The Clark’s Creek Loop Trail in Puyallup is Cynthia Woolbright’s sanctuary.
The 44-year-old South Hill resident walks the 4-mile trail two or three times a week in the summer, she said, to the point that she almost does it on auto-pilot. With the shorter days this time of year, she found herself on the trail near dusk Nov. 30.
She had a choice: Finish one of the last parts of the loop, through the Silver Creek Riparian Zone near 11th Street Southwest and 12th Avenue Southwest, or bypass it by exiting to a nearby street. It was pretty dark, but she was determined to do the whole loop.
“I should have known not to hike that close to dusk,” she said.
As she walked on, she felt something smack her in the back of the head, and thought it was a person, until she saw an owl. The bird grabbed her bun and pulled straight up, she said, trying to lift her off her feet. The force threw her forward.
She’d seen little owls and tiny hawks along the trail, but this owl was bigger, she said. She took out her phone to get a photo, then thought better. Her experience as a bearded dragon lizard owner taught her that some creatures are attracted to shiny things.