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Stranger, stranger, stranger, stranger
It's hot here at night, lonely, black and quiet
On a hot summer night
Don't be afraid of the world we made
On a hot summer night

Lost Creek Ridge Hike

Left: Lost Creek Ridge Hike Route; Right: Trail Through a Meadow Heading East

Hike Notes

Length: 13.0 miles GPS in camera
Duration: About 8 hours, 9:20 am - 5:40 pm with a break for lunch
Elevation: Starting 1,875 ft, max at 5,875.
Location: North Cascades, Lost Creek Ridge / Round Lake

Overview

The star attractions in the shaded, lower part of the hike were orchids and heath family myco-hetrotropics (parasitic) plants like candysticks (Allotropa virgata) and pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea), and then Lily family Queen's Cup (Clintonia uniflora). In the meadows the usual suspects: bistort, valerian, lupin, columbine, daisies and more.

It's quite a climb to Bingley gap (> 2,000 feet), and you are still not  done until you do some more climbing to break into the meadows where your reward is at hand: leisurely meadow to meadow walking. From the meadows, Red Mountain, Bedal Peak, Sloan Peak and Glacier Peak seem so close.

We ate looking down on Round Lake, but did not go down for a visit, instead saving time to push on along the ridge. We turned around and start back to the car around 3:15pm before reaching Hardtack Lake.

Plant List

Photos in next section.

[Asteraceae] Aster Family
  Luina hypoleuca - Little-Leaf Silverback
  Petasites frigidus - Artic Sweet Coltsfoot
  Solidago multiradiata - Northern Goldenrod

[Caryophyllaceae] Pink Family
  Eremognne capillaris - Mountain Sandwort

[Cornaceae] Dogwood Family
  Cornus unalaschkensis - Western Bunchberry

[Ericaceae] Heather Family
  Allotropa virgata - Candystick
  Chimaphila umbellata - Pipsissewa, Common Prince's Pine
  Gaultheria shallon - Salal
  Monotropa hypopitys - Pinesap, Many-Flower Indian-Pipe
  Phyllodoce empetriformis - Pink Mountain-Heath
  Pterospora andromedea - Woodland Pinedrops

[Grossulariaceae] Currant/Gooseberry Family
  Ribes lacustre - Prickly Currant

[Liliaceae] Lily Family
  Clintonia uniflora - Queen's Cup
  Lilium columbianum - Columbian Lily

[Linnaeaceae] Flax Family
  Linaceae borealis - America twinflower

[Orchidaceae] Orchid Family
  Corallorhiza mertensiana - Western Coralroot
  Goodyera oblongifolia - Western Rattlesnake Plantain

[Orobanchaceae] Broomrape Family
  Castilleja parviflora - Mountain Indian Paintbrush
  Pedicularis bracteosa - Bracted Lousewort
  Pedicularis groenlandica - Elephanthead Lousewort

[Phrymaceae] Lopseed Family
  Erythranthe guttata - Seep Monkey-Flower

[Plantaginaceae] Plantain Family
  Penstemon davidsonii - Davidson's Penstemon
  Penstemon procerus - Small-Flowered Penstemon

[Primulaceae] Primose Family
  Dodecatheon jeffreyi - Jeffrey's Shooting Star

[Ranunculaceae] Buttercup Family
  Aquilegia formosa - Red Columbine, Western Columbine
  Thalictrum occidentale - Western Meadow-Rue

[Rosaceae] Rose Family
  Rubus lasiococcus - Dwarf Bramble
  Rubus parviflorus - Thimbleberry

[Saxifragaceae] Saxifrage Family
  Leptarrhena pyrolifolia - Leather Leaf Saxifrage
  Saxifraga mertensiana - Merten's Saxifrage
  Tiarella trifoliata - Three-Leaf Foam Flower

[Valerianaceae] Valerian Family
  Valerniana sitchensis - Sitka Valerian

Plant Photos

In approximate order from lowest to highest altitude.

Allotropa virgata – Candystick looking like a Christmas treat!

