Gnome Forest

I finally went on a hike to the gnome and troll forest today! The magic men were very cool and it was fun to look for some of the very hidden ones on the trail. Mom says I have been before, but I don't remember! We decided that we had gone in when my cousin and I were pretty little and taken a picture at the first sight of trolls!

Because the light was falling and there were few people on the trail, we didn't want to be cougar snacks and, so, didn't do the full trail. It was pretty tricky with some very angled uphill ascents and lots of roots growing onto or inside the pathway. In some places, the grounds keepers have cut away the large root systems to clear the path for more accessibility. However, it is really a shame to do that to the trees and it also really makes the erosion problem they are having worse. Otherwise, the walk was really interesting. Who knew that something so much with the look of a European fairy tale was hiding out locally?

Pictured here is the largest carving. I guess it used to extend out and have little "rooms" like a house you could step into, but over the years, the organic material has disintegrated, which is also an interesting commentary. I think it would be neat if one of the local carvers went in and carved some more gnomes and trolls and, perhaps, some fairies, too. Like the local, infamous rock sculpture, though, I hope that the carver(s) could keep it secretive and mysterious, so it is like magic when new carvings appear.

I would definitely like to go back and do the whole trail, but have to be wary (the trail is right next to a creek and watershed where salmon spawn, so it had a definite bear feeling to it...).