A hike with Montesano city forester Loren Hiner June 14 was made even better by the near-perfect hiking weather accompanying him and 11 others along the 2.25-mile forestry trail at Lake Sylvia State Park and the Montesano city forest.
“A Walk in Our Woods,” a series of interpretive hikes and mountain bike rides on Montesano forest trails, gives hiking and biking enthusiasts and novices the opportunity to enjoy the trails at Lake Sylvia while learning more about them from an expert. Far from a normal trek through the woods, Hiner pairs the scenery of the trails with the history behind them and the plants and animals one might expect to see while taking advantage of the state park and city forest just up the hill from downtown Montesano.
“We have all the typical Northwest wildlife and animals here in Montesano,” Hiner said. “Bears, cougars and bobcats for large predator animals. We’ve got owls, hawks and people really enjoy grouse hunting in the fall.”
Hiner says he often hears of hikers running into some of the animals prevalent at Lake Sylvia, but he says there is no cause for alarm.
“If you behave yourself, it’ll behave itself and it’ll all be good,” he said.
Those who follow Hiner’s wise words should have no problem enjoying themselves while hiking or biking at Lake Sylvia, just as the larger-than-expected first group of the year did. Hiner said last year the event would typically draw only a handful of hikers.
The program is relatively new. Mayor Vini Samuel came up with the idea shortly after taking office in 2016 in the hopes of further revitalizing the spirit of community in Montesano and to call attention to the outdoor activities the city has to offer.
“She asked all the departments to get things going and to see what they could do to bring in more community activities,” Hiner said.
Hiner believes the success so far this year is due to word finally getting out about the hikes and about the trails themselves.
“I like hiking with guides who are experts. Loren can tell us things that we wouldn’t normally know,” said Kathy Smith, a local resident who hikes whenever possible.
Hiner commented on the various plaques, plants and animals the hikers came across.
The forestry trail came to be in 1991 as part of the 50-year celebration of the now-national American Tree Farm System, which started in Montesano in 1941. The system is private forestland owners who voluntarily enter their lands into the program. The American Tree Farm System seeks to keep forests healthy and populated by providing tools and support that help with reforestation efforts. Before its existence, Hiner said reforestation efforts were small because the technology to reforest on a wide scale was just not there.
“The ‘log it and leave it’ mentality was causing concern within the community during those early days, and so there was a lot of pressure on the timber companies to have the forest service regulate them and mandate reforestation laws,” he said.
The forestry trail is a celebration of the success the American Tree Farm System has had.
“There’s a great wealth of recreational opportunity, both for hiking and for mountain biking, and I think the mountain biking possibilities out here are quite numerous. That’s an area that could really grow exposure for Montesano,” Hiner said.
Hikes and bike rides will be held throughout June, July and August on specific Wednesdays and Saturdays. For more information, contact Hiner at Lhiner@Montesano.us. The hikes and rides will be listed in The Vidette’s calendar on Page A-2.
