Flowers From Tillamook

Flowers From Tillamook

I went on a nice rainy hike up the Elk Creek trail this morning. This is one of my favorite exercise hikes. It is medium steep, mainly rock (so not that muddy or slippery) and can reward with some nice views if you make it the 5 miles to the very top. But today I was just working up a sweat on the very green and drizzly slope. I was using a hiking umbrella, not my usual gear. It worked out pretty well, it keeps you dry, at least in moderate rain, without getting you so overheated that you are drenched in sweat. But then my legs were soaking wet, not from the rain but from the water on the Thimble Berry leaves that were crawling over the trail in gay perfusion. (At last, I have completed my life goal of using the term “gay perfusion” in an international publication)

View Elk Creek Workout in a larger map

There were a lot of little spring wild flowers out and I thought I would share them with you instead of telling you local history. One of the nice things about flowers is you can learn their names and stop to admire them while hiking. This gives your fellow hikers the impression that you are a learned amateur botanist, or perhaps just someone that knows everything, when in truth you are using the flower admiring and picture taking to catch your breath whilst slugging up that damn hill.

Enjoy: (oh, and I am guessing at some of these names)

Columbine

These looked more orange in person

Elk Creek

Huckleberry on Stump

False Lily of the Valley (?)

 

Thimble Berry

Salmon Berry

Common Monkeyflower

Indian Paint Brush

Maidenhair Fern

 

Strawberry

Couldn't find this one in my book. Please leave a comment if you know.

Alder

My little waterfall. That log is new this season. Usually has drinking water until August.

The trail gets crowded by Alder

a protected lunch nook

Sword Fern

False Solomon's Seal (why is everything false?)

Brush and Sword

The Rocky Hills over Elk Creek.

Cute Tiny Fern (CTF)

Buttercup

Wild Rose