TRIP REPORT: East Side Wildflower Hike
Bright yellow balsamroot, fiery red paintbrush and cool blue lupine bloomed alongside a host of other wildflowers, bringing a blast of color to the mound and swale topography of Rowena Plateau and McCall Point in the Columbia Gorge. A warm sun shone in a clear sky with a light breeze. The only clouds to be seen clung to the snowy peaks of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams.
Conditions were perfect for Next Adventure Outdoor School's first hike of the season.
We hiked slowly and stopped often to identify the many wildflowers and wildlife we encountered. The Columbia Desert Parsley, Grass Widows and Yellowbells were just about gone, but we found a few lingering examples. Several other Lomatia were still growing strong - most abundant being Gray's Desert Parsley (- and we saw several the Anise Swallowtail butterflies which rely on it).
Poet's Shooting Stars, Glacier Lilies, Microseris (and tiny Microsteris), Naked Broomrape, Blue-Eyed Marys, Western Buttercups, and Serviceberry are a few of the flowers blooming last weekend. Camas was just about to burst out, but did not yet lend its blue tint to the fields.
Western Fence Lizards were out warming themselves in the sun. Horned Larks were about, lending their sweet song to the air. Soaring high above the cliffs, vultures, red tailed hawks, ravens and even a golden eagle circled about.
We ran into the the Nature Conservancy's volunteer naturalist near a viewpoint of the Columbia River, and he pointed out someChocolate Lilies that we would have missed.
Next Adventure is offering another Wildflower Hike next month, exploring the wildflowers on the west side of the Cascades. Join us Friday, May 11 for a guided tour along the Clackamas River. Plus we've got many more hiking and backpacking trips, as well as free classes, events and clinics, coming up this summer.
Next Adventure is a fully-insured licensed Outfitter and Guide with the State of Oregon. Next Adventure is an equal opportunity Recreation Provider operating under special use permit on the Mt. Hood National Forest and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, USDA Forest Service.