| MARCH 20, 2010 So many people signed up for the
Cowiche Canyon hike last week that I led it again this week. It was another beautiful day for this
hike in Cowiche Canyon, and this was an interesting mix of hikers.
We had birders, wildflower aficionados, a geologist, and others who just
wanted to hike in the sunshine. The trail extends 3 miles through
the canyon with side trails leading to the uplands on one side and a
winery on the other. We hiked the canyon from end to end and the
winery trail this week. We did not see the lovely grass widows,
sagebrush violets or yellow bells on this hike, but balsamroot was
growing along the canyon floor and in profusion above. We had
lunch in a rocky area near the winery, where Mt. Adams was the focal
point, and everyone enjoyed the generous sunshine. We made a brief
tour of the vineyard and a couple hikers slipped off to the tasting room
for a few minutes, where they came back with bottles of wine that they
had to carry in their packs for the remainder of the hike.
8 miles, 450' gain |
