Ancient Lakes — Saturday, Apr. 20, 2024

Got up very early to make it to the lower trailhead by 8 am. Plenty cold in the shade but the sun was welcome and soon overhead. We found a campsite overlooking the lakes pretty easily, watched for a bit as many other folks made there way into the basin. Decided to hike down to the Ancient lake falls, then around to the south side. There were plenty of birds to spot; Canada geese, mallards, red-winged blackbirds, white-crowned sparrows (everywhere), swallows, a red-tailed hawk, crows, ravens, and even a couple bald eagles. Made it up to the bluff with plenty of stops to admire wildflowers, and spotted a couple marmots along the way. We checked out both viewpoints before descending back down, so glad to have poles for that descent! We napped in a shady spot by a big rock, then continued down the Potholes coulee to the Columbia river. So many lovely wildflowers along the way! After a long rest and foot soak in the river, we hiked back up to our campsite, about 10 miles all told. After another rest, we enjoyed dinner and views. There were many more tents in the basin, but I don't think all the campsites were full. We saw many fires, even though signs at the entrance clearly state no campfires were allowed. The wind kicked up after sunset and blew pretty good most of the night. They only calmed down just before sunrise. We slept in, enjoyed breakfast and then hiked out. Stopped in Quincy before the long slog home.