JM went hiking April 26, 2014 13 miles 3,750 feet gained
All-day wildflower ramble in the Eastern Gorge, beginning w/ Mitchell Point trail. A ew hike to me, interesting flowers included Fairy Slippers, Howell's brodeia, lots of Desert Parsley. Next was another new hike to me, Mosier Plateau. Arrived at same time as a large Friends of the Gorge group. Interesting flowers included lots of lupine, balsamroot, Bachelor Buttons, Vetch. Nice chat w/ Renee(?) from Friends of the Gorge. Awesome views up here! Up next, McCall Point from Rowena Crest. Lots of flowers, lots of people too. Steve and I detoured off the main trail on some side trails, along w/ a quick excursion to a great meadow beyond the normal turnaround point. Talked w/ a Nature Conservancy volunteer about the flower show and verified we had indeed been seeing "Wild Cucumber". Back on the road, Steve spotted 2 ticks on him, which he threw out the window. Next was a quick stop @ McDonalds for some trail "food" and we continued on to Dalles Mountain Ranch. Saw more flowers there than I have ever seen. Phenomenal fields. Clouds obscured the top of Mt Hood, but it didn't really matter. Spotted a marmot, western bluebirds and meadowlarks, too.