Left: Corallorhiza mertensiana – Western Coralroot; Right: Pterospora andromedea - Woodland Pinedrops

Left: Pinesap - Monotropa hypopitys. Left with Linaceae borealis - America twinflower

Left: Cornus unalaschkensis - Western Bunchberry; Right: Chimaphila umbellata - Pipsissewa, Common Prince's Pine

Left: Clintonia uniflora - Queen's Cup; Right: Tiarella trifoliata - Three-Leaf Foam Flower

Left: Ribes lacustre - Prickly Currant; Right: Thalictrum occidentale - Western Meadow-Rue

Left: A Drift of Aquilegia formosa - Red Columbine, Center: Artemisia Not Yet Blooming Trailside; Right: Valerian Snack for a Butterfly

Left: Pedicularis groenlandica - Elephanthead Lousewort; Right: Penstemon davidsonii - Davidson's Penstemon

Left: Solidago multiradiata - Northern Goldenrod; Right: Luina hypoleuca - Little-Leaf Silverback

Left: Eremognne capillaris - Mountain Sandwort; Right: Saxifraga mertensiana - Merten's Saxifrage

Left: Phyllodoce empetriformis - Pink Mountain-Heath; Right: Castilleja parviflora - Mountain Indian Paintbrush

Left: Erythranthe guttata - Seep Monkey-Flower; Right: Dodecatheon jeffreyi - Jeffrey's Shooting Star

Left: Glacier Peak Viewed from the Lost Creek Ridge Trail; Right: Round Lake

Left: Sloan and Bedal Peaks Looking South from the Lost Creek Ridge Trail; Right: Example of the “Vertical Meadows”.

Seattle - Urban Hike 2

Left: Approximate map of the hike; Center: RIP Leonard Nimoy; Right: Flowers do grow I the city (at least at E Olive Way and Summit Ave N.)

The last big Seattle urban hike we did was in November 2014 (creatively called An Urban Hike). Today, we ventured out under sunny skies and did a similar route from Fremont to University District to Capitol Hill to South Lake Union and back to Fremont.

The hike was about 26,000 steps, 13+ miles. Started at 11:30 am from Fremont. Stopped for lunch at Vios around 1:30pm. Continued on to Vivace (near REI) for coffee and then on home around 4:30 pm.

Instead of flowers and wildlife, we call out graffiti and used furniture.

Billy Davis “Sanctuary” Mural at Walgreens on 15th Ave E. More info.


Left: Under the University Bridge: Chill, Chill, Chill. What does it mean, mean, mean? Right: Beginnings of a mural at Marketime in Fremont.

Alley at E Olive Way and Summit Ave N




Capitol Hill Transit Station Mural

Instead of cairns, furniture marks the trail.

Grand Park Hike - Mt Rainier National Park

Left: Our Hike Route from Sunrise to Lake Eleanor (via Canon GPS Logger and Google Earth); Right: View of Grand Park Looking North

Overview

Our third hike of the season and what a treat. We finally, got a look at Grand Park in Mount Rainier National Park. We parked at Sunrise (road open early this year, not the lodge) and took off around 10:15 am following the trail to Berkeley Camp, then on to Grand Park, and eventually Lake Eleanor. At the lake, we hit about 9.5 miles, one-way. We arrived back at Sunrise around 7:15 pm. Time-wise, we were moving slow, stopping for a leisurely lunch, plant photos, and just taking in the view.

On either side of Grand Park (Berkley Camp to Grand Park and Grand Park to Lake Eleanor), our path was lined with a dazzling number of lilies, primarily white glacier lily (Erythronium montanum) and yellow avalanche lily (Erythronium grandiflorum). There was a lot of variation and we suspect we there could have been other species mixed in, but we couldn't prove it.

On Grand Park itself, lupine was the most conspicuous, though curiously, many plants were damaged as if a strong wind or freeze had happened a day or so prior.

When not looking at the ground, our gaze was either on the majestic Rainier itself and the clouds playing about it, or the curiously conical Fremont Lookout. We tackled the Fremont Lookout 2 years ago in Mount Rainier National Park - Sunrise Hikes: Fremont Lookout, Skyscraper Peak, Burroughs Mountain.

