We hiked from the Wahkiacus Trailhead downstream towards the missing Suburbia Trestle and back.
We had the trail to ourselves, maybe because, like many spring days in the Columbia River Gorge, the chill wind was blowing strongly through the Klickitat Canyon. Gusts were 30 mph or more, depending on where we were on the trail.
We birded and botanized as we hiked. Despite the wind, we identified 16 species of birds.
Diversions along the way made us run out of time shortly before we reached the missing Suburbia Trestle so we turned around.
According to the Klickitat Trail Conservancy, work on replacing the missing bridge could begin next year. Washington State Parks has the funding but still is working its way through design and permitting. Washington State Parks also is collaborating with Washington Department of Transportation to reconstruct the missing trail segment from Suburbia to Klickitat.
Last fall, Washington State Parks brushed and cleared this trail segment and widened it to allow 4WD pickups to access it. That has made the trail more attractive for hiking since we don't need to pick our way through branches extending across the trail.
The plant highlight of the day for me was seeing Violet Mock Brookfoam (Suksdorfia violacea) on a cliff beside the trail. It is not considered rare but I have not seen this species in years due to its very particular habitat requirements for vernally moist mossy banks and rock crevices.
We stopped at the Klickitat Mineral Springs to watch the one uncapped spring surging with carbonated water. Last time we hiked here, the spring was not flowing. These natural springs seep from basalt crevices, believed to originate from Mount Adams. The pools and seeps from the springs host an orange-colored algae that thrives in the mineral water.
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