[wildernessed]

WOW ! I like these catchy titles anymore, hikes, backpacks, climbs aren't what they are, there trailers for what's to come, a type of bait the post hopes to catch you with. Oh, for simpler times. Anyhow this story is no epic, a short dayhike with my wife. I told her the wildflowers would be nice and a walk in the hills is better than a walk on a concrete path in the city. After our Sauer Mountain hike she knew she had to get out more. We started from the North end of The Sage Hills trail at the end of Maiden Lane and followed the trail some and meandered around the flower covered hills keeping toward the North section instead of following the trail through the flatter lower section to it's end at Surry St. The skies were blue initially, but the wind was a little cool. We covered maybe 2-3 miles and were back at the subie just as some rain drops started falling. This is a great are for hiking, biking, and trail running.

Open hills at the start of the N section of The Sage Hills trail

Nice arrangement

Section of The North sage Hills trail. A hiking, biking, running group of interconnecting trails on Wenatchees West foothills border

Open hills, slopes, and flowers. Always a treat

Lupine

Nice arrangement of rock, flowers, and trail.

NE shoulder of Horse Lake Mountain

Balsam Root and Lupine

Nettie enjoying the flowey dayhike. Beats pounding pavement to make the miles

?

Lemonweed

Pink Phlox

[l]

I think your unidentified fleur is lemonweed.

[marta]

Boy the flowers are taking off. I love the pictures of the balsamroot. Shacknasty is right. Here's the botanical name: Lithospermum ruderale.

[wildernessed]

Thanks, chime in if you see an unnamed flower I could use the help. I have a flip out guide but it's of limited use.

[Alan Bauer]

Great reports from that area. Is the access you used for the Sage Hills on the Chelan-Douglas Trust map? Looks like it but I can't make it out for sure. I'm going to be over there Friday and hiking up the Saddle Rock trail to enjoy the balsamroot and had thought about bopping over to hike the Sage Hills trails a bit too while there, so I was stunned to see it in a trip report here! Thanks! Alan

[wildernessed]

Yes it is Alan. You follow Maiden Lane off Wenatchee Ave. all the way to it's end, through a upscale subdivision and at the end of the road there is some construction but you still drive the dirt to it's end which is the N terminus of The Wenatchee Foothills / Sage Hills trail. Saddlerock ought to be nice about now.

wenatcheefoothilltrails

[Flora]

I like the common name of "Puccoon" for the Lithospermum. Thanks for the lovely flower photos. Flora

[wildernessed]

Sage Hills from last year starting at S end on the Lester Trail... and Wenatchee Foothills trail webpage

[Alan Bauer]

Thanks again for the information---after a morning scouting around orchard photography options, a stop at the Chelan-Douglas trusts office on Palouse Street, I'll have a great rest of the day hiking through the balsamroot Let me know when you do that Entiat River Valley recon trip since I'll be going to Duncan Hill and 2-3 other areas up there this summer/fall! Cheers, Alan