Oregon Butte — Sunday, Jul. 10, 2011

Eastern Washington > Palouse and Blue Mountains

I have taken this hike a number of times with my then-teenagers and husband, and today, took my 5-year-old nephew. He is a persistent little guy who REALLY wanted to see the fire lookout, otherwise we would have turned back to the parking area at Teepee Trailhead shortly after we started! There are NUMEROUS trees blown down over the trail, with particularly difficult passage after the spring. Climbing over them was not always possible, so going around was necessary, and made me fear losing the trail at times. We did run into several remaining patches of snow, and had a great snowball fight ("in JULY!!!") which was fun. Lots of wildflowers, and a cougar print in a snow patch were the highlights. There was some disappointment when we reached the fire lookout because it was not manned (not sure why? Wet spring, low risk of fires, budget cuts, perhaps?), but quickly recovered because of the beautiful views, and snacks on the little bench outside the lookout. Gillions of huckleberries brewing, but won't be ready for another month or so, I bet.