Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area

Lots of flowers blooming now, including the Hedgehog Cactus which I had never seen before. Wow! Wonderful wildflowers. There are still many buds, so they should be blooming for a while. I started at the same entrance described in the desert hikes book, where the Pumphouse Road starts, just past milepost 20 when heading east from Kittitas. I walked in on the dirt road which is closed now (opens to motorized vehicles on May 1), and stayed to the left at the first Y. I followed the jeep tracks down to the bottom of Rocky Coulee, and then walked X-country up to the top of Whiskey Dick Ridge, joining the ridge road to walk on up to the highest point. I only saw 2 other hikers, and I'm guessing that one of them was jhiker (nice pictures!). After a rest at the top, I returned by following the jeep tracks that head straight down the side of the ridge from the highest point (towards the parking area). The tracks curve around to the left at the bottom and come up the other side joining the Pumphouse Road further east than I started, making a loop hike that looks like a little less than 5 miles. Besides lots of flowers, I saw 5 deer and 2 horned lizards. It was a nice day and beautiful weather, windy at the top of the ridge.