Wildflower Amazement at Tom McCall Preserve

I took off toward Mosier on a Sunday morning following my work shift. It was the first beautiful sunny day in awhile and I needed to climb something so I decided on Mosier Plateau at Tom McCall Preserve.

It was packed as usual on a weekend but the wildflower show rivals any I have seen before.

This little climb is steep but you get to enjoy wildflowers most of the way up.

I took a break to catch my breath as the tip of Mt. Hood came into view.

The paintbrush is one of my favorite flowers that I usually associate with high meadows in Olympic National Park.

Here they were, bright red and huge!

I was happy to be on top of the world!

I spent a little time with the crowd on top gazing at mountains. Mt. Hood was in the distance.

The hills are alive!!!

My soul finds rest and joy in these beautiful flowers and the view of the mountain beyond the Columbia River.

I continued my mountain gazing for awhile.

On the way back down I could focus more on flowers and less on climbing.

The diversity and heartiness of this meadow makes me smile.

Despite all the human visitors, this place remains pretty well preserved.

All the vivid colors were fantastic!

Grateful for what the flowers teach me about resilience coming back in greater number year after year.

Looking across the river to the mountain view.

Back down at the bottom with a sea of yellow.

See you next spring Tom McCall Preserve!

Tom McCall Point

 This hike is quite a climb for even adults, and especially four year olds, but one of my favorite places in the gorge.







You start East of Hood River winding up the hill from Mosier to Tom McCall Preserve.  The views of the gorge are awesome just from the parking lot.







There is an easier hike down below to enjoy wildflowers and a point on the gorge, but of course I like more of a challenge with my wildflowers :-).







We started up the steep trail toward Tom McCall Point.  It was the first bright, sunny warm day in awhile and we figured we would call snowshoeing a season in search for some wildflowers and beautiful views.






We saw Mt. Adams peaking out at us and continued climbing through paintbrushes and avalanche lilies.  Last summer when I was here we saw a rattlesnake, but today it was just a few lizards.







We continued the steep climb with our four year old bundle of energy who took lots of water and deep breath breaks.







It was a beautiful day to enjoy wildflowers and we continued climbing up and up until we started to have the beautiful views!







We saw the gorge in the distance and Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams looming above us.





Everyone who passed us commented on what an excellent hiker Amy is!  She just kept on climbing.







At the top we enjoyed some sunbathing and a wonderful cooked lunch which a dog attempted to steal some of.  We took our time enjoying the view and each others company before setting out back down the hill.