Rich and I drove the newly opened Merlin to Galice road over the bridge to the Grave Creek parking lot and trailhead and met up with Eva and Ron. It was great to see lots of river rafters preparing to float the river on a cloudy and cool but very nice day.

We didn’t get very far at all before things got interesting. Many of the early spring flowers we’re used to seeing in April were gone, but a whole new palette of wildflowers greeted us. Rich, bless his heart, busily covered the wildflower list sheet writing in new names in whatever space he could find.

At the trail’s beginning, Eva was excited to see the Red or Canyon larkspur (Delpihinium nudicale) which she had not seen before. Just for starters, we encountered Common comandra (Comandra umbellata), Common whipplea (Whipplea modesta), Hairy pinks (Petrorhagi dubia), Marshall’s saxifrage (Saxifrage marshallii), and Silverback luina (Lunia hypoleuca), Cutleaf silverpuffs — on both its yellow dandelion-like flowers and its silver puff seedheads– (Microseris lacinata.

I wasn’t expecting buckwheat yet – silly me. Just down the trail, big, fluffy Arrowleaf buckwheat (Eriogonum compositum) and completely opposite looking Naked or Barestem buckwheat (Eriogonum nudicale) were blooming their heads off. So were the Del Norte iris, Oregon stonecrop (Sedum oregana) and Pacific or broadleaf sedum (Sedum spathulifolium).

Just before the Raine Falls trail, we headed down to the river for a nice chocolate break before heading back. An excellent outing!

Next up, May 17 an annual favorite — Illinois Valley and its serpentine wonderland.

Hike Leader: Liz

Photos By: Eva, Liz