A Tale of Two Hikes

All spring I'd been wanting to hike the "new to me" Weldon Wagon Road Trail in the Eastern Columbia River Gorge.  But at barely 5 miles round-trip I deemed it too short to justify the long drive to get there. 

Best trail sign ever!

But.....what if I tacked on another hike in the vicinity? 

Larkspur!

By mid-May reports of Cape Horn Trail's massive larkspur bloom were hitting social media.  Cape Horn was on the way to Weldon Wagon Road.  I could hike one trail in the morning and the other in the afternoon, and make a full day in the Gorge.

The forest was full of purple

My plan hatched, I got up early one Saturday morning in mid- May.  First stop, Cape Horn Trailhead.  At 7 am there were only two other cars in the parking area.  Just the way I like it!

Salmonberry flower (I think)

I didn't walk far before hitting the first of many huge larkspur blooms.  There were so many flowers, the entire forest floor was purple.

Delicate white blooms

Of course, larkspur wasn't the only star of the show.  I captured pink salmonberry blooms, delicate fringecup blossoms, bright pink bleeding hearts, and many other lovely flowers of which I didn't know the names.

Trail full of Fringecup flowers

The Cape Horn Trail climbed steeply up to the top of a cliff overlooking the Columbia River and Gorge.  There's always stunning views to be found from three clearings on top, and this day was no exception.

Mossy tree trunk

It was a cloudy morning, so many higher points were obscured by foggy white.  But I was happy for the cool temps and didn't mind.  Plus, clouds and fog make for dramatic photos.

Pioneer Point

I hiked to the Nancy Russell overlook, about three miles one way.  However, beyond the overlook the rest of the trail was currently closed until July to protect Peregrine Falcon nesting areas.

Serviceberry

Although it made for a short hike, I did enjoy retracting my steps back through the flower-laden woods.

The Larkspur were the stars of the show

The lifting clouds and brightening sky made for better light on my return trip.

Bleeding hearts

So of course, I had to rephotograph these amazing flowers once again!  Enjoy the show.....

No idea what this was, but the flowers were cool

Larkspur macro shot

Fringecup

So.Many.Flowers

Arriving back at my car around 11 am, I wasn't surprised to find an overflowing parking lot.  Time to escape - hopefully the Weldon Wagon Road wasn't as busy.

Wall of purple

It was about 45 miles between trailheads.  I drove almost to White Salmon, Washington, before continuing on the road to Trout Lake.  Near the town of Husum I turned off on a good gravel road that led me to the trailhead.  Even though this trail was off the beaten path, I was surprised to see about a dozen cars crowding the tiny parking area.

Native American cemetery

My guidebook recommended stopping by an Indian cemetery a half mile further down the road.  I drove by for a quick look.  Most of the graves were decorated with colorful flowers and some had American flags.  I stayed outside the fence, and shot a few photos of the more interesting headstones.  A quiet nook nestled in thick woods, I found it a peaceful final resting place.

Weldon Wagon Trailhead

Then I drove back towards the parking area, wedging my car in a nearby wide spot on the road.  After a quarter mile walk on an abandoned gravel track, I came to the official trailhead sign.

Hi lizard, lizard!

This trail follows an old wagon road that homesteaders used to transport their fruit to market.  Created during the "apple boom" of the early 1900s, this route was in use for the next 20 years.

Rattlesnake?

The terrain and surrounding countryside was much different from my earlier hike in the Western Gorge.  Located in the "rain shadow" of the Cascades, instead of thick forests, the area alternated between oak groves and wide-open grasslands.

Balsamroot blooms

I noticed the difference right away in the animal life.  Tons of fence lizards zipped across the trail.  I caught one at rest when he climbed upon a nearby tree.  I'd heard you needed to watch for snakes, but didn't think much of it until a large one slithered across my path.  I snapped a photo of the creature right before he vanished in the grass.  Looking at the photo later at home, my husband confirmed I'd come close to stepping on a rattlesnake!

Hillside of yellow!

By now it was high noon and the cloudy skies had given way to bright sunshine.  Almost too bright - temps were getting mighty toasty.  And there wasn't much shade.

Blowin' in the wind

But as I broke out of the last oak stand, there before me were large open slopes, yellow with thousands of balsamroot flowers!  Just in time - I'd hit the tail end of peak bloom, and some of the petals were starting to wilt.

Nice wide-open views

As I climbed up to the top of the rolling hills, views of the adjacent farmlands opened up.  I even glimpsed Mt Hood's white tip.

Yes, the hillside was that yellow!

After winding through these incredible flower-filled meadows, the path once again ducked into oak and pine woods.  About a half mile further it abruptly ended at another road.  A few pieces of rusting farm machinery and a informational sign were all that marked trail's end.

A few token lupines

Again, I retraced my steps back through these fabulous flower fields, snapping more photos as I went.  Although I enjoyed one more peek at the scenery, I'm happy to report there were no more rattlesnake encounters.

Hills full of flowers

One day, two hikes, and two very different trail environments.  Both had massive amounts of flowers and plenty of photo lens-candy.  It's interesting that one can encounter totally opposite ecosystems within a short drive.  One of the many things I love about the Pacific NW!