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Category Archives: hike

Muddy Meadows, Not

The girls and I took a trail that started at the Mount Adams Wilderness boundary and went up to the Pacific Crest Trail. The trail was named Muddy Meadows and muddy, it was not. The meadows were dry. Few flowers were blooming – mostly asters. When the trail went into the forest, it was thick with dust and black flies and mosquitoes. According to the map it should have been 1.3 or 1.5 miles to the PCT. According to my step counter, it was more like 3 miles up there. It did appear to have been re-located in places but I could not imagine they had doubled the distance. We got some exercise and there was water in two different spots along the trail for the dogs. And I took water for them so they were alright but I can’t say that it was my favorite hike ever. Or even close. Still, I like those views of Mount Adams.

This small meadow of lupine was visible from the road
Lupine, paintbrush and a big bolete mushroom
Dry meadows in front of Mount Adams
A new one for me
Not much of a sign at a 4 way intersection for those PCT through hikers
Blackflies on Sky
Cooling off in a tiny stream
Puffball
Bumblebee on a sweet pea type flower
Club moss, a new one for me
Beargrass past its prime
Hooded ladies’ tresses, Spiranthes romanzoffiana

Another Floriferous Hike

Thursday was one of our first real summer-like days with highs in the valley over 90 and in the mountains, it was 75. Perfect hiking temperature for the two-leggeds. Luna thought it was a bit too hot for her and often sought respite in the shade. The hike is 9.4 miles round trip in bright open sunshine most of the way. I will have to consider that for hikes with Luna who will be thirteen in October. Not that I am ready to leave her behind. I am quite sure it would break her heart if I took Sky hiking and left her at home. Luna is always excited to go for an adventure and bounces with joy at the thought of going someplace in the car.

So many wildflowers. And I have so much to learn. And the geology. Oh my. Lots to see.

Lewisia columbiana carpeted the rocky hillsides
Lewisia
Puffball
Darned yellow composite
Agoseris aurantiaca
Castilleja sp
Aquilegia formosa, Western columbine
I hope they like dogs.
Luna rests in the shade
Penstemon and darned yellow composite
Penstemon and bumblebee
Chamerion latifolium, closely resembles fireweed but much shorter
aster
Anemone drummondii
Castilleja sp
Buckwheat
Tiny Sedum, maybe lanceolatum
The good girl gang

Mid-summer Hike

This was a repeat of a hike we did back in early June. As you might imagine, the snow patches have disappeared and there are fewer ladybugs. There are more flowers. The views were spectacular again from Mt Baker to Glacier Peak, the North Cascades, the Central Cascades and the Okanogan Highlands. I saw quite a few mushrooms of various kinds, in particular puffballs. Also had a great view of a juvenile Golden Eagle flying below the summit of Tiffany Mountain. And Horned Larks, youngsters and adults too. It was a fine day in the mountains.

Stop and smell the flowers
So many rocks
Little Tiffany and Tiffany Lake
Rock Mountain
Luna didn’t want to sit
Ladybugs
juvenile Golden Eagle
Lots of puffball mushrooms
What kind of caterpillar?
adult Horned Lark
baby Horned Lark

Many Shades of Green and Other Colors

As promised, here are the pretty photos from last week’s hike. So many shades of green dotted with wildflowers of all colors. It was really lovely. We continuously ooohed and ahhhhed!

Taking in the view at the start of the hike
Slate Peak in the distance
a sedum
Anemone or pasque flower
Anemone seedheads
magenta paintbrush
a sedge, Carex sp
So many shades of green
Shooting stars and other tiny flowers
Elephant head
heather
Pretty nice day
orange paintbrush and a buckwheat
glacier lily
Hurry up everybody!
silky phacelia
a thistle
Girl Gang

Bonaparte Lookout Hike

This is a steep, really steep hike, in my opinion. We started at the trailhead on the north side of Bonaparte Mountain with a trail a little less than three miles long with at least 2000′ of elevation gain. It starts out really steep for the first half mile or so and then is not quite so steep. There were no views til we reached the top as the trail is mostly in dense lodgepole pine forest. It does change to subalpine fir and white bark pine near the top. At the top, storm clouds and fog were rolling in so initially we had no views from the lookout either! But as we visited with the lookout himself, the fog and clouds moved around giving us views here and there til most of the 360 degree view was laid out in front of us. There’s a lot to see. From Tonasket to Oroville and Lake Osoyoos, Havillah and Chesaw and around towards the Wauconda summit and the Kettle Crest range of mountains and Sherman Pass. All well-known locations in Okanogan and Ferry Counties, some of the lowest populated areas of Washington.

As we relaxed more storms were coming in with thunder and lightning so we made a quick descent back to the truck.

This is after the first really, really steep part.
Break for snacks
The perfect Christmas tree
Native rhododendron
Bonaparte Lake is down there beyond that round mountain
Oroville and Osoyoos Lake in the distance
Havillah
Chesaw and Buckhorn Mountain
The lookout uses this fire finder to pinpoint lightning strikes and new fires.
It was his third day on the job.
The small building next to the lookout is the old lookout, dating back to 1914 and now used for storage.

You need to turn up your sound to hear the places I identified on this video