I finally made it to Skyline Ridge Trail to see the wildflowers! I had wanted to go for years. My friend Andy Boos leads a group over every year and first told me about the flowers and views.
With Andy’s report from the week before being, “lots of flowers and no snakes” I was ready to go. I have a terrible fear of rattlesnakes so that made it a perfect time to drive 4 ½ hours from my home in Southworth to the southern trailhead of Yakima Ridge to start my first hike. Just as I approached the trail with pack on my back and sunscreen applied a man came walking toward me with a shovel and a trekking pole. Imagine what he had on the shovel! A rattlesnake. He said it had bit his dog the night before and he came back to kill it. He proceeded to tell me there were lots of rattlesnakes and scorpions about. He said, “Be veeeery careful out there, lady.” Of course I was by myself and had put all this time and effort into this trip so I decided to “cowboy up” and do it anyway. I am doing the PCT in its entirety next year so I figure I have to get used to the rattlers. (Right Elizabeth?) The first mile or so was very scary and I kept my eyes on the trail for snakes. Not knowing how I was going to ever have the courage to leave the trail for a break or whatever I continued on about 4 miles to a high point. The ridges were covered with flowers. They were mainly Balsam Root, lupine, desert parsley, larkspur, phlox, and possibly a waterleaf. There were also flowering onions and one cactus about to bloom. I took lots of pictures and actually wondered off the trail to look over the cliffs down on a red tailed hawk soaring about. It was very hot and sunny. I had picked the hot part of the day to climb up. I only saw one small garter snake on the rest of that trail.
At 2pm I went back to the car and drove to the Umtanum Recreation site along the canyon to do the Umtanum trail. It rained on me driving down the canyon. The air smelled great and it cleared a bit before I put my pack on and headed off. I choose to take the ridge trail they recommend in the book that turns off at the very beginning. It was also full of flowers and had a creek along the trail with lush greenery abounding. There were birch trees with beautiful white bark and red stems. As I climbed the views over he flower meadows were more glorious. If the sky is clear you can see Adams and Rainier. I met a couple of others. One lady told me the lower trail was full of rattlers. They had seen two on a short walk earlier. She said the ranger station in Cle Elm had told them to stay out of there due to the snakes. Glad I didn’t go there first.
Headed for home about 5:30. It was a great day to be in the wilderness. ( Is there a bad one?) Maybe I am a little bit closer to ready for the PCT.
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