05-26-24
Gary
and John were free for a long hard hike. A long hike with a terrific
wildflower display. I first did it in 2005
then in 2011,
2017,
2018,
and 2022.
The last two trip were with Gary and John. I average 9.5 miles with
about 2300' of gain per hike. 17 mile with 3700' is challenging. More
so as I age. I was much faster in my me 46s than today. Still, we can
get it done. This is a long hike and a long drive. The key is an early
start. This was the middle day of the Memorial Day Weekend so traffic
was light. We met in Bothell at 5:50 am and headed east. We went over
Stevens Pass and turned south at Cashmere. We had light rain part of
the way but it was dry though entirely overcast when we arrived at the
trailhead at 8:07 am. There were a couple other cars in the lot. These
trails are popular with motorcycles and mountain bikes but much less so
with hikers. We saw zero other hikers this day. We were packed and on
our way at 8:13 am. A bridge is crossed at the start.
Timing is important on this hike. There is a narrow window when the most wildflowers are in bloom. Usually that is in early to mid June. This year we had a mild winter and everything is a few weeks early. Also, Mission Creek needs to have a low enough flow for safe crossings. There are three main crossings and some side creeks. Too late in the spring and temperatures can get into he 80s and 90s. That is too much for me. For many hikes there are consistent trip reports to show the current state of wildflowers. No such luck on this trip. The most recent report was 18 days earlier. This weekend the temperature was forecast to be in the low 60s and the stream flow was low enough. We hoped to have timed the flower show.
After crossing the bridge, the trail soon reaches both ends of the loop. Left is the route up Mission Ridge. that would be our exit. Right follows Mission Creek up Devil's Gulch. We quickly began seeing wildflowers. Hooker's fairy-bells, mariposa lilies, larkspur, and false Solomon's seal appeared. The Solomon's seal was seen on most of the loop. More than I ever recall seeing. The trail crosses steep slope with sandstone rock featured. Prairie stars were not profuse but were seen at most elevations. Arnica is another flower seen here and all along the route. Phacelia was probably the most seen flower in the gulch. The route went form open to forest and back. We could hear the creek below but only saw it in a few spots. Additional flowers were penstemon, death camas, one scarlet gilia, and ballhead waterleaf with no petals left. Another plant we see in the first section is coralroot. This saprophyte has not green. The light yellow plant looks much different than any others.
At the 2.8 mile mark we reached the first creek crossing. Janet and I crossed when the steam flow was 72 cfm. This day it was about 25 cfm. Not knee deep but wide and flowing fast. Some years there are rocks and logs making it possible to cross while keeping boots dry. Not this year. I was first to take off my boots and carrying them while crossing barefoot.l The rocks were sharper than I recalled. I managed to get across without falling over. John followed the same way and Gary chose to take off socks and walk across in his boots. It was 9:49 am. I had breakfast at 4:45 am. It was time for a food and water break. With the cooler than normal weather it was easy to keep hydrated. We soon headed on up the trail. This side of the creek has more open sections with lots of sunshine. Well not this morning but usually. We saw more of the same flowers plus a few more. Arrowleaf balsamroot were about done near the start but were doing much better along here. Mountain lady's slipper were near the top of my list of flowers to see. I have only seen them on this trail. Last time we found hundreds but this year we only found a few plus many more that were about to bloom. It was a little disappointing but we did see them. Valerian, silver crown, and roses appeared next. There was a lot to see so far and our photos were keeping our progress at a slow pace.
Lupine appeared and so did Tweedy's Lewisia. I did not recall seeing Tweedy here on previous trips. Timing is everything. We were a little early for the lady slippers and right on time for the Tweedys. The next crossing is usually another ford. This time we found a log across the creek. It was wide enough to cross on. The next section up to the last creek crossing is more out in the open. It usually has the best Tweedy show plus many other wildflowers. It was true this day. Our pace was even slower along here. Along with the other flowers already seen there were many penstemon, big patches of Oregon Grape, many balsamroot, more Indian paintbrush, one lone columbine, and a whole lot of Tweedy's Lewisia. They were white, dark peach, and most every shade in between. We were surprised to find another big bunch of lady slippers. Blooming clematis arrived in profusion. Even rare broomrape appeared. That was for the second week in a row. The flower show was really impressive. We reached the final creek crossing at 7 miles at 1:14 pm. We pumped water as there would be no more sources on the trip. We had seen one runner so far and another at the crossing spot. Otherwise, all the other people were on motorcycles or bicycles. We saw over a dozen people but over the entire day it was never crowded.
