Umtanum Creek Canyon — Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020

We came back to Umtanum Creek for second time in a week.

Wildfires from the summer left much of the landscape barren. For the most time the air smelled like chimney. Fortunately, some pockets in the canyon were untouched, and that’s when the air was filled with familiar fragrance from sagebrushes.

With the view freed of bushes, we could clearly see animal tracks snaking on the cliffs... tracks used by mountain goats and the likes.

As we walked through a former homestead, we saw more apple trees, and pears. I plucked a low-hanging apple and took a bite. Not knowing what to expect, it actually tasted sweet! And I began to wonder, who would have lived here? And how was their lives back in the days? 

After the hike, we returned to the parking lot, cooked some meals before kiddos went off playing pretend-fishing at the creek.

It was a good day indeed. This is how life should be.