Leaf ID Tip #2

The vine maple, common in the pacific NW, spells its name with its leaves.

V   I   N   E      M   A   P   L   E.  

Look for the 9 leaflets yourself. Keep in mind, the out-most pair (V and the final E) may be rather small. Happy spelling and happy hiking!

Trail Snacks: make-your-own energy bars!

Here's a yummy recipe for energy bars! Add what you like, leave out what you don't. Yum!

Makes 16 bars

small amount coconut oil for greasing the pan
1.25 cups gluten free rolls oats
1 cup chopped, toasted nuts: almonds, walnut am pecans, peanuts, or macadamia
0.75 cup combo of: flax seeds, oat bran, sesame seeds, ground coconut, raw wheat germ, or more ground nuts
1.5 cups puffed or crisped grain cereal (grape nuts or perky's are delicious)
1 cup dried fruit, chopped into small, coarse pieces: raisins, cranberries, apples, pears, dates, prunes
1 tsp. cinnamon
0.75 cup brown rice syrup or raw honey
0.25 cup nut or seed butter: almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower butter, tahini butter
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
0.5 tsp. sea salt

A. Grease an 8-inch squRe baking pan with the coconut oil
B. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, ground seeds or grains cereal, dried fruit, and cinnamon. Set aside
C. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the sweetener and nut butter. Heat gently and stir until smooth. Turn off heat and add vanilla or almond extract and salt.
D. Pour liquid ingredients over cereal mixture and stir until well combined and evenly incorporated. Spread into prepared pan. Using wax or parchment paper, press the mixture tightly into the page . Take your time doing this and use a bit of force to really press out all the air bubbles and get the mixture as compact as possible. Refrigerate for several hours or over night before cutting into 16 bars.

The bars stay well in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to one week.

Recipe courtesy of SELAH Natural Medicine

8375 SW Beaverton/Hillsdale Hwy. Suite C
Portland, OR 97225

selahnaturalmedicine.com

Leaf ID Tip #1

Looks for pinnate and palmate leaves today!

Palmate:

Like your hand, palmate leaves have "fingers" or leaflets that separate from the main body of the leaf.

Pinnate:

If you press your fingers together, creating one piece, it more closely resembles a pinnate leaf. These leaves come to a point at the top, like a pin. Pin... Pinnate. Tada!

Who am I?

Official flower of Oregon,
Found on mountain trails...
Do you know what my name is?
Whoever knows prevails!

Give Doug a Hug!

Douglas Fir trees are incredibly common in Oregon,

Find a Douglas Fir tree and give Doug a hug!!!

We can find our friend Doug by looking for special cones, Douglas Fir cones have little, soft, light brown "mouse-tails" sticking out periodically.

Perhaps, for hike-time entertainment, you can tell the legend of why mice might be hiding in the friendly Fir's cones:

The Mouse, Douglas Fir, and the Great Forest Fire

A long time ago, when the animals and plants could speak to each other, there was a great forest fire burning through the forest. Little Mouse ran as fast as he could away from the hot fire but he knew he could not outrace the fast moving flames. He began to run from tree to tree asking them if they could save him.
First he ran to the bigleaf maple tree. “Help, help!” he cried. “Can you help me escape this fire?” Bigleaf maple tree replied, “No, I’m sorry little mouse, I am afraid that I will not be able to survive this for- est fire”. The mouse then ran to the red cedar tree. “Help, help! Can you help me escape the fire?” “No, I’m sorry little mouse, but I do not think that I can survive this great forest fire, either” said Red Cedar. Mouse ran from tree to tree asking the same question, and getting the same answer.
Finally he came to a great old Douglas fir tree, with its thick furrowed bark. “Help, help, Douglas fir! Can you help me escape this fire?” And Douglas fir replied, “Yes, I think that my thick bark will protect me from the heat of these flames. I may be able to survive this great fire. Climb to the top of my branches, and climb under the scales of my cone for extra protection.” So, little mouse did as he was told, and climbed way up into Douglas fir tree and hid under the scales of the Douglas fir cones. Many other little mice followed him and did the same. And the Douglas fir tree was right, its thick bark protected them from the flames of the fire, and the fire passed them by.
To this day, if you look under the scales of the Douglas fir cone you can still see little mice hiding under the scales of the cones. Can you see them too? 

http://www.wnps.org/education/resources/documents/K-5_Q&E/2nd_grade/2-2b.pdf

Fun Hikes around Portland

Do you have younger cousins coming to visit this week? Are you sitting on some bubbly and bouncy babies this week? Are you simply looking to get in touch with your youthful, curious self? 

Well, it may be time for a hike! Hiking is a great way to be enjoy the outdoors. It's exercise without being immediately tiring. You get to choose the difficulty of your endeavor and you can make it as interesting as you'd like to by bringing along fun activities or people for company. 

Hiking, especially when the weather is still nice, is a great way to appreciate the world around you. Also, if you're apprehensive of extended time with small children and their larges stores of energy, hiking is a great, fun way to tire them out. Remember, you almost certainly have longer legs, you have a huge advantage regarding a stamina. 

So, first step: where are you going to adventure?

Here's a list of fun, relatively easy hiked around Portland to get your started:

Tryon Creek:

http://www.tryonfriends.org

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=103

Tryon Creek, mere minutes out of downtown Portland, is so accessible for all residents we'd be crazy not to take advantage! Tryon Creek, a well supported state park, boasts a community learning center in addition to trails, meaning that if someone needs a break from the outdoors, there's fun to be had inside. There's also a playground at the nearby Marshall Park, which can make for a Greg destination or reward while you're hiking with little ones.

Forest Park:

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=127

Located right in NW Portland (address in link), Forest park is also one of the easiest to access. It includes a multitude of long and short trails. Many link together, allowing you to choose your own path and wander where you see fit. Additionally, if you're starting from the lower entrances to the park, there's a fun stone building just a few minutes in that can be super fun to climb on. Maybe you don't even need to venture far. Make it to the stone house and the little ones could be entertained for hours, acting out their imaginary castle adventures! 

Hoyt Arbouretum:

http://www.hoytarboretum.org

Nearby the Zoo and Children's Museum, a quick jaunt in Hoyt Arbouetum can be a great component to a fun-filled day. Because it's a maintained "green-space," the paths are well cared for and contain many different trees. If you're looking to see fun plants, this may be the place for you. The trails are often named for the trees/plants that will line them, making it a great place for some amateur tree identification (more on that later).

Tualatin Hills Nature Park:

http://www.thprd.org

Though slightly further out, THNP offers guided hikes for free during warmer months! This means that, if you're not sure about hiking, especially with kids, you can try it out with someone who loves to introduce others (of all ages) to a love of the outdoors.

Salmon River:

http://www.portlandhikersfieldguide.org/wiki/Salmon_River_Hike

Does your novice hiking companion been faster-paced excitement to make the outdoors intriguing? If that is the case, check out the Salmon River. True to its name, the river's trails follow the river's winding path and can be a great place for watching fish in the proper season.