On January 31st, I went into the greenbelt to explore the wilderness. I hiked around various trails around the entrance and down by the river in the Barton Hills entrance (also known as The Flats entrance). I went from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm and while in the greenbelt I noted a large amount of animal activity. Many squirrels were out, chasing each other and enjoying the nice weather. Many insects were out, some of which liked to buzz by my ear. I saw a few different bird species but didn’t have enough time to figure out what type of bird they were before they flew off. They got spooked very easily by my presence. It seemed like both the birds and the squirrels would have plenty of food in the greenbelt because of the abundance of trees, berries and insects.
After observing the birds and squirrels on the various trails near the entrance, I walked further into the greenbelt to a cliff then further down to the river. Walking down, you can see the numerous waterways that have been carved into landscape all leading downhill towards the river.
The cliff overlooks the river from a boulder with a former climbing anchor point and from the cliff you can see hundreds of yards down the river. You can clearly see how many smaller streams would flow into the river when in close succession to a rain. When I got to the cliff I never wanted to leave as the wind was so welcoming on my face. I spent the majority of my time just sitting up on the cliff looking off towards the river and wilderness.
Coming down from the cliff, I noticed a gradual change in foliage as I approached the water. The foliage got much greener and seemed much thicker in general. Walking out on the rock that banks the river on one side, the sun beamed down on my face and settled in for the sunset. The view of the dim light over the river was amazing.
After the sunset, I made my way back up and listened to the few remaining birds chirping away.