The next section up to the Mission Ridge Trail ascends from 3450' to 4420' in two miles. The grade is moderate and smooth making for an easy climbing. It is tough on a hot day but that was not a problem this day, On the way up there are some views over to Tronsen Ridge and down to Devil's Gulch. Near the top there were many arrowleaf balsamroot in bloom. At the junction we stopped for the rest of our lunch. We had 9 miles down and still 8 miles to go. The next step was to finish the climb to our highest point on Mission Ridge. At the top is a bald with hundreds of bitterroot in season. I had been seeing reports of blooming bitterroot at similar elevations the past week. I hoped we would see them. We reached the spot and immediately saw many onions blooming. We did not see bitterroot. Closer examination on the ridge top showed a lot of buds but not a one was open. It was cool with a cold wind blowing. We had to put on windshirts. It was bright but still no sunshine. We were disappointed to miss out on one of the three wildflowers we really wanted to see. There still was a possibility that we would see some blooming at lower elevations.
We headed on at 3:12 pm. Late in the afternoon bitterroot flowers close back up. There was a chance that they were blooming lower down but would close by the time we reached them. The ridge has many high points and drops. The trail goes over some and traverses around some on the right side. The left side of the ridge drops steeply to Devil's Gulch. Our high point was right about 4800'. The trailhead is at about 1720'. Our pace picked up as we descended. On the really steep motorcycle rutted trail we went really slow. We saw many more Tweedy Lewisia on the ridge trail. We now say a lot of finished and one prime glacier lily. The combinations of flowers were great. Tweedys and penstemon and Indian paintbrush, and clematis, and many more. At 3900' right on the ridge top we saw the first blooming bitterroot. There were dozens of them on the top and slope above Devil's Gulch. Each time we reached the ridge top we found more. Soon we each had dozens of photos of them. I was very pleased to see them ofter striking out at the big spot higher up. Soon we were seeing rain up near Mission Peak. The wind was heading towards us. We hoped to get down before rain started.
The ridge goes on and on. Each drop leads to another climb. After 13 miles it gets tedious. We still had 4 miles to go. I was glad when we finally dropped off the ridge top. We were now in forest with a sea of very green long grass for a complete ground cover. There were still wildflowers mixed in. When I first hiked this trail in the 1990s the motorcycle route went almost straight up. Now the lower part is a gently graded trail. It is longer but much easier hiking. After all those miles I did not mind the gentler trail. Down near the bottom John noticed yet another big patch of tiny broomrape. I saw more on this trip than over the last 40 years of hiking. I'm sure I passed many but they are tiny and hard to find.
We reached the bridge over Mission Creek and closed our loop at 6:56 pm. Five minutes later we were back at the car. For the day we took 10:48 to hike the 17 miles. Partly that is getting older and slower. Most of the slow pace was because of an abundance of great wildflowers. We could have finished much earlier but missed out on so much. John and I ended up with about 400 photos as usual for such a long and great hike. Gary had a whole lot too. We did beat the rain and even had some sun breaks the last couple miles. We arrived at the 59er Diner at 8:08 pm and had dinner before the 8:30 pm closing. We did have rain on the drive home. I arrived home at 10:45 pm. That made for a 17:27 long day. A really long day. Long but oh so worth it. This is a tough trip. 17 miles and 3700' of gain is difficult. It was much easier in 2005 but we can still get in a long hike and smile at the end.
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Trips - 2024
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Timing is important on this hike. There is a narrow window when the most wildflowers are in bloom. Usually that is in early to mid June. This year we had a mild winter and everything is a few weeks early. Also, Mission Creek needs to have a low enough flow for safe crossings. There are three main crossings and some side creeks. Too late in the spring and temperatures can get into he 80s and 90s. That is too much for me. For many hikes there are consistent trip reports to show the current state of wildflowers. No such luck on this trip. The most recent report was 18 days earlier. This weekend the temperature was forecast to be in the low 60s and the stream flow was low enough. We hoped to have timed the flower show.
