I headed out to the Chelan Gorge for a quick off-leash hike with my puppy Summit, curious to see how the arrowleaf balsamroot was coming along after noticing it starting to bloom near home. The beginning of the hike along Reach 1 was quiet on the wildflower front, which I suppose isn’t unusual for that stretch, but as we continued toward the Chelan River, more balsamroot began to appear. By the time we reached the Eagle Trail, there was a solid showing of wildflowers—still a bit early for peak bloom, but it looked like it was only a couple of weeks away. I was pleasantly surprised to spot a few lupine already in bloom, something I hadn’t seen yet elsewhere and usually associate with the tail end of balsamroot season. Summit was off-leash and sticking close as usual, though I had to leash him up briefly when a couple of joggers passed, since he still gets a little too excited greeting people. As we moved past the aspen grove, just starting to leaf out, more flowers appeared, including phlox and milkvetch, along with a few I couldn’t identify—reminding me (again) to take better photos for later.
At the first junction with the Cutthroat Loop, we headed clockwise, eventually reaching a stretch alongside the river where I found a spot for Summit to get a drink. The bank turned out to be steeper than expected, and he slipped into the water while trying to reach it, scrambling a bit before I helped him back up. We moved to a safer access point, and he managed just fine the second time. After completing the loop, we retraced our steps along the Eagle Trail, pausing to take in more views of the wildflowers and the Chelan River. The river seemed lower than usual for spring, likely due to the poor winter snowpack and reduced water releases while the lake refills. Even with the overcast skies, it was a great outing and a promising start to the wildflower season.
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