Chiwaukum Creek

On our way to eastern Washington we hiked (dwadled is more accurate) along part of the Chiwaukum Creek trail, which if followed far enough takes one into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.  We did not go nearly that far, but far enough to see the damage caused by the 2014 wildfires.  The Chiwaukum Complex fire burned nearly 14,000 acres in the area between mid-July and the end of August.  The area we hiked was already recovering and the wildflowers were in abundance.  We not only found the Western Fairy Slippers we were looking for but also found the first Lewisias of the season.  Know as Mountain Roses, Lewisia tweedyi grows only in the Wenatchee area of the Central Cascades.  There had been rain the night before so everything was bejeweled with water drops and we took a lot of pictures of those as well as of the wildflowers.

the trail and the creek

burned trees from the 2014 fires

raindrops

Spring Orange Peel Fungus

fungus on wild roses

Sword Fern

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Upland Larkspur

Cliff Painbrush

Ballhead Waterleaf

Stony-ground Lupine

Mountain Rose (Lewisia tweedyi)

Naked Broomrape

Slender Woodland Star

 Large False Solomon's Seal

 Martindale's Desert Parsley

 Hooker's Fairy Bells

conifer

Martin Creek

(along the Old Cascade Highway)

 the Enchantments

Rosario Beach to Bowman Beach

After spending the morning at Sharpe Park (see previous post), we went to Bowman Beach near Deception Pass for a picnic lunch and after lunch drove a little further up the coast of Fidalgo Island and hiked from Rosario Beach back to Bowman Beach.  That took most of the afternoon and after getting our evening meal at a restaurant we went on home.  The trail, though neither long nor difficult, was very nice, and one we will certainly do again.

These photos were taken at Bowman's Bay where we had our lunch.

The mountains in the background are the Olympics.

The statue is at Bowman's Bay and is a memorial to the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Along the trail - the Lichens appear to be the Common Witch's Hair, Alectoria sarmentosa.

 The Scotch Broom, Cytisus scoparius, is not a native
 and is very invasive in some areas.

We are not at all sure what fungus this is,

but thought it might be a Bolete, Boletus edulis, that had been knocked over.

The Pacific Madrones, Arbutus menzesii, were magnificent in the late afternoon light,

 

and so were the other trees, Western Hemlocks, Tsuga heterophylla, and Shore Pines, Pinus contorta,
many of them hanging out over the bluffs.

We found quite a few Western fairy Slippers, Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis, but few other wildflowers:

some Beach Strawberries, Fragaria chiloensis,

a few Harsh Paintbrush,Castilleja hispida,

and some Hairy Rockcress.

The evergreen leaves of the Giant Rattlesnake Orchis, Goodyera oblongifolia, were everywhere,

but they will not be blooming until July and August.