Before the Flowers

I used to hike quite often with my friend John.  A co-worker at the time, we had cubicles next to one another for six years and became good friends.  John was an avid mountaineer who was very active in the local mountain climbing club.  Nearly every weekend he would plan a group hike and send out an email invitation to a number of people.  I met quite a few of my hiking friends from John's planned outings.  

But several years ago John retired.  We kept in touch, but his weekly group hike invitations dwindled.  I think he got burned out from always being the event planner (not that I blame him).  Then two years ago COVID happened, and I lost touch with many of my friends, including John.

Mt Hood bids us "Good Morning"

My hiking buddies Debbie and Barry are mutual friends with John.  We'd chosen a Wednesday in early February to hike a trail at the coast, when Debbie called me and said she received an invitation to hike with John on the same day.  She asked if I'd be interested in joining John's hike instead.  Although both Debbie and I had initially wanted to go to the coast, we both decided we'd rather hike with John since it had been nearly two years since either of us had seen him.

Hidden waterfall

John's trail of choice was the Crawford Oaks loop through the Dalles Mountain Ranch.  Known for it's spectacular April wildflower displays, it was someplace I usually didn't visit any other time of the year.  Certainly not in February!

Many rock layers of the Columbia River Gorge

But the real reason for the hike was to see John, so I was agreeable to any trail.  Debbie, Barry and I carpooled to the trailhead, in the far eastern reaches of the Columbia River Gorge.  The Dalles Mountain Ranch is part of Washington State's larger Columbia Hills State Park.  It was a beautiful sunny morning as we pulled into the trailhead.  Getting ready, I marveled at the stunning views of Mt Hood from the parking area.  A short climb from there gave us even better views of both the mountain and layered rocky cliffs surrounding the Columbia River.

My companions walking uphill past the woodpecker trees

In addition to Debbie, and Barry, John's girlfriend Dorene joined us.  It was so good to see them both!  We climbed an old road up a steep hill past a grove of gnarled oak trees and discovered the trees full of Lewis woodpeckers.

Find the woodpeckers

My friends are all avid birders, and at the first sight of the woodpeckers pulled out binoculars for a better look.  The birds flew and dove around the trees, and sometimes landed low enough to spot with a naked eye.  But not close enough for me to get a good photo with my puny 24-105 mm lens.  About that time, I was really wishing I'd packed a long zoom!

Great views behind us

Beyond the woodpecker trees, our trail wound steeply uphill to the top of a plateau.  The views from here were first-rate.  Mt Hood anchored the western skyline, while the Columbia River's long blue ribbon spread out in both directions.

Always in the rear, this was my view

My friends and I climbed one final hill which brought us to a stunning view of the Columbia River looking east.  We made a quick photo and snack stop, but gusty winds blowing off the river kept our break short.

Columbia River overlook

A cold wind continued to blow as we turned away from the river and began trekking through rolling hills towards the ranch.  Nearly all of us switched our headgear to something much warmer.  Debbie and I even donned gloves.

Warning sign!

Our trail brought us through the famous spring flower fields of the Dalles Mountain Ranch, now covered in brown grasses.  It was interesting to see what the ranchlands looked like without their spring blooms - and hard to believe these fields would be bursting with yellow and purple petals in just two short months.  (For a sample of the flowery goodness, check out this past blog post from 2016)

Old buildings of the Dalles Mtn Ranch

Our trail finally intersected with the gravel ranch road.  Following the road brought us to the abandoned buildings of the Dalles Mountain Ranch.  John said there was a picnic table by one of the buildings, and suggested we stop there for lunch.

Windy lunch break

It's always great to have a table to sit at and eat instead of plopping ourselves on the ground, so everyone was agreeable to John's idea.  We enjoyed a nice break gathered 'round the picnic table, even though the wind (still blowing strong and cold) kept us bundled up the entire time.

More old ranch buildings

Tummies full, it was time to complete our loop.  John wanted to take us past the famous old car, a popular subject for photographers when the flowers were blooming.  So we trekked overland, past an old barn and through a field, dodging numerous cow patties (apparently they still run cattle on the ranch!)

Setting out after lunch

On top of a small hill, our group followed the fenceline to an opening in a gate.  Past this gate was the pasture where the often-photographed car lay in rusty repose.

No flowers here yet

Having photographed this decaying Studebaker during peak bloom many times over the years, it was weird to see it not surrounded in yellow flowers.  The barren hillside looked rather dull and ugly.  But of course John and I couldn't resist taking a few pictures for posterity.  (For photos of the car with flowers, check out some of my past blog posts here and also here.)

The old car looked lonely without it's flower fields

After paying our respects to the car, John led us downhill towards the main trail.  At least that was the plan - until we discovered our route blocked by a newly-installed barb wire fence.  But it didn't stop our group.  We took turns lifting the wires to create a large enough gap for everyone to shimmy through. 

Fence crossing

A quick cross country jaunt through an oak grove and across a tiny creek brought everyone back to the main trail.  

Creek crossing

Now reunited with the main trail, it was just a matter of following the rolling hills a couple of miles back to the parking area.  The lack of trees made for some fantastic sweeping views of the surrounding area.

Group photo 

When hiking with a group it's always fun to walk with each of the different people and catch up.  On return trip I buddied up with John and we updated each other on the happenings in our lives.  John said he'd been having knee issues the past year and been in and out of doctors offices, trying to determine a fix.  He now had to wear a brace on one knee and was limited to shorter, less steeper hikes.  Although it was hard for him to slow down, at least he could still hike.  John turned 75 this past year and after all the mountain climbing, skiing and hiking he'd done throughout his life, I told him he was lucky his knees had held out for so long.  I sure hope I'm still hiking when I hit 75!

Winding back uphill

After a few ups and downs and another creek crossing, my friends and I ended back at the woodpecker trees once again.  There wasn't as many birds as the morning, so no one lingered this time.

Tremendous Gorge view on our return trip

Besides, it was getting late and we all had "horse in the barn" syndrome.  We hustled over the final mile, eager to get to the trailhead.  Hiking back down the final gravel road, we were all treated to some grand views of the Columbia River and rocky cliffs of the gorge.

Almost to the parking lot!

It had been a spectacular day to hike through the wide-open grasslands of the Dalles Mountain Ranch.  Back at the trailhead, we all agreed John had picked a great trail for the day's hike.  But the real treat was catching up with an old friend.  Hopefully it won't be another two years before we hike together again!

Although I do a lot of hikes solo, a trail is always better when shared with friends.