I led a Cascadian hike on the Iron Horse Trail west from the Thorp trailhead on the cool, sunny day. We hiked as far as the first tunnel & then sat on the riverbank for lunch. Once the trail left the farmlands & entered the canyon, the fall color was pretty nice, though a member of our party who had biked the trail two weeks ago said that it was a lot prettier then.

We had our first 70 degree day of the year yesterday. It took almost to the end of May. Now that the weekend is here so is the rain. I chose to head east and at least try to find some wildflowers. Two years ago I made an early May visit to the old railroad grade along the Yakima River and found skunk cabbage and trillium blooming across the grade from balsamroot. Mountains meet desert in the same place. I hoped to repeat that trip three weeks later in a colder and wetter year. I left Seattle in light rain and it kept up all the way to North Bend. The traffic cams at 6:30 am showed blue sky at Snoqualmie Pass and Easton. I crossed the pass in dark clouds and it was no better at Easton or Cle Elum. At least it was not raining. I headed through South Cle Elum and followed the road back under I-90 and to the small lot next to the old railroad grade. By 8:35 am I was on my way. It was 94 miles and 1:45 drive from North Seattle.

Flowers began immediately. Bluebells and balsamroot were blooming right next to the parking lot. A cold wind was blowing but it soon lessened. It was never short sleeves weather but not too cold either. There were a few flowers in the first mile I did not recognize. Nice colors all around. Lots of yellows and blues. Much more skunk cabbage than I recall seeing on this trail but it was a few weeks past prime. Just a little yellow left. I also found the last of the blooming trillium. They were pink and very near the end.

The Yakima River was running high and fast. As fast as I ever recall seeing it here. Soon I reached the junction with the Teanaway River. Green Yakima River water met brown Teanaway water. The big open slope did not rain rocks and mud down on the trail this year. A little farther there was a blow out where mud and trees fell onto the route. It has been cleaned up but still smells of freshly cut trees. The only outhouse on the route was falling off it's foundation two years ago. Now it has been boarded up and has a big rock in front of the door. Looks like it is permanently out of commission.

Several miles along the balsamroot show began. I ventured a little off the trail to find hundreds of blooming balsamroot. The overcast brought out some great colors. There were a few other flowers mixed in. I spent more time here than anywhere else along the route. Back on the trail it did not take long to reach the powerline swath. The gates before and after are still there. Open to hikers but keeping something in or out. At the second gate is the flume dropping from high on the canyon wall to the river. No surprise that there is water in it now. Halfway to the tunnel, at 3 3/4 miles, I noticed the old water wheel on the opposite side of the river. Not in good shape anymore but still standing.

Ballhead waterleaf and Oregon grape flowers linked the route. There was a burn here a few years back and black snags dotted the hillside. The canyon narrows again for a while then I came to the horse meadow. Not a horse to be seen this morning. There were a few flowers most all the way on to the tunnel. There are mile markers to help figure out how much farther to go. The only missing one is just a short way from the start. The numbers seem to be from Chicago as this used to be the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul railroad. The first would be 2081 and the last a little before he tunnel is 2074.

The route nears the river and old Highway 10 is now on the other side. One change is that near the tunnel a wind farm comes into view. They are just across the river. I took many photo breaks in the first 3 1/2 miles then buckled down and made good time there after. It took me 2:48 to cover the 7 1/2 miles. It was 11:23 am and time for an early lunch. The sky actually began to turn blue. That was short lived. I had a nice half hour break then it was time to head back. A few minutes down the track I met a state park ranger driving by. He stopped for a brief conversation then headed on through the tunnel. The tunnel is still closed to hikers and bikers. I hope to see all the tunnels along the grade repaired and opened once again.

