The hike to McCall Point is one of the best for experiencing the spring wildflower show on the east end of the Columbia River Gorge.

In mid-February I began the climb on a foggy and rainy day. It was too early in the year for the steep, upper slopes to be covered with golden balsamroot and purple lupine.

But the open Oak Savannah of the Rowena Plateau was sprinkled with purple grass widows and Columbia desert parsley.

A young bald eagle and a handful of blacktail deer kept me company from time to time.

And, to make the adventure even more enjoyable there is a rough series of trails to the east that can make the hike into a lollipop loop. Instead I turned around after reaching a nice viewpoint on a high point on the ridge above McCall Point.

Only five miles round trip, but always a fun outing.