Notes

Length: 19.0 miles as recorded by our Garmin etrex Vista HCx
Elevation Gain: 4,500 feet total by our Garmin GPS tracker (attached to camera). [Sunrise Lodge ~ 6400', high point ~ 6800' (near Frozen Lake), just before Lake Eleanor ~ 4900']
Duration: 10:15 am - 7:15, 9 hours
Location: Mt. Rainier -- NE - Sunrise, White River, Mount Rainier National Park

Plant List

The Burke links are to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture's WTU Image Collection: Plants of Washington Lichens of Washington. This is a useful site for confirming ranges of plants. We also used the Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest (Turner, Gustafson) book and app. See this press release for details. The app is worth the money!

Pictures of the plants listed below can be found later in the post.

Apiaceae (Parsley Family)
Lomatium triternatum (nineleaf lomatium) (Burke)

We saw lots of Lomatium on the Grand Park plateau.

Asteraceae (Aster Family)
Agoseris alpestris (smooth mountain dandelion) (Burke)
Antennaria lanata (wooly pussytoes) (Burke)

Fabaceae (Pea Family)
Lupinus, likely latifolius (broadleaf lupine) (Burke)

Liliaceae (Lily Family)
Erythronium montanum (white, glacier lily) (Burke) [Etymology of erythronium]
Erythronium grandiflorum (yellow avalanche lily) (Burke)
Xerophyllum tenax (bear grass) (Burke)

Most lilies were on the climb up/down from Grand Park.

Orchidaceae (Orchid Family)
Platanthera stricta (slender bog orchid) (Burke)
Corallorhiza, either maculata (coralroot) or mertensiana (pacific coralroot) (Burke)

Plantaginaceae (Plantain Family)
Veronica cusickii (Cusick's speedwell) (Burke)

Polemoniaceae (Phlox Family)
Phlox diffusa (spreading phlox) (Burke)
Polemonium californicum (low Jacob's-ladder) (Burke)

Polygonaceae (Buckwheat Family)
Bistorta bistortoides (alpine bistort) (Burke)

Primulaceae (Primrose Family)
Dodecatheon jeffreyi (Jeffrey's shooting star) (Burke)

Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)
Anenome occidentalis (western pasqueflower) (Burke)
Caltha leptosepala (white marsh marigold) (Burke)

Salicaceae (Willow Family)
Salix commutata (under-green willow) (Burke)

Violaceae (Violet Family)
Viola adunca (hookedspur violet) (Burke)

Views from the Trail

Left: View from Grand Park Looking South Toward Mt. Rainier (with clouds obscuring the top); Right: Fremont Lookout

Left: Grand Park Looking South (stitch); Right: Curious Dead Trees Along the Edge of Grand Park

Left: View of Rainier from Trail to Berkeley Camp; Right: View of North Side of Burroughs Mountain

The Start of the Show: Glacier Lily

We think these to be all Erythronium montanum (glacier lily), but there was a lot of variation.

Left: Reddish Back of a Lily; Right: Trail ablaze with Erythronium montanum (glacier lily).

Other Flowers

Left: Agoseris alpestris (smooth mountain dandelion); Right: Lomatium triternatum (nineleaf lomatium).


Left: Anenome occidentalis (western pasqueflower); Center: Antennaria lanata (wooly pussytoes); Right: Bistorta bistortoides (alpine bistort).

Left: Caltha leptosepala (white marsh marigold); Marsh marigold with Enoplognatha ovata (candy stripe spider) Feasting on a Bee

Left: Dodecatheon jeffreyi (Jeffrey's shooting star); Right: Salix commutata (under-green willow).

Lupinus in Grand Park. Left: Droopy Due to Some Unknown Condition; Right: Lupinus Blossom.

Left: Platanthera stricta (slender bog orchid); Right: Corallorhiza, either maculata (coralroot) or mertensiana (pacific coralroot)

Left: Phlox diffusa (spreading phlox); Right: Viola adunca (hookedspur violet).


Left: Polemonium californicum (low Jacob's-ladder); Right: Veronica cusickii (Cusick's speedwell)


Left: Insect on Xerophyllum tenax (bear grass); Xerophyllum tenax (bear grass) Bloom.