After less than two miles the rain began. There was a 40% chance of rain showers but I had a 100% chance of seeing rain for the next 3 hours. Nothing an umbrella couldn't take care of. The wind also picked up. At times it was 10-15 mph. Another good reason for an umbrella. It kept the cold wind off my face. A lot less photos coming back. I did stop at the meadow as the horses were now out standing in their field. When I reached the masses of balsamroot I did stop as he rain made for a different look. I made better time coming back as it took just over two hours. The ranger's truck passed me again. I saw a father and young son on bikes plus a solo hiker heading out in the last mile. That was it. The usual spring crown on this trail.

The light rain was not so light as I neared my car. It was steady rain at the end. The rain kept coming down all the way back to North Bend. Considering how much rain there was in the mountains I did just fine. This route is about as flat as you will find. 100 or so feet of elevation change in 7 1/2 miles. An easy 15 miles but still 15 miles. My feet were tired. Really good wildflowers especially the balsamroot. This is becoming a favorite spring flower hike. In a few weeks the flowers will be down but they are excellent right now. I was back at my car at 2:10 and home by 4:00 pm. Time well spent on a dark and dreary day.

I have posted 42 fully annotated photos on my website at: http://www.hikingnorthwest.com. Go to "Trips - 2011" on the left margin.

I wanted an easy hike away from the rain so I headed over the pass to Thorp (I-90 exit 101). After exiting the freeway, I turned left, drove past the big fruit stand and spotted the sign for the Old Thorp Mill. I had to drive all the way through town to get there but eventually it appeared on the right between some houses. It was worth looking for.

The mill itself was closed for the season, but no matter, there was plenty to see outside. A nice, self-guided trail wound through the grounds with several informative reader boards. There was a millstream with a small waterfall, and many interesting plants. According to the reader boards, this is the oldest surviving grain mill in Washington State. In addition to milling grain, it provided electricity to the town of Thorp. This is a very enjoyable site for anyone interested in local history.

After lunch at the mill, I drove back toward the freeway and spotted the sign and gravel access road for the Iron Horse Trailhead. This turn is easy to miss, the sign is very small, it's on the right side of the road as you approach the freeway. I parked and headed west on the trail.

At first there was some freeway noise, but soon some small hills blocked the noise and the trail became very quiet. There are no exciting views here, but it is very pretty and peaceful walking by the farms, woodlands,and irrigation canals. I saw some interesting birds including a heron. This section of the Iron Horse is lightly used, I only passed four people. There are some signs of horse use (road apples), watch your step! Due to time constraints, I walked only two miles before turning around.

Overall, it was a very nice trip to an interesting and lightly used area. If you come this way, don't skip the mill, it is the highlight of the trip.

We biked from Hyak to Lake Easton State Park on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, a distance of about 15 miles. We had Lex the dog along, so we had to ride at a leisurely pace while he trotted alongside. Took about 2.5 hours. Biking is a great way to experience the JWT! Walking the long straightaways and gentle curves of the old Milwaukee Railroad grade is a bit tedious, but they go by at just the right pace on a bike. If we didn't have the dog along, we would have biked all the way to S. Cle Elum, a distance of 30 miles. Didn't want to make the poor creature run that far!

Lots of views of snow-dusted peaks and fall color along the winding old railroad grade made for an enjoyablely scenic ride. The only boring stretch was a straight and flat section of about a mile north of the Stampede Pass road. Farther along, there was an annoying detour around a tunnel, all of which have been closed along the JWT due to safety concerns. The detour takes you through a horrible mudhole...don't try riding through it like I did--nearly lost a shoe in the foot deep glop. I would try riding through the tunnel if it hasn't been fenced off.

Approaching Lake Easton SP, there is a really neat section of the JWT where it travels along the Yakima River, which here flows through a deep gorge. In this area the old RR grade also slices through the hills via some picturesque rock cuts--see picture below.

This trip was not so great for climate change, however--the biking didn't result in too much CO2 being emitted, but setting up the car shuttle, which involved driving two cars from Seattle and moving them around to the dropoff and pickup points along I-90, used up more gas than a hummer in Houston! Too bad there isn't some shuttle service on the JWT or any king of public transportation for that matter.