often, in gratitude.

The loop took me through solidly middle-class neighborhoods to the north and west of Bridlemile Elementary School and Hamilton Park. The architecture is relentlessly 1970s and 1980s. Occasionally the walk produced surprises: a sylvan creek, two cub scouts, a bamboo grove, a ’62 Corvette, a glade of moss and tree.

Here is some of it.

Enjoy.