Weldon Wagon Road — Sunday, May. 22, 2011

Directions to the TH are accurate in Craig Romano's Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge. The road was built to transport apples from Husum in the White Salmon River valley to the Upper Sandborn Road. The hike is 5.4 miles round trip with 1290 ft elevation gain. After climbing through forest for about.7 miles the trail opens up to traverse slopes which today were covered with balsamroot, yellow desert parsley, and several wild cucumber plants. Below and above are beautiul white oak trees. Our timing for prime bloom couldn't have been better! Words and even pictures can't show the awesome beauty of the flowers and white oaks! You had to be there! The display of old farm equipment at the eastern TH was interesting. There is a large sign at 1.8 miles where you enter the DNR White Salmon Oak Natural Resources Conservation Area. We saw our first Great Hound's Tongue in the forest at the beginning and again at the top. A few calypso orchids, deep pink pea flowers, striped coral root, 2 dogwood trees, and blue violets were also seen.