There’s something special about hiking along the banks of a river. The sounds of its water flowing and rushing across boulders qualifies as stress therapy. The Thompson Trail, located off Forest Road 116 behind Big Lake and close to the Thompson Ranch, follows the West Fork of the Black River and is one of my favorite hikes. I have hiked this trail for years, but couldn’t believe the abundance of wildflowers this time. Thanks to the monsoon rains, there were so many varieties that it created a blanket of color along our path. The Trail travels close to the riverbank but rises up and over tree roots and through boggy meadows occasionally. Piles of river rocks make up rock cairns that sit like guardians on the hidden sections of the Trail and provide guidance. There is plenty of wildlife that survive off the riparian wetland. We only saw a blue heron fly past us but there’s a lot of scat and tracks that tell us that coyotes, wolves and maybe a mountain lion are near.