[jaysway]

Most of my time in the mountains this year has been resort riding, but I finally get out for my first overnight, albeit in a cozy lookout instead of a tent. I snagged a cancellation for the Steliko Lookout last week, and convinced a buddy to join me for a short trip into the desert. The road to the lookout was closed, but it's a short hike up from the parking area to the lookout. The USFS was doing some repair work on the road when we hiked up, but I would guess that the road will open soon. The great thing about the road being closed is that we didn't see any other people. There is no snow on the road, and only small patches of snow near the lookout that will melt soon. This trip report is from almost exactly a year ago, and there is a lot more snow on the surrounding mountains this year than there was at this time last year. Some balsamroot was starting at lower elevations on south facing slopes, but there were few flowers higher up. The eastern side of the state has been unusually cold lately, so I suspect the desert flowers will take longer this year to bloom than normal. Day One

Day Two

[KascadeFlat]

I love Steliko! We were there with my daughter almost a year ago to the day. It's a beautiful place.