Sept 2 - Lambs Canyon

 Cloudy day after some overnight showers. Showers are supposed to stop around 9am but at 8am I start my way to Lambs Canyon for my 2nd hike of the year.

I arrive around 8:30 to an empty parking (and a newly paved road - very nice).

Still cloudy as I gear up and start up the trail.

Immediately after crossing the bridge, I find a ripe Thimbleberry which I pick and enjoy!!

As I move up the trail I've find some red berries of Twisted Stalk

and other plants.

I'm also finding white and purple asters, goldenrod, horsemint, Phlox (which is just blooming) some yellow composites and a few Geraniums, Paintbrush, Lupine, Yarrow etc. But for the most part, the flowering is done for the year. Even the Fireweed are at the top of their bloom.

As I climb, I'm looking for moose/deer but I'm finding a few chipmunks and squirrels and grasshoppers.

At one point, I hear a sound like a bat cracking. I hear this several times in the same area. I'm looking for moose because every time I've heard this sound, there's a bull moose nearby but I'm not seeing anything.

I get to the meadow and think about stopping because I'm struggling a bit today. I think I'm just in my head today but I push forward up thru the meadow and across to the other side of the canyon.

Soon I am at the final long switchback (yea!) and moving forward. As I move along the view seem so much more open to the east snow since the forest service has been cleaning trees for the past year. 

I'm near the end of the trail and for my reward, another Thimbleberry!!!

I reach the end to a better view than I was anticipating.

Time to head down.

One down the last switchback, I run into my 1st people of the day.

Soon I'm back moving thru the meadow.

Somewhere before hitting a series of switchbacks, I look to my right in the meadow between the 2 sides of the valley and holy cow! there's a big bull moose!! He's looking at me for a quick second and then returns to eating the lush vegetation.

What a surprise!!!

I watch him and show 2 people moving up the trail. Silly me, I hit the switchbacks and I have an even better view of that moose -- they had see it already. If they missed it, they had their heads down. Once down the switchbacks, I was looking straight at him maybe 30 yards off. Awesome!



Moving down, I tell another couple about him. Hoping they see him.

Back at my car, good hike, awesome day!

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