Good timing. Flowers were peaking. Rosy Plectritis and Oregon Iris won the show of color today on the slopes, cow parsnip along the road. May still be good for a week or two. One new flower: Bronze Bell or Mountainbell (Stenanthium occidentale) - not many. One new lichen: matchstick (Pilophorus acicularis), Idaho Blue-eyed grass, Lewisia columbiana (with deeper color). Many were refreshed: Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum), ate the seeds of Sweet Cicely.
We were moving at the tortoise' speed, and made several long snack/lunch breaks. One stop is at this ledge that offers great view. Here, on the way back, 2 rows of red roses lined up in preparation of a marriage proposal. 
From here on, flowers were everywhere, and trail became loose rocks on trail. This is the only trail I know that has metal net on the trail to help with the traction. 2 wooden stairs were installed. You need to drop down to the saddle before final push.
On a clear day, you ought to be able to see 5 snowy peaks. Not today. But the 360° view is still very nice, especially that I can see Columbia River and its entrance to the ocean.After another long break at the picnic table on the top, we slowly descent back to the car ~7pm. I actually slipped twice, within a minute of each other. Quite a few people camped at the campground by the trailhead. The bathroom ran out of water and toilet paper.
