Thanks to trip reports, I was prepared for the drive to the trailhead. We took the DNR L1100 road, which was a good gravel road, to the 4910 road, which needed 4WD. I had some coaching from a fellow passenger and got through the ruts, berms and gullies OK. But I asked him to drive down it when we left. Along the way, we saw a bumper that had come off, and we met four young men who had to turn back because of two flat tires. We may try the Grouse Vista Trail next time...further to drive but less nerve-wracking! The trailhead was enveloped in mist, so we decided to hike up the Silver Star Trail first because there wouldn't be much, if any, view from Ed's Trail. It turned out to be a good choice, because we saw a "mistbow" as the sun started to shine through the mist. We enjoyed views of Sturgeon Rock with mist around it and met two young climbers headed there. The Silver Star summit was clear, and what a view of the mountains above the clouds! Besides the three volcanoes and Goat Rocks to the north, we could see Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, and with binoculars, even the 3 Sisters. There were some bees and flies buzzing around, but they weren't a bother. After eating lunch at the summit, we headed down Ed's Trail, although reluctant to leave the mountaintop. This trail was more challenging for the first half, being narrow on steep hillsides. There were two places where you had to scramble. The first was the rock wall in the picture; the second had more soil and was harder for me because there weren't many handholds. But we made it and enjoyed the views of the mountains and extravagant wildflowers. We started at 8:30 and didn't get back to the trailhead until about 4, but we took our time to enjoy the beauty and take lots of pictures.
P.S. We stopped at Moulton Falls Park to use their restrooms, which were a short walk from the parking lot. We also found the Tarbell trailhead by taking a wrong turn, and noted that it has a toilet.
