Eureka has a new jewel
Hikshari’ Trail undergoes a makeover and now it shines with amenities
1/6/13
Down at the foot of Truesdale Avenue in southwest Eureka, beyond Marie Callender’s, Best Western, Shamus T Bones and Ray’s Food Place, stands a sign at the Truesdale Vista Point. The sign identifies the Hikshari’ Trail and explains that Hikshari’ is the Wiyot place name for the coastal area west of Broadway where the Elk River flows out into Humboldt Bay.
Eureka resident Thomas McCutchen and his family visited the newly refurbished trail recently and highly recommend it to folks who like a flat, paved place to walk or bike.
“I’m a family hiker, our kids have bikes, so flat paved trails are our preference,” said McCutchen, who works at Cypress Grove Chevre in Arcata. “I’m a big fan of the Headwaters Trail and Hammond Trail, and just really impressed that Hikshari’ came up to that level.” The trail, McCutchen said, has always been there, but it “could not be counted among the best Eureka had to offer. as it has in recent years been well attended by homeless campers and was always somewhat trash-strewn. The trail was dirt, winding through rubble and weeds, but still boasted a great look at the bay.” Over the course of the last six months, McCutchen said, the city of Eureka, Redwood Community Action Agency and Humboldt Trails Council “have done something great out there.” He said the finishing touches are still being applied, with strategically placed boulders near the picnic tables, raked gravel and new plantings readied along the river bank where, in spring, they’ll “burst forth and make it all better still.” But don’t expect to find it on any local or online maps yet.
“It is all literally brand spanking new,” said Mc-Cutchen. “Google Maps doesn’t even show the completed access lot at the end of Truesdale Avenue as of yet, though it does reveal 1.5 miles of winding asphalt that I had no idea was there until of late.” Truesdale Vista Point, he said, is “a small marvel unto itself ... something new under the sun,” although at this time of year he admits that, perhaps, “sun is too strong a word for Humboldt sensibilities.” In fact, his family’s first visit to the new-and improved trail last month was a rather soggy one.
“As luck would have it, I opted to revisit this trail a week ago, with my wife and four small children in tow, and was pleasantly surprised to find a new parking lot at the trailhead (23 spaces) and a beautiful new paved walkway,” said McCutchen, whose wife, Rose McCutchen, owns Children’s Cottage Preschool in Eureka and has lived in the area all her life.
“This was to be a short December hike, honestly, as the sky decided not only to open its vaults of rain but also offered us a rare onslaught of battering hail pellets. Imagine us wet and cold and then being literally attacked by the sky, my infant daughter narrating the adventure with her terrorized wails. Even as we made our miserable retreat I made plans to return and I have been there twice since.”
He says the area is perfect if you like “leisurely walks with your dog, your kids, your best friend from Albuquerque or just by your lonesome, and you like to do that same walking somewhere with a view and a nice, paved trail and park benches to rest on.”
After some investigative work, McCutchen found that the groundbreaking for the site improvement project took place in June and was attended by Eureka Mayor Frank Jager and 4th District Supervisor Virginia Bass.
He also learned there was a photo opp with the usual ceremonial golden rakes, along with food, music and the unveiling of signs that would soon be posted along the new trail. “Who knew? I didn’t,” he said.
McCutchen believes the trail improvement bodes well for the area in general, what with several relatively new businesses located nearby, not to mention the shopping and dining opportunities nearby.
“That whole corner itself is poised for more commerce,” he said.
McCutchen’s photos, which accompany this story, will give readers a good overview of what they’ll see on the trail — some of which has always been there but unable to be properly appreciated.
“The pilings sticking out of the water with a view across to the Coast Guard station out on Samoa Peninsula are a treat for any amateur photographer,” he said.
“Birds of all kinds are aplenty, and frog song and flora would fill the bouquet for your senses as you strolled. Still, the issues of safety and a lack of maintenance sullied the experience.”
Now that it’s been rehabilitated, the public will hopefully make good use of it.
“Eureka is a small town and as such does not see much rapid change,” said McCutchen, who has lived in the area for about a decade. “It is rare to find something new in our midst of any scale. It then behooves us to run out and see what’s afoot when a grand and sweeping renovation occurs. This is that.”
Eureka’s new jewel should make it a better place to live and a nicer place to visit, he said. “Whether or not we can keep it that way has little to do with the fact that it is there right now. Go and see!”
And when you’re there, keep an eye out for the McCutchens, with daughter Quinn, who turns 18 months on Tuesday, along with her sister Kahri and brother Neiko on their bikes.