Last year I had planned to lead this hike, but it was March and once we hit the Crest Trail, about 2/3 along the way, we had to turn back because the snow was too deep. A year later and early June, Jane takes the lead and we head out in search of fossils...it is June...Success!! Elevation gain of 1280 feet miles hiked: ~ 7 miles
This hike is dedicated to Lynda, one of our newest Hoofers (see a picture of her below). She fell on this hike and damaged her shoulder, still waiting to hear exactly what injury she sustained. Prayers go out to her for a quick recovery so she will be back on the trails again!
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| Heading out...but first we need to take our group picture |
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| The Hoofers: Front row: Lynda, Brigitte, Bridget. 2nd row: Rita, Mary M., Betty, Mary B. Judy. Jane: our leader, Pat. Last two: Meagan (Bridget's sister), Jean, Julianne... |
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| ...and Moi! |
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| Possibly Chokecherry |
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| Clematis |
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| Mountain Iris |
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| This is the first time I have capture an iris with my camera...and dang the closeup is blurry |
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| Fleabane |
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| Wallflowers |
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| Canada Violet |
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| Bluebells |
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| Sorry, blurry, but first Sweat pea !! Small little thing |
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| Another blurry shot |
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| Star Solomon's Seal not to be confused with.... |
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| False Solomon's Seal ....note: leaves are wider and flowers are not star-like like the real Solomon Seal...and flowers come in a cluster, not on a singular stalk |
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| More Wallflowers |
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| Wild Strawberry with 2 blossoms and a bud |
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| Yellow Pea with a bee |
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| Second take |
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| Snowberry |
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| Possibly Fendler's Meadowrue |
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| Fendler's Meadowrue...sorry about the blurry pictures sometimes doing two things at once is hard for me (hiking and taking pictures) Thank goodness I don't chew gum as well! |
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| Mountain Parsley |
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| Buttercups |
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| Buttercups |
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| Fleabane |
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| Canada Violet |
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| Golden Smoke |
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| Oh yes, we are on a hike, Tree Spring Trail |
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| The leaves look like Coral bells...the flowers not so much, should be pink ... This is an Alum Root, same genus as Coral Bells but different species with greenish white flower |
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| Pasqueflower gone to seed Clematis looks like this as well when it goes to seed, however the leaves help identify this plant at this stage. They are in the same family. |
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| 2nd take....pretty cool looking |
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| so cool went for 3rd take |
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| Oregon Grape in full bloom |
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| The view from Tree Spring Trail |
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| May be another Chokecherry putting out flowers |
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| Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus |
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| Another Hedgehog with even more blooms...a few more days and this would be a Blooming Cactus! |
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| Golden Pea, without bee |
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| PygmyFlower Rock Jasmine (Northern Fairy Candelabra) |
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| Viewpoints from the top of Tree Spring Trail |
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| Lynda now a fully inducted Happy Hoofer on her fourth hike |
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| Unknown yellow flower...if anyone knows what this is called please let me know Jean just told me that this is called Alpine Stemless Bitterweed-----same genus as Perky Sue but different species. |
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| Alpine Stemless Bitterweed-----same genus as Perky Sue but different species. |
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| Pretty much a complete stem of a Crinoid |
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| Alpine Stemless Bitterweed |
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| The blooms are almost larger than the plant |
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| Heading down the South Crest Trail on our search for fossils |
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| Red Elderberry |
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| An abundance of Canada Violets |
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| Baneberry |
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| Green Genetian, A.K.A. Deer's Ears or Monument Plant this can grow up to 7 feet high |
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| The Fossil Garden about a mile south of Tree Spring Trail on South Crest Trail |
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| Brachiopods -- but don't take my word on it as I am truly an amateur on fossils |
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| Looks like a leaf to me |
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| One of those crinoids on end |
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| I won't be identifying the rest of these, however they were very awesome and plentiful at this site |
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| A selfie while we break for lunch: Jane, Julianne, and Betty photo-bombing my selfie and far off in the distance... |
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| The Irish sisters: Bridget and Meagen |
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| Mary M., Pat and Rita |
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| Lynda, Jean, and behind the tree, Mary B. Judy, and Brigitte (trust me they're there) |
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| Another view of the illusive hikers Brigitte disappears from the camera as usual |
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| More fossils |
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| Three dimensional fossils...so cool |
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| Fossils of the impression the water made that once covered this land |
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| Fossils freed from their rocky home eons later |
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| One side of a Crinoid and next.... |
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| the other side...what cool detail |
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| Small leaf Pussy Toes |
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| Which are very small...missed them on our way out, but found them on our way back down the trail |
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| Looking back at Lovely Rita |
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| Julianne enjoying the view! |
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| One of my better over the shoulder shots |
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| At first I thought this was a cairn |
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| But looking more closely I realized it was just one rock! |
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| Possibly Yarrow in its infancy stage |
Such an awesome and exciting hike to find so many fossils...and thankfully it was a cloudy day so the pictures of them came out great!
I would like to thank Jean and Pearl's new wildflowers book for the help I needed to identify the flowers seen on this hike. Usually when I have hiked Tree Spring I have not see so many different flowers, what a pleasant surprise.
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