Patterson Mountain Trail, Winthrop Washington

Mother's day weekend in the past we have spent it at the 49er's Day Parade in Winthrop. This year the sunflowers were at their prime, some past it with the heavy rain and wind that came through earlier in the week. So we made plans to make a very full day. Hike, parade watching, drive up Hwy 20 to see the snow level. We headed up the Methow Valley early to hike Patterson Mountain Trail. The trail heads up the side of the mountain across from the parking lot with the lake at your back. A Discovery Pass is required if parking in the larger parking area. In a short distance you have the option to go right or left, we decided to take the trail that heads to the right. Hiking on a time limit is not always the best and we knew that we had to be in Winthrop no later than 10:00 AM to get a parking spot and that would be pushing it with out walking a long ways to down town. The flowers were fantastic, they escaped most of the storm and were in fine shape, the color that morning was very vivid. The trail is in great shape, the side we headed up gradually climbs, but nothing difficult. Plenty of places to stop and admire the mountains and great views of the valley. Rain was in the forecast so we had clouds building up around the white capped mountains in the distance. After you reach the top you have a wonderful view of Winthrop and looking up towards Mazama, then the trail heads down hill to make the loop. Love the ladder that gets you over the barb wire fence, very creative. I neglected to get a descent picture of it. Jumped a couple of deer in the meadow on the way down, they didn't stick around for pictures. This is a beautiful spring hike, a great place to see lots of flowers and not a difficult trail, with great views. We made the loop in plenty of time, even with all the numerous stops for all the beautiful flowers. Had enough time before the parade to eat breakfast at the Rocking Horse Bakery in Winthrop, wonderful fresh hot pizza, coffee and a sweet roll, before watching the parade.

Comments

Cutthroat Trail.......Snowshoeing North Cascades Highway

I have a confession to make, I have been having some winter blues. Not sure if they can be officially called winter blues due to we have had little to no winter. I have been very impatiently waiting for the snow to arrive, it comes, blows through, makes the ground white, then its gone. The last few days we have been sitting at temperatures in the 40's. What is up with winter. One thing I can say for sure is I am very thankful for the few trips we made up highway 20 before the silver star gate was closed. Our trip to Cutthroat Trail was back in November, when we had visions of winter coming to the valley very soon. The snow was nice and fluffy and deep. Pleasant day to get out and enjoy it, one of those days where your not sure if the clouds where going to allow the blue sky to show it self or not. We parked right off the highway with a couple of other cars and Snowshoed up the road to the trail head. Wasn't very long and more hikers, cross country skiers, and furry

The Places We Can Go

Life goes on, things change, storms of life come and go. One thing that always remains the same is the feeling and quiet peace I feel from being in the mountains. This was a spur of the moment overnight trip. It was so needed and such a beautiful time. Left the house around 2:30 PM, traffic was so slow heading up Hwy 20, lots of folks heading out of Mazama. Arrived at the trail head a few minutes before 4 PM, and we were off down the trail in a few minutes. Three quarters of a mile down the trail a bee or some kind of flying ant decided to bite my nieces eye lid, talk about hysteria for a moment. I was pretty sure our trip was over, but we were able to move on with a very cold creek soaked multipurpose face mask. The sun was sinking fast and the wind was howling by the time we reached the top. Made some quick decisions on the best place to park the tents, and we set up camp. It was truly an incredible evening, hiked around a bit and watched the sun slip behind the mountains.

Carlton Complex Wildfire, Pateros Washington

The last few weeks have been crazy busy. I spent last weekend moving my animals back home to a mostly burnt out barn yard. We had a small patch of trees and garden space that escaped the fire, which was where my dog pens were located. So they were able to return to a fairly normal life. The horse pen was kind of a hit and miss burnt area, since there wasn't a whole lot of vegetetaion in it the fences took most of the heat. The metal panels got a nice rusty color to them, with some serious scorch marks. Besides my horse having red smudge colored marks on his nose from the fencing he seems to be adjusting to his return home. We have found temporary living close by so it has made taking care of my animals easier, and a stress off of where we be this winter. The town is slowly getting the debris removed and homesteads cleaned up. Lots of piles of rubble and cut down trees piled up in the city lot areas. I understand that Okanogan County and the Confederated Tribes Of the Co

Lost In The Right Direction

Search This Blog