After crossing the bridge, the trail soon reaches both ends of the loop. Left is the route up Mission Ridge. that would be our exit. Right follows Mission Creek up Devil's Gulch. We quickly began seeing wildflowers. Hooker's fairy-bells, mariposa lilies, larkspur, and false Solomon's seal appeared. The Solomon's seal was seen on most of the loop. More than I ever recall seeing. The trail crosses steep slope with sandstone rock featured. Prairie stars were not profuse but were seen at most elevations. Arnica is another flower seen here and all along the route. Phacelia was probably the most seen flower in the gulch. The route went form open to forest and back. We could hear the creek below but only saw it in a few spots. Additional flowers were penstemon, death camas, one scarlet gilia, and ballhead waterleaf with no petals left. Another plant we see in the first section is coralroot. This saprophyte has not green. The light yellow plant looks much different than any others.
At the 2.8 mile mark we reached the first creek crossing. Janet and I crossed when the steam flow was 72 cfm. This day it was about 25 cfm. Not knee deep but wide and flowing fast. Some years there are rocks and logs making it possible to cross while keeping boots dry. Not this year. I was first to take off my boots and carrying them while crossing barefoot.l The rocks were sharper than I recalled. I managed to get across without falling over. John followed the same way and Gary chose to take off socks and walk across in his boots. It was 9:49 am. I had breakfast at 4:45 am. It was time for a food and water break. With the cooler than normal weather it was easy to keep hydrated. We soon headed on up the trail. This side of the creek has more open sections with lots of sunshine. Well not this morning but usually. We saw more of the same flowers plus a few more. Arrowleaf balsamroot were about done near the start but were doing much better along here. Mountain lady's slipper were near the top of my list of flowers to see. I have only seen them on this trail. Last time we found hundreds but this year we only found a few plus many more that were about to bloom. It was a little disappointing but we did see them. Valerian, silver crown, and roses appeared next. There was a lot to see so far and our photos were keeping our progress at a slow pace.
Lupine appeared and so did Tweedy's Lewisia. I did not recall seeing Tweedy here on previous trips. Timing is everything. We were a little early for the lady slippers and right on time for the Tweedys. The next crossing is usually another ford. This time we found a log across the creek. It was wide enough to cross on. The next section up to the last creek crossing is more out in the open. It usually has the best Tweedy show plus many other wildflowers. It was true this day. Our pace was even slower along here. Along with the other flowers already seen there were many penstemon, big patches of Oregon Grape, many balsamroot, more Indian paintbrush, one lone columbine, and a whole lot of Tweedy's Lewisia. They were white, dark peach, and most every shade in between. We were surprised to find another big bunch of lady slippers. Blooming clematis arrived in profusion. Even rare broomrape appeared. That was for the second week in a row. The flower show was really impressive. We reached the final creek crossing at 7 miles at 1:14 pm. We pumped water as there would be no more sources on the trip. We had seen one runner so far and another at the crossing spot. Otherwise, all the other people were on motorcycles or bicycles. We saw over a dozen people but over the entire day it was never crowded.
The next section up to the Mission Ridge Trail ascends from 3450' to 4420' in two miles. The grade is moderate and smooth making for an easy climbing. It is tough on a hot day but that was not a problem this day, On the way up there are some views over to Tronsen Ridge and down to Devil's Gulch. Near the top there were many arrowleaf balsamroot in bloom. At the junction we stopped for the rest of our lunch. We had 9 miles down and still 8 miles to go. The next step was to finish the climb to our highest point on Mission Ridge. At the top is a bald with hundreds of bitterroot in season. I had been seeing reports of blooming bitterroot at similar elevations the past week. I hoped we would see them. We reached the spot and immediately saw many onions blooming. We did not see bitterroot. Closer examination on the ridge top showed a lot of buds but not a one was open. It was cool with a cold wind blowing. We had to put on windshirts. It was bright but still no sunshine. We were disappointed to miss out on one of the three wildflowers we really wanted to see. There still was a possibility that we would see some blooming at lower elevations.
