Umtanum Creek Canyon

Lovely sunny day with a slight breeze made hiking a delight. Once we got beyond the holiday beer swigging campers, the trail was fine. Many wildflowers in bloom. The balsam root flowers were just beyond their peak but many other wildflowers were in full bloom. We did not observe any big horned sheep but noted a lot of bird activity, alas no binoculars so birding was limited for us. I did see other birders with spotting scopes. Easy hike, nice flowers and good weather. You would think I have nothing to complain about. Ticks, ticks, and more TICKS! We removed several from ourselves and about 30 from the dog. That sure gave me the willys. Just remember tick check.
One other note we received a warning ticket from the ranger stating that discovery passes are not valid in the parking lot.