Part 2- Umtanum Campground & Umtanum Creek Falls

After our hike up the canyon, we spent time just looking at the hills, searching with our binoculars for any sign of bighorn sheep (we didn’t see any of those) and deer, and strolling along the Yakima River. 

We saw many birds of prey over the weekend, bald eagle, osprey, hawks and northern harrier.  A blackbird of some type spent time in our campsite looking beautiful in the sunlight.

There were little flowers everywhere and cactus thrown in as well.  If you can identify any of them, let me know! The white flowers were super tiny.

The next day we packed up our gear and drove to our next hike.  At only 3 miles round trip, Umtanum Creek Falls is a nice easy hike that anyone would enjoy.  I imagine it dries out a bit as the season progresses, but there was a lot of mud on the trail this weekend.  This trail was way upstream from the lower canyon we had hiked Saturday.  To get there we followed a nice wide dirt road.  I stopped briefly to take a picture of this old abandoned house.

Here is a prety little wildflower from the Falls hike.  I tried to identify it, but I think it was not open all the way, and I was unable to figure out what it was.  Again, if you can name that flower, let me know!

The waterfall is a sudden 40 ft plunge over a rock precipice.  Only one other family was on the trail, so we pretty much had all that beauty and peacefulness to ourselves.  The dogs couldn’t cross the little cliffy scramble to look at the waterfall from the opposite rock wall, so we took turns staying with them.

It was a really fun and beautiful weekend.  The sun-kissed golden hills enchanting in their own way, although I think I still prefer the deep damp woods of the west.

Part 1 - Umtanum Campground & Umtanum Canyon Trail

For Easter weekend, I drove East and my sister drove West and we met in relatively the middle near Ellensburg to camp and hike.  We got to Umtanum campground at almost the same time and got the very last camping site.  Close call!  I brought Cedar and she brought her hubby, Chris, and their dog- a gorgeous Caucasian Ovcharka named Odin. 

This campground was situated along the Yakima River and surrounded by hills of varying steepness, some of which were inlaid with breathtaking formations of columnar basalt.  These rock columns were in varying degrees of erosion and covered with lichens or something that were bright orange or a bright yellow-green.  With the rich greens of the pines, the golden grasses, and the new green of the baby deciduous leaves, it was stunning everywhere you looked.  Also, very rarely do I find I am in one lovely spot for enough time to sit around and soak in the changing of the light on the rock face, the gradual heating and cooling of the day, and the shifts in breeze direction.  It was so relaxing.

Saturday morning after a quick breakfast and camp coffee (which I just couldn’t seem to get right), we walked to the other side of the parking lot where the Umtanum Creek Canyon hike starts out with a suspension bridge over the Yakima River.  It swayed, creaked and kind of twisted.  Adventure Dog did pretty good until he was halfway across and then crouched down on the planks and wouldn’t take another step.  Here is a picture of my sister, Rosy, her husband and their dog.

The trail meandered through a fascinating combination of desert and river valley landscape.  Someone had homesteaded up the Umtanum Creek valley at one time and remnants of their fences were still there.  I read that the foundation of their home could be seen as well, but I did not find it. 

 Here and there beavers had been hard at work chewing down trees and building dams in the stream.  This big tree they had apparently given up on.

The trail went through several alder stands.  Their white trunks against the blue sky were quite striking.  It was also cool to see the black markings on them, knots, eyes, spots… each tree with its own pattern.  (picture of me thanks to my sister!)

We also saw a lot of cool plants and flowers.  These first two my sister identified as wild carrot and balsamroot.  I was tempted to pull a wild carrot up to look at its root, but that just didn’t seem nice.

This ground squirrel kept a sharp eye on us as we passed.

At the end of the hike, we went back over the bridge and enjoyed the sunshine at camp, strolling down the Yakima a couple times and looking at deer on the hillsides.  That bit will follow tomorrow, along with our second hike.

Old Sauk River Trail - Skagit Tulips

Today’s hike was chosen in exasperation and I was not thrilled about it.  I had wanted a longer hike, a steeper hike, and every hike that sounded good was still under too much snow.  As it turned out this 6 mi walk in the woods was perfect and beautiful.  You can start at either end of the Old Sauk River Trail, and walk about 3 miles to the other end, then turn around and head back to your car.  The trail follows the Sauk River or a “dry” channel of it almost the whole way.

Towering moss and lichen-laden trees stretched up to form a ceiling full of singing birds, and the earliest wildflowers were blooming, including this damp trillium. 

For the most part it was a lovely sunny day.  I couldn’t believe how balmy and cheerful the woods were.  Then, suddenly everything grew dark and within seconds it was raining and micro-hailing.

  After that it was on and off again sun and sprinkles.  The trail crossed a couple small creeks, one of which had no stepping stones or bridge.  I carried Adventure Dog on the way, but on the way back he raced ahead so he could forge it himself. 

One of the birds we heard, was knocking on the trees instead of singing.  I looked around and spied what I think is a female hairy woodpecker.  She didn't like to hold still and was a ways off, so that is why the picture isn't particularly great.

At some point along the way, we managed to really piss off this tiny bird.  I think he must have had a nest nearby.  His quieter mate fretted and hopped around nearby, silently wishing hate on us.

Here are some plants that I enjoyed looking at.  This green stuff that I have not identified was everywhere, and what this picture doesn’t show, besides its beautiful emerald radiance, was that it was glittering with droplets of water and really pretty!  The next I believe is coltsfoot, not really gorgeous, but any signs of returning warmth make me happy. The third picture is of fern fiddleheads.  I love their name and anything is cute when it’s a baby, even a fern.

We left the rushing river behind and returned to the car.  Cedar still had a lot of energy, but seemed satisfied with our little hike.  The other great thing about this hike?  We had it nearly to ourselves!  On our way down the highway, this cloud-dolphin breached up into the blue as if to say our day shouldn’t be over yet!

So I drove a bit further north and looked at some of the Skagit Valley Tulips.  Cedar got out in the daffodils… you can see what he thinks of flowers, see his tongue sticking out?