Esmeralda Basin, Teanaway Road

This was my second time on this trail, the last time was a couple of years ago on a very warm and dry day, with lots of other folks heading up and down the trail. I really enjoyed it this time better than the last, not sure if it was because it was still a little bit early, which meant a little less traffic, or just because I knew what to expect. The flowers were blooming every where, the shooting stars are just unreal. There is so many of them, I have never saw so many on any other hike. It was fairly over cast the whole time, just a few sprinkles here and there. Pretty pleasant hike till we started up to Fortune Cookie Pass, then it was cold cold cold. The wind was blowing hard, and it was a mixture of rain and snow. We didn't spend much time at the top, made our way part way back down and found a log a little ways off the trail to enjoy the views looking down the valley, and eat our lunch. The Western Pasque Flower was fascinating, mostly small blooms but so pretty, found a few pink colored ones here and there. They tend to grow in the dryer area on this trail, and at a higher elevation. This is a great trail to see lots flowers. The Teanaway Road can be a little rough in spots, and feels so long. When we reached the trail head that morning there wasn't a lot of cars, but by the time we headed out it was the place to be. We made plans to return to this area and hike the other trails, but July happened and things went up in smoke, changed some of our hiking plans. My nephew did get to try his new pack out that he was going to use the 4th of July weekend. A very pleasant hike, a little bit of drive from where we live, but worth it.

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