Mid-April, and what a day it was.
Sunshine, very little wind and too many colorful wild flowers to count.
I truly enjoyed an eight-mile, 2,000-foot elevation gain hike on the east side of Catherine Creek Canyon, mainly in open Oak Savannah.
Besides camas lilies, there were gold stars, buttercups, yellow desert parsley, larkspur, western saxifrage and naked broomrape in bloom.
As I moved into the timber on the upper ridge, I spotted much sign of deer and wild turkeys, but none were to be seen.
Great day to be in the Columbia River Gorge.
Shooting Stars
Small pond in the open meadows
Camas Lily
Natural Arch
Larspur
View of Mt. Hood across the Columbia River
Naked Broomrapes
Old corral
Balsamroot
Mt. Hood
Western Saxifrage
Para-glider high in the sky
Para-glider descending for a landing nearby
Outstanding John, we were up there three weeks ago and the flowers were just starting. Grass Widow, Camas and avalanche lily.
Thanks Geoff. It’s one of my favorite early spring hikes.
A hearty hike much enjoyed, John, with spring sights and picturesque views. I enjoyed each and every wildflower, and the company of the para-glider getting closer, loved the natural arch and coral too. But those views of Mt. Hood, oh my goodness, pristine majesty at its finest. Thank you.
It’s an ideal place to hike on an early spring day with lots of sunshine.
Stunning photos, John. However, that plant seriously deserves a more dignified and less offensive name. Can we work on that somehow?
Sandy
I don’t know where the original name came from Sandy. But, there are over 200 species in the family. None of them have chlorophyll, and they are parasitic on other plants. We’ll have to work on a new name.