I realized I had been making a lot of excuses for why we hadn’t been going hiking consistently lately. Most of them related to the complications of a toddler’s nap schedule and a preschooler’s school schedule. Also the weather - it was too windy, or too cold, or maybe it would be too muddy. But I kept thinking about the trails and wondered what the conditions were and what we might find blooming, so I finally decided to do something about it.
It was the curiosity of what might be out there that got us on the trail today.
This wasn’t our first visit to the Dutch Hollow trails system of the Wasatch Mountain State Park, but we did make a new-to-us loop. From the Dutch Hollow parking area, we headed east on the Cottontail trail. At the junction on the ridge we took in the view down into the Heber Valley and found a shady-ish spot for a snack. While the kids snacked, I did a quick photo inventory of the flowering plants around us and then it was time to hike again. From the junction we went northwest on the Sage Loop trail until it met up with the Cottontail trail again and we followed that trail to make a loop back to the parking lot. In all it was just over a mile and a half, not much elevation gain (even for a 4.5 year old), and it was a wonderful way to spend a Thursday morning.
Even better was that my questions about the trail situation were answered:
Trail status? Dry, dry, dry (I don’t know why I assumed it would be otherwise? It’s not like we’ve had much in the way of precipitation lately).
Tree status? The oaks have not leafed out yet so there was even less shade than the last time we hiked here.
Wildflower status? More plants are blooming than I thought there would be, though it’s definitely still in the early stages.
Here’s what we found blooming today:
Note: many species I knew right off, some I’ve taken my best guess, one I don’t know at all and then there’s one I know I know but I just can’t remember and it’s driving me crazy. If you think I’ve identified something incorrectly, or you know one of the unnamed ones, please let me know in the comments! I really would like to know.
My curiosity got me out on a hike today. What has your curiosity motivated you to do this week?