It's a 2 hour drive from Seattle.
The parking lot is at a BLM campground "Umtanum Creek Recreation Site". Saw a couple of tents, already at 10am.
Cloudy, which is preferred here, as there's no shade whatsoever.
A nice hanging bridge over Yakima River. Steel cable, wood plank, with a framed steel bar wrought "NO VEHICLES" at the entrance of the bridge.
We took the Vista Trail to Umtanum Ridge.
Cross the train track first.
The beginning of the trail has many Fernleave Lomatium in seeds, where some of the stems had a rusty swelling.
Not sure if it's just normal withering, or some disease.
Phlox, lupine, larkspur, phacelia, buck bush, a lot of musk mustard (weed), and a few balsamroot.
At the cross of the creek, we looked around for the lizard. Instead of the lizard, I saw a rattlesnake, and saw its tail rattle. I was startled: forgot to take a photo. Saw a couple hiking out, and I asked the lady about Horned Toad. She said look for them at the rock piles where I'd see violets.
The higher we went, the more flowers.
At about 2400', I finally saw a few blue violet. We walked about looking for the lizard, imagining something resembles iguana.
One guy passed me, and I asked if he saw a Horned Toad.
He told me that they are around, but very small, difficult to spot due to its camouflage.
5 minutes later, he called out to me "I found your toad".
I ran over, and saw what he pointed it. It's so small, maybe 1.5" long, same color as the rocks.
He told me that the only reason he saw the lizard, is that it jumped.
It's somewhat flat, rocky, less grass, drier, only low lyig flowrs.
Good view of the Teanaway mountains and wind turbines.
Continued on to the ridge. ~3400'. A bit windy up here. Millions of
Hooker's Balsamroot nodding their yellow heads around us.
A short trail continues forward (west), can see Rainier, and Adams.
The guy who found the last Horned Toad came back towards us, and say he saw another one.
We ate lunch here, and took time look for the lizard.
My partner found it. I didn't.
Saw quite a few hedgehog cactus in bloom.
There's a wide trail (or maybe it is a road) going along the ridge. Saw a skinny snake.
We continued south, towards Umtanum Point 3478. More basalmroot, more cactus, some bitterroot.
Adams soon disappeared into the clouds. Still could see Rainier.
Going down the same way. Saw a group of all black hikers stretched far apart from each other. At the creek crossing, I paid more attention. Sure there it was, the rattlesnake, most likely the same one. I did take a photo, but I was farther from it, and the photo sucks.
Driving back to Seattle, rain and sunshine mixed along the way.
