If I remember correctly, this was our first camping trip after we moved to Seattle and the first time to put our tent to use. (Best Christmas present ever! Thank you, Todd!)
It was a very pretty drive along the Yakima river. The trail up Hardy Canyon started of flat and open, and about 1 mile in we started to hike in the green valley next to a stream. The trail got very rocky then. Lots of birdies along the way though.
It took a while for us to find a good camping spot with all the wind over the ridge and few trees. When we did decide on a spot, it hailed on us for 10mins straight, which was super fun! We were lucky to have already set up the tent though. The weather was fine after that.
The next morning, a pretty little deer peeked over the ridge to check us out. When I saw it, it quickly bounced down the hill to hide. We hiked a bit higher to get a good view and saw Rainer, Adam and Baker (or was it Hood) from the top.
The hike down was pretty painful with my old hiking shoes, soft sole and no ankle protection. We had to stop a couple of times to give our feet some breaks.
Animal Report:
Deer – This curious little guy was only 40-50 feet away.
Elk – We saw them over at the next ridge and heard one whistle right near us when we went to bed.
Bird Report:
Western bluebird – My first time seeing blue birds. They look like they flew out of fairy tales. So pretty!
Red-tail hawk – It was so close! It was on a tree about 30 feet from us making that awesome squeaky sound.
Rock Report:
Common Opal – Took me months to figure out what it is.
Flower Report:
Bitter Root – Such a hardy name, but they look like pretty water lilies growing out of rocks.
Lupines – Lots of blue and purple Lupines.