We headed on at 3:12 pm. Late in the afternoon bitterroot flowers close back up. There was a chance that they were blooming lower down but would close by the time we reached them. The ridge has many high points and drops. The trail goes over some and traverses around some on the right side. The left side of the ridge drops steeply to Devil's Gulch. Our high point was right about 4800'. The trailhead is at about 1720'. Our pace picked up as we descended. On the really steep motorcycle rutted trail we went really slow. We saw many more Tweedy Lewisia on the ridge trail. We now say a lot of finished and one prime glacier lily. The combinations of flowers were great. Tweedys and penstemon and Indian paintbrush, and clematis, and many more. At 3900' right on the ridge top we saw the first blooming bitterroot. There were dozens of them on the top and slope above Devil's Gulch. Each time we reached the ridge top we found more. Soon we each had dozens of photos of them. I was very pleased to see them ofter striking out at the big spot higher up. Soon we were seeing rain up near Mission Peak. The wind was heading towards us. We hoped to get down before rain started.
The ridge goes on and on. Each drop leads to another climb. After 13 miles it gets tedious. We still had 4 miles to go. I was glad when we finally dropped off the ridge top. We were now in forest with a sea of very green long grass for a complete ground cover. There were still wildflowers mixed in. When I first hiked this trail in the 1990s the motorcycle route went almost straight up. Now the lower part is a gently graded trail. It is longer but much easier hiking. After all those miles I did not mind the gentler trail. Down near the bottom John noticed yet another big patch of tiny broomrape. I saw more on this trip than over the last 40 years of hiking. I'm sure I passed many but they are tiny and hard to find.
We reached the bridge over Mission Creek and closed our loop at 6:56 pm. Five minutes later we were back at the car. For the day we took 10:48 to hike the 17 miles. Partly that is getting older and slower. Most of the slow pace was because of an abundance of great wildflowers. We could have finished much earlier but missed out on so much. John and I ended up with about 400 photos as usual for such a long and great hike. Gary had a whole lot too. We did beat the rain and even had some sun breaks the last couple miles. We arrived at the 59er Diner at 8:08 pm and had dinner before the 8:30 pm closing. We did have rain on the drive home. I arrived home at 10:45 pm. That made for a 17:27 long day. A really long day. Long but oh so worth it. This is a tough trip. 17 miles and 3700' of gain is difficult. It was much easier in 2005 but we can still get in a long hike and smile at the end.
 Hooker's Fairy-Bells |
 Prairie Stars |
 Phacelia |
 Penstemon |
 Buckwheat |
 Open Grassy Slopes |
 Peas? |
 Another Penstemon |
 Death Camas |
 First Scarlet Gilia |
 Yellow Flower |
 Twin Lupines |
 Big Arrowleaf Balsamroot |
 Silver Crowns |
 Phlox |
 Coralroot |
 Twin Arnica |
 First Creek Crossing |
 Larkspur |
 First Lady Slippers |
 John At Work |
 Single Lady Slipper |
 Mariposa Lily |
 Another Phacelia |
 Great Penstemon |
 Valerian |
 Red Rose |
 Small Penstemon |
 Another Scarlet Gilia |
 Paler Rose |
 Pine Tree On Trail |
 Bug, Bee, & Lupine |
 Pale Penstemon |
 First Tweedy Lewisia |
 Holy Tweedy |
 Second Creek Crossing |
 Clematis |
 Big Bunch Of Lewisia |
 Peachy Lewisia |
 Looking Back |
 Gary At Work |
 Ballhead Waterleaf |
 Very Colorful |
 John & Tweedy |
 Old Man's Whiskers |
 Broomrape |
 Tweedy Penstemon |
 Many Old Man's Whiskers |
 Perfect Paintbrush |
 Open Hillside |
 Lone Columbine |
 Unknown Flower |
 Lots Of Lady Slippers |
 More Lady Slippers |
 Easy Crossing |
 Last Creek Crossing |
 John At Viewpoint |
 Tronsen Ridge |
 Balsamroot & Penstemon |
 Heading Higher |
 Tons Of Tweedy |
 Onions |
 Photo Time |
 Cloudy Mt. Stuart |
 Bitterroot Leaves |
 Spring Beauty |
 Two Clematis |
 Glacier Lily |
 Through Recent Burn |
 First Bitterroot |
 Triple Bitterroot |
 More Buckwheat |
 White Bitterroot |
 Big Ridge Top Tree |
 Rain To The South |
 Steep Drop |
 Green & Burn |
 Last Tweedy Lewisia |
 Yellow & Orange |
 Dark Pink Bitterroot |
 Balsamroot & Paintbrush |
 Log & Balsamroot |
 Steep Descent Ahead |
 More Burn |
 Some Blue Sky |
 Bugs On Rose |
 More Broomrape |
 Almost Done |
Trips - 2024
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