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Wildflower Walking

July 30, 2013 – 1:03 pm
Posted in wildflowers
Tagged Geum, hike, lupine, Tiffany Lake, Tiffany Mountain, Wildflower photos
Comments (2)

Kim and I hiked up to the top of Tiffany Mountain and then around it, crossing Whistler and Honeymoon Pass and then around Tiffany Lake before leaving the trail at Tiffany Springs Campground where we had left my car in the morning. Ken had generously shuttled us from there to the Freezeout Pass trailhead before going fly fishing. The temperature was comfortably cool most of the day; clouds built up with the threat of thunder storms. Luckily the storms did not materialize.

Most of this area was burned in the 2006 Tripod wildfire. Many people would look at this now and see nothing but dead trees. However the grasses and forbs and shrubs are thriving. Wildflowers are abundant and vibrant this month. In wetter areas we found young aspens and willows – perfect habitat for moose and other animals.

The trail begins by climbing steeply up from Freezeout. Fireweed blooms in the understory

Ken started up the trail with us

The first glimpse of Tiffany Mountain from the trail

It’s a gorgeous route through the flowers

Red paintbrush

A dried up puffball

More gorgeous meandering

The view from the top. Tiffany Lake and Little Tiffany Lake

Looking down at Salmon Creek. Later we walked up that valley to get to Honeymoon Pass.

And looking down towards Winthrop

Fabulous delicate rock gardens on top of 8200′ Tiffany Mountain

Walking through another field of wildflowers

We saw lots of these butterflies

Cool rock formations

Whistler Basin after we crossed Whistler Pass

Geum sp

These were common on the east side of the mountain and nowhere else.

The trail goes sidehill on the east side before dropping into Salmon Creek

Oh yeah, I liked these.

Geum sp

You can see Honeymoon Pass in the distance

In the creek bottom, it seemed like we went a long time in the wrong direction but finally after crossing the creek, we found the burned sign that said we were headed towards Tiffany Lake.

Can you see the trail through all that lush undergrowth? There are orange diamonds on the snags, marking the way. Sometimes those snags fall.

Woodpecker holes

Looking back UP at Tiffany Mountain where had been just an hour or so before.

Almost to Honeymoon Pass, looking down Salmon Creek

Columbine

A glimpse of Tiffany Lake on the other side of Honeymoon Pass

The end of the trail

Two Women, Three Dogs and a Horse

June 9, 2013 – 11:23 am
Posted in hike
Tagged burned forest, hike, horse, Lake Creek, lupine, Methow photography, paintbrush, trail
Comments (3)

This is my busy season. I’ve had two weddings to photograph within one week so that means LOTS of computer time. It is important that I continue to get out and enjoy the beautiful place where I live for my overall fitness – both physically and mentally.

Last week Jennifer and her horse and two dogs joined Luna and me for a walk on the four mile long Black Lake trail. It follows Lake Creek on a gentle grade making for easy walking without huffing and puffing. This was a test for Luna to see if she could tolerate being around a horse. She has a long-standing fear of large ungulates stemming from an incident when she was less than a year old and managed to anger a large draft horse so much that the normally gentle animal turned and appeared to try to run Luna into the ground. Never mind that the horse was behind a fence and Luna was barking her fool head off. You can imagine how immense this draft horse was from her point of view. And those hooves! Luna turned and ran all the way back to the house where she waited under the porch til Betty and I went back for her. So now, along comes Jennifer and her horses and she suggests that we all go riding together. Luna is friends with Jennifer and her dogs so when they were all fine with the big animal Luna sort of fell into step with the rest of the group although she did not like it when the Whiskey, the horse fluttered her lips and made that funny horse noise and she was mostly sure to keep a good distance between herself and the horse.

For the life of me, I cannot find this flower in my field guides. I know I’ve looked it up before and figured out its ID but not this time

It is a vine with clematis-like flowers

Riding through the burned forest

My, what big eyes you have!

Lovely wildflowers in this burned forest

Since it is a burned forest, every year, more snags fall across the trail. Here, we were near the lake but were turned back by the deadfall.

Jennifer manages to keep the dogs’ attention with a good story or maybe the promise of treats

It burned in 2003

Paintbrush and lupine and Luna wondering why I have to stop to look at all the flowers!

The dogs found comfort in this old beaver pond. Unfortunately, Luna chose to get out in a mud hole, and emerged coated in mud up to her belly.

Jennifer got a good laugh out of that, especially knowing I’d have to take Luna down to the raging creek to wash her off before we could get in the truck.

Lake Creek

Yesterday’s Wildflowers

May 13, 2013 – 7:16 am
Posted in wildflowers
Tagged balsamroot, lupine, Methow photography, Thompsons paintbrush, Wildflower photos
Comments (1)

This is the height of the wildflower season on our hill. The elevation of our house is about 1850′ and the colors of spring can be fleeting in this arid climate. Yesterday, before the wind came up, I was particularly struck with the beauty and diversity of this dry site’s wildflowers. Last week’s warm weather has been replaced with the more expected breezy and cool weather of spring.

Balsamroot, Balsamorhiza sagittata – the signature spring flower of for this valley

Thompson’s paintbrush (I think), Castilleja thompsonii

Calochortus sp (sometimes referred to as Cat’s ear)

Agoseris sp., again I am not sure

I am pretty sure this is bastard toadflax (not a pretty name for a delicate flower), however where I have seen it before it was more of a salmon color. Comandra umbellata

Columbia puccoon, Lithospermum ruderale

Bitterbrush, Purshia tridentata

Lupine, Lupinus sp

And another view of balsamroot, looking down-valley to Balky Hill and beyond

Another Hike with Dogs

April 25, 2013 – 4:02 pm
Posted in hike
Tagged dogs, hike, Lewis Butte, lupine, wildflowers, Winthrop photography
Comments (4)

Yesterday four women and five dogs set out for Lewis Butte, a popular spring trail near Winthrop. It’s on a south facing slope so the snow melts fast and the wildflowers come early and may not stay long in a dry year. All the dogs, except mine were on best behavior. Well, maybe Trip was ready to help Luna in her quest to scare every bird on the butte. Other than that, it was a good day, topped off with lunch at the Rocking Horse Bakery.

On the way up we were passed by two other women with four dogs! Here are two of their dogs and four of ours

Boomer stuck around long enough for a better photo before re-joining his group

A water break for people and dogs

Juniper takes it all in

Cassidy wonders why all the paparazzi?

Three dogs keep an eye out for anything that moves.

Up the Rendezvous

We love our mountains here

One tree on top of Lewis Butte

It’s quite a view from Pearrygin Lake to Winthrop to Patterson Mountain

Cassidy has Trip’s tennis ball. Later Luna stole it and eventually hid it.

Juniper travels a well-trodden trail

Sulphur lupine

Lomatium dissectum – Fern-leaved desert parsley

A vetch

Lupine – one of my favorites

The First

May 21, 2012 – 9:26 pm
Posted in wildflowers
Tagged anniversary, Aspen Lake, balsamroot, larkspur, lupine, Methow photography
Comments (7)

Anniversary!

One year ago today we were married on a hillside surrounded by friends and family! Yesterday in celebration, we revisted the hillside and our love for each other. Like last year, it was cloudy but this time it did not rain! There are more wildflowers this year. We had an excellent hike to the wedding site, not exactly the way we planned but still it was nice. Then up and over a hill to Aspen Lake and back for a nice loop.

This is a good year for balsamroot