Virginia Lilly — Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004

Eastern Washington > Okanogan Highlands/Kettle River Range

The trail to the lookout and back was about four miles, though we are guessing due to the total absence of any information at the trailhead. The best thing about the trail was that we saw noone on it. There were however plenty of cattle to make up for it. And make up for it they did. The cattle trails have completely obscured the pretty much already unmarked Virginia Lilly trail--do keep an eye out for the two trees with arrows carved in them. Be extremely alert when you are hiking so that you can backtrack properly and not go off trail. The occassional views and wildlife were okay. The dragonflies and damselflies were fantastic--look for these around the two ponds you will encounter. The other wildlife we saw included gray jays, a ribbon snake, and mountain chickadees. If you feel inclined to give Virginia a try, be sure to have the 10 essentials along, and be ready to find your own way out. Next time we go back to the Okanogan Highlands we will definitely be taking another swim in nearby Bonaparte Lake.