Gold Creek - Devils Slide — Saturday, Jun. 19, 2021

Ethan & I took a hike up the Gold Creek trail on this sunny, mild (up here - 90's in Yakima), windy day.  When we got to the Bald Mtn Road at the top we went right and walked almost as far as Bald Mtn.  The wind was howling up her, but we were able to find a spot for lunch protected by a grove of trees with great views out to Mt Cleman, Nelson Ridge, the Goat Rocks, & Mt Adams.  This trail traverses a number of different habitats so there was a wide variety of wildflowers top to bottom.  If I'd kept a list, it would have rivaled one by AlpsDayTripper.  Most predominant was Common Larkspur and Western Groundsel.  Other flowers of note were Naked Broomrape, Dwarf Hesperochiron, and 2 of the 3 Pygmy Lewisias - Navadensis and Pygmaea.  When we first reached Devil's Slide we saw 2 or 3 mountain goats.  When we got back to the trailhead, I walked a little ways from the car and saw a bear walking through the clearing below me.  And when we were driving down the road someone on a motorbike stopped us to tell us that he had seen a bear on the road about 1/2 mile ahead & also pointed out some deer in the trees where we were stopped.  We only saw one other hiker who was starting out when we were, but this is a motorized area and we saw quite a few ATVs, jeeps, pickups, & SUVs, especially on the Bald Mtn Road.  They did not detract much from the hike, however, and the views of Mt Rainier, Nelson Ridge, the Goat Rocks, & Mt Adams were magnificent.