Along the Kortum Trail

 This post will pretty much be a series of photos.  Yesterday Cay and I walked north on the Kotum Trail, starting at Shell Beach. Our original intent was to walk up to Sunset Boulders and turn back, then drive up to Goat Rock for a stroll along the beach.  The walk was a little longer than I'd planned, because the distances I had were as the crow flies, and the trail winds quite a bit, and there were a few branches to explore, and a labyrinth just off the trail, and all those flowers to photograph...   Plus just about even with Gull Rock there's a ravine to go down and up, and the trail was damaged by the earlier rains, and there was just no way I was going to even TRY to climb down the ravine with a broken ankle. 

looking north from Shell Beach parking lot, where we started our walk.

this little sparrow sat on the trail fence, like he was posing for our photos.

Photos from the trail: 

Just north of Shell Beach, off the main trail, is this labyrinth.  Along the walk, several people have left mementos and offerings. 

one of the many items left in the labyrinth. Other items include small toys, coins, painted rocks, and smooth pebbles. 

some parts of the trail include these wooden walkways over marshy wetlands.

at this point I could go no further.  The photo fails to capture the depth and irregularity of the trail across the ravine, and down to the bridge.  We were not the only walkers to turn back at this point. 

The good news is that at this point we were almost even with Gull Rock, which is one of the locations the group I volunteer with does seabird monitoring, and we were treated to a number of Common Murre on the rock close to the bluff.  These are a lot closer than the ones I had been photographing on Bodega Rock in the past, so it was a real joy for me.

This was a really pleasant spring walk, but probably not one I'd take in summer, since there is no shade.