A Spring Weekend in Trip Reports: Snow, Flowers and a Super Cute Spider
From white-out conditions at Artist Point to balsamroot blooming outside Yakima, weekend trip reports show a wild range of springtime hiking conditions right now on trail.
Striving for the summit on snowy peaks, tracking down spring wildflowers or taking an easy ramble in the rain -- how'd you spend your weekend?
The trip reports below are just a small sample of springtime adventures from around the state, so grab a coffee and find out how your fellow hikers are kicking off the spring hiking season.
Then file your own report and start getting psyched for more spring hiking.
High Rock - Up early for the eclipse and some stunning sunrise photos
"Hit the trail at 4am. The lunar eclipse was basically at it's peak, which made for a VERY dark hike. The trail was easy to follow, but there were plenty of large trees across the trail ... Eventually the sun rose and warmed up the air enough to not feel like we were on some distant planet."
- A dusting of snow on High Rock. Trip report by betheadventure. Photo by Dustin Garrett
Mad River Valley Loop - Running on the heels of a cougar in the Entiat
"Lots of cougar activity in Mad River canyon..."
- Lower Mad River Canyon. Photo and trip report by LDistel
Artist Point Snowshoe - Plenty of winter in white out conditions
"Dug a partial snow cave and practiced using our avalanche beacons. The snow kept falling until around midnight. The moon came out for awhile and then rain starting falling sporadically around 3 or 4am ..."
- Practicing snow skills at Artist Point. Trip report and photo by BriSyts
Umtanum Ridge Crest - Balsamroot abloom on hills outside Yakima
"... The flowers are just starting to show their awesome beauty, and the valley should be in full bloom in the next week or two if I would venture a guess."
- Balsamroot at Untanum Crest. Photo and trip report by Nathaniel
Siver Lake - Bunny ears and beauty before Monte Cristo mine closure
"Somehow I never checked this one off and figured the mild weather would allow me to knock it, and somewhere beyond, out before the April 15th closure..."
- Taking in the view of Silver Lake. Photo and trip report by SusanHikes.
Ancient Lakes - One of the cutest spiders we've ever seen. That fuzz! Those eyes!
"This day proved to be however delightful. It got quite warm in the sun, but it's been cold at night so skeeters and other bugs weren't a problem as of yet ... Flowers, birds, spiders and beetles were out in abundance. The views were amazing. I took a ton of photos."
- Red backed jumping spider at Ancient Lakes. Photo and trip report by ehiker.
Cow Heaven - Waterfalls, quiet and North Cascades views
"Snow covered the trail starting about 3500 feet, but it wasn't more than an inch until the top, and I never needed my spikes. Poles came in handy throughout the hike though. The views of the North Cascades from the top were awesome! The Marblemount Ranger Station is still closed for the season, so don't count on the bathrooms being open."
- Cascade along Cow Heaven. Photo and trip report by Seattle-Amy.
And they keep coming
Thanks to all of the hikers, snowshoers and runners for giving back to the hiking community with your weekend trip reports. Fresh reports are still rolling in, so check out the latest and file your own!
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