[Pikawhisperer]

We decided to head east today, good thing because it was pouring rain when we left. Hwy 2 had a bit of road construction just before you get to Leavenworth. Travel was smooth sailing after that. About .25 mile after Tumwater picnic area we reached the TH to the Botanical area. I was amazed at how many species of butterflies and birds we saw. The flowers were everywhere......

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"Break time"

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We saw some Tweedy's Lewisia up high but my little point and shoot just couldn't capture them from so far. Hopefully Hiker Mamas lens did better Then off we go to the pipeline trail....

Pipeline bridge

Wenatchee river looking so furious

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Tumwater canyon pipeline trail.

Gabriel and Annika

Camoflaged Moth

Honeysuckle

Great day with Hiker Mama and her kids, a couple of botanists in the making

[Scrooge]

Wenatchee river looking so furious

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Camoflaged Moth

Nice work, Ms pika. Just in case Hiker Mama's lens doesn't make it, here's a souvenir.

Tweedy's Lewisia.macro

From somewhere .... in the vicinity.

[Pikawhisperer]

[Get Out and Go]

I've thought about heading back up the gated road this year (where I think you went). Locals call it Mica Creek Rd. (19 yrs. here...don't know if I'm a local yet? ) Anyway, lots of burnt area, but abundant flowers, deer and geological features, including "the chasm" between Tumwater Mt. and the northern end of the ridge with some other sandstone spires. Nice find. ...and Pipeline Trail....always good, especially on hot summer days soon to come.

[Hiker Mama]

Well, I'm finally sitting down after a crazy busy weekend. Thanks for starting this TR, Pikawhisperer. Most of my photos look just like yours! I'll pick the ones that look slightly different. I have to thank Alan Bauer for his Facebook inspiration to hit this trail. I really needed to get out of the June gloom. His flower photos and the accessibility of the trails were what decided this week's trip. He recommended the Tumwater Pipleline Trail, too, since the Botanical Area isn't the best hike for young children. We enjoyed it, though. We found the Tumwater Botanical Area even though it wasn't marked. There isn't even a road marker to tell you the road number. It's about 1/4 to 1/3 mile just east of the Swift Water Picnic Area on Hwy 2. When you miss the gravel road turnoff on the left, there will be a place on your right you can pull off the highway and turn around. There is plenty of parking before the locked gate.

Trailhead, Tumwater Botanical Area

Flowers and birds start immediately. There are supposed to be several rare and even a few endangered flowers in this area. We didn't bring our packs (I just carried Annika's pack with water and binoculars and a bird book) for this part of our day. My goal was to see Tweedy's Lewisii in person. We knew it wasn't too far up the road. But it was getting warm, and in the sunshine the road walk wasn't very fun. Thankfully there were flowers everywhere. Bird were singing all in the trees and bushes. I wish I knew more bird songs so I could identify them. Butterflies flitted all around.

Budding Photographer

Delphinium

Butterfly on Gabe's Hand

Wenatchee River, Tumwater Canyon

We walked up the road and around a few turns, and there on the cliff were two plants of the Tweedy's Lewisii.

Tweedy's Lewisii

They were up high enough that I couldn't get a very good shot. The kids were hot and whining, and Annika's new boots were bothering her foot. So I didn't press them farther. Technically I reached my goal, but someday I will hike a trail and see lots of them and get some better photos. That's OK, there were plenty of interesting flowers to enjoy otherwise. After going back down to the car, we drove the short distance back to the Swiftwater Picnic Area for lunch and to use the bathroom. They have nice picnic tables (I missed seeing those last time I was there, in the dark). That would be a nice destination in itself, right by the river. It was so nice and warm and pleasant, such a difference from the rain we drove through on the west side of Stevens Pass.

Penstemon

I checked Annika's foot, and sure enough, she had a blister on her heel. A bit of Molefoam and some Duck Tape, and she was good to go. After we ate lunch we continued east along Hwy 2 for about 5 more miles to the Tumwater Pipeline Trail. It felt so hot there, and Gabriel didn't want to hike.

It's Hot.

Pikawhisperer's thermometer said only 66 degrees. We figured it must have been the humidity that made it so unpleasant. Or else we are just all wimps.

Wenatchee River, Tumwater Canyon

It was quite a sensation crossing the pipeline bridge over the fabulous river - kind of scary to look at it tumbling ferociously through the canyon. Thankfully it was cooler on the other side, and we managed to hike along the gentle trail for a bit over 1/2 mile before coming to a creek that had a couple logs thrown across to cross it. Neither of the kids felt comfortable crossing, so we decided to stop there for a bit, have a snack and let them play.

The nice photo for mom

Goofballs

Gabe perked up there, and they had fun crawling around on the rocks and logs. Then he got up the nerve to try crossing the creek, and Jessie volunteered to go across with him. He did just fine, and Jessie confirmed it was actually pretty stable, so Annika got brave, too, and went across with help.

Jessie helps Annika over Bridge

I'm so proud of my kids, facing their fears and taking healthy risks. They went across several times with Jessie and enjoyed poking around on the other side of the creek. I bet later in the year this creek will be a piece of cake to cross. The trail is otherwise gentle, and has lots of greenery and flowers to enjoy.

Dogwood Flowers

Annika crossing creek

Bug on Flower

There seemed to be a couple of places to get down to the river, but it looked like the best was back at the base of the bridge, so we went back there to check it out.

Jessie and Annika along Wenatchee River

Gabriel watching soaring raptors

We hung out there for a bit until we started feeling raindrops from some clouds blowing over the pass. Time to pack up and hit the road. We went to Leavenworth to get some coffee before the long drive back.

Leavenworth Maypole

They had an art show going on, but otherwise it was pretty quiet for once. It was so nice in the sunshine, it was hard to come back to the grey, but we did. Pikawhisperer is so fabulous to come hiking with us. I don't know how I got so lucky to find another mom who wants to hang out with kids that aren't her own and poke around at our pace. The kids both like her a lot, and Annika spent a lot of the hike holding her hand. We did some scheming and dreaming about future trips to take together. Thanks, Jessie, for being so super! Stats: Miles hiked: maybe a bit over 2 miles between the 2 trails Hours we drove: 5 or 6? Bandaids dispensed: 3 plus one before we left the house, plus mole foam and tape Potty Stops: too many to count Weight of the daypack: 15 pounds without food and water (Pikawhisperer, I weighed it before I put it away, since we were talking about that during the day. I thought for sure it weighed more!) Flowers: Tons! Butterflies: 6 or 7 different species Things we forgot: Driver's License I'll put up more photos on my blog in the next day or two. Edited 6/6/12: I got my blog post up with more pictures. http://wp.me/p2oxMr-dS