Great time of year for this hike! Cool temps. (I expect it's HOT in the summer.) Didn't notice big flowering on the hike up, but, down the hill there is a nearby TH and parking lot from which you could hike down to see plenty of balsam root still in bloom. Views on the way up are terrific (though, already at the TH you get the essence of the great Dalles/Hood view.). On top you also get snowy St. Helens, Adams, Rainier and a bit more. Adams is even a bit bigger to the eye than Hood. You see some more of the Columbia; the big windmill farms east above the Gorge; lovely rural views north and east; long vistas. Lovely. My hike was 2:20, including the loitering on top to enjoy. Could have enjoyed more rambling up in the air on the ridge had time permitted.
(later addendum) INVASION OF THE GROUND SQUIRRELS!
At the parking area for the hike, the ground squirrels are very aggressive around the cars. A ranger told us some people had returned to the car to find it wouldn't start, as the ground squirrels had gotten under the hood and chewed on wires. He recommended leaving the car hood up for the hike, to make under-the-hood less welcoming as a secure space. While I hiked up, my waiting wife spent a fair amount of time trying to chase the ground squirrels away from other parked cars. She also left the area to sit on a rock for a while, and days later discovered she had ticks ... (from this trip? from ground squirrels who spend time under the rocks?)
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