Saddle Mountain     6/23/2017   (#34)

Saddle Mountain is in the coast range, so has slightly different suite of flowers than what we see in the Gorge or Cascades. We have hiked Saddle Mountain in different seasons, and today we expected a mid-wildflower season bloom.  I found 66 different flowers that I could name, a new maximum for this year.  The trail switchbacks through both forest and open meadow slopes and cliffs, 5 miles round trip and 1600 feet elevation.

Top of Saddle Mountain as seen from the trailhead.

Dan in the cliff meadows on the way up.

Distinctive knob along the trail with views toward the ocean.

Looking north toward Mt. Rainier from near the top.

Our friend having lunch on the lower summit ridge, with Mt. St Helens and Mt. Adams beyond.

View from the top to Astoria and the ocean

View to the north from the summit with three volcanos

Some of the wildflowers that stood out to me:

Nodding onion

Olympic onion

Monkey flower and rosy plectritis

Selfheal

Oregon sunshine

Oregon checker mallow and paintbrush

Saxifrage

Western feather bells

Blue eyed grass and chickweed

Buttercups

Tiger lily and bistort

Prairie smoke

Fleabane

Clasping twisted stalk

Lewisia columbiana var. rupicola

GPS track

Flower list

Quilting progress:

Sneak peak at my Jane Austen tribute quilt using Smithsonian reproduction fabrics, many years in the making, and now basted and ready for quilting.

Knitting progress:

Original 1280×1280

Compressed before import copy

Crazy eights dishcloth (pattern by Julie Tarsh, Ravelry), made from kitchen cotton.  The second photo is a compressed version of the picture in my quest for better blog photos.