Skagit Delta - May 22, 2017

The first paddle of the season was also our first paddle in this part of the Skagit Delta. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed the time with David and Jolynn.

 We enjoyed exploring a number of the side channels

We were surprised to see some snow geese lingering later than we expected.

 Jolynn caught this and the following photo of birds in flight.

Resting in a back eddy on our paddle back up river.

Huntoon Point - May 10, 2017

I had been waiting for weeks for a forecast that allowed for adequate visibility for this iconic snowshoe. Consequently I decided to go with a less than optimal report which called for at least partly sunny and minimal precip. It was less than ideal and the snow was mushy but we stayed dry and the place was still magical.

 Terry and I assess routing options.

 Terry was happy to get this one in this year.

 Jolynn and Judy begin the descent

It was sloppy going even with snowshoes.

Icicle Ridge - May 7, 2017

Kay and I hiked the Icicle Ridge Viewpoint as a "conditioner". The views were superb.

 Wedge Mountain overlooking the Icicle Valley.

 Tumwater Canyon

Lower Snow Creek Trail - May 4, 2017

The highlight of this outing was a magical encounter with a band of mountain goats. They were very habituated to humans and allowed us to move through them both going up the trail and later coming back. We had to wait for a couple to get out of the trail and later had to shoo one away who was following us. We considered ourselves very blessed to have this experience.

 Snow Creek Wall

 Icicle River

Beezley Hills - April 8, 2017

Kay and I were looking to experience Spring after a long Winter so we we headed to the Columbia Plateau to enjoy some sagebrush-steppe and hopefully some wildflowers. At first we thought we were too early as we could not notice any color other than green and there were still some patches of snow. But upon closer inspection there were many small early blooms promising a more robust display to come. This Nature Conservancy property is a gem with great views across the plateau and out to the Cascades.

 Hedgehog cactus

 The Stuart Range

 Moses Lake could be seen in the distance.