Catherine Creek

Temp was up in the low 50s today, so we all went out for a walk a few miles east of White Salmon at a place called Catherine Creek. The creek was tumbling down a series of waterfalls out of the hills toward the Columbia, thought I didn't get a picture of it. Next time.

Here's the group. Photo is looking east up the Columbia. You might be able to see Lyle, WA in the background. The Dalles, OR is farther east out of sight. Between Rob and Erin you can see Memaloose Island, which was a burial site for indigenous peoples in the area. It was considerably larger before the river was dammed. Anna did walk a good bit of the way. 

Here's an interesting cleft in the basalt (volcanic flow). It's just a few feet wide and I'd guess 12 feet or so deep, sheer sides as the rock just split open and shifted. The pine tree found purchase in the shaded bottom, which probably holds moisture. 

Even this early, a few flowers were to be found. There are many spring wildflower hikes in the area, and this is a very accessible one. My phone app thinks this is a crocus, but I'm pretty sure it's Olsynium douglasiii , as one of the trail signs had an illustration of it and said it began to appear in February.