Dog Mountain — Monday, May. 25, 2009

Southwest Washington > Columbia River Gorge - WA

The balsamroot is in peak bloom in the summit meadows on Dog Mountain right now. There must have been a thousand people on the trail today, including our group of 32 Mazamas. Cars overflowed from the trailhead parking area up and down the shoulders of SR 14. The crowds reminded me of the Paradise trails on Mount Rainier on an August weekend. We split into 3 groups, with the fast- and medium-paced groups taking the hardest route, while the slower group took the scenic route. It is a half mile longer but it goes through varied habitats with the opportunity to see many more species of flowers. We had intended to meet at the summit, but the faster groups chose to eat lunch in the cold wind, while the slower-paced group found a wind-sheltered spot farther across the summit. The fast and medium groups descended on the scenic trail while the slower-paced group descended via the Augsperger Trail, which is a bit longer but a little easier on the knees. WTA has held many trail maintenance work parties here over the years and it shows in the good tread and drainage. Only a handful of places could have used some brushing; the majority of the trails are in fine shape. I was shocked to observe at least two thoughtless individuals picking wildflowers. One guy had a large clump of paintbrush sticking out of his pack. When a young woman passed me on the descent with a fist full of balsamroot, larkspur and paintbrush, I spoke to her about it. She just hadn't thought about the consequences if every hiker on the trail today had picked flowers.