3 May 2018 Hiking Iller Creek

I was waiting for a friend to arrive for a Iller Creek hike. This sweet 320i was parked in front of my rental on the road by the park.

I hated looking for the cache at our first stop. The area was filled with wildflowers and showed a fair amount of off-trail traffic and trampled flowers when we arrived. I gave a half hearted look while trying to avoid the wildflowers. When my batteries died, it was a sign to write this one off and move on.

My friend hiked about a mile into the park and up toward the ridge before heading back for dinner with his family. I was flying a red-eye out of Spokane so I had all the time until sunset to hike and cache. It wasn't long before I found a long abandoned vehicle. This one was an interesting old Jeep wagon.

I left the old Jeep and continued uphill toward the ridge. I spent a long time looking for the next hide and was ready to move on when I stooped down to look at a flower. I was quite surprised to spot my first calypso orchid in years!

I left the orchid and moved a few feet in my renewed effort to find the nearby cache. I quickly spotted a shed moose antler in my path. I had been wondering about the large droppings on the trail...

I've never seen a moose in my Spokane hiking, but at least now I have seen a shed antler.

The trail toward the ridge eventually became part of a mostly dry creek bed.

When I reached a large blow-down area, I was ready to call it a night and turn back. I had no desire to climb through this mess before getting on a flight.

I decided to navigate the mess when I spotted western skunk cabbage for the first time in seven years.

I continued on to the ridge trail where I spotted two more calypso orchids at my last find before turning back. I enjoyed the sights in the fading light along the ridge trail on my return.