I think it may be summer finally! We've had what's felt to my skin like a lot of sun the last few weeks here in the northeast Oregon, with no more snowfall outside the mountains since May 12th. I spent many evenings training for the Scout Mountain Ultra, and then had the revelation that I didn't want to spend 14+ hours of time, fuel, and energy driving to Pocatello. I want to be here, in this place, while I'm here. It doesn't hurt though to be in fine trail running shape to get out and explore. Here are two recent adventures.
The last weekend in May, Jasper and I headed to canyon country and spent a peaceful evening car-camping on a beautiful ridge in full spring wildflower splendor. The next day we hiked from the ridge down along Swamp Creek to its confluence with Joseph Creek. The 20-mile hike took us about seven hours including luxurious morning snack and lunch breaks. We saw lots of cows early on in the creek bottom, and as we clawed our way through the final unmaintained and fenced half-mile section approaching the confluence, I became more grateful for their trail-squashing presence than I've ever been before.
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| The sunset view looking northwest towards the Swamp Creek canyon and Starvation Ridge across the way. |
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| The ridge top hosted healthy ponderosa pine forest with a carpet of spring wildflowers. |
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| A few essentials make for a happy hike. |
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| At one creek crossing, we found evidence of a resourceful scavenger in a collection of empty mollusk shells and a lone crayfish claw. |
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| Jasper smiles in gratitude for a scrap of shade as we climbed several hundred feet back up the ridge to the Subaru at the end of the 20-mile hike. |
This week, Kyle is taking advantage of his freedom to explore and visiting while he looks for summer employment. We took a drive through the Zumwalt Prairie and up to Buckhorn Overlook, which affords spectacular views of Imnaha Canyon and the Seven Devils beyond.
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| A survey marker and arrowleaf balsamroot blooming high above Imnaha Canyon. Lightning Creek is the smaller drainage coming in from the opposite side of the valley. Over the first ridgeline is the Snake River and Hells Canyon and the Seven Devils are barely visible through the haze of the gathering storm in the far background. |
While seeing these landscapes from high above, I've also been reading Temperance Creek by Pamela Royes, which is an account of her time as a sheepherder in the Hells Canyon and the Wallowas. It is also the story of falling in love with her husband, and more importantly, developing her own identity in this world. I highly recommend.
