Six hikers had excellent hiking conditions at Lost Creek Lake; high thin clouds, cool air and calm. The trail, for the most part, is just above the shoreline among the lichen coated oak and conifers. There were multiple streams of various sizes running into the lake; all had culverts or bridges or some other provision to keep our boots out of the water.
Trail work had recently been done to cut out a section of tree that had fallen across the trail and “knicks” at the lake side edges of the trail for drainage. Not much to report in the wildflower department; snow queens, a shooting star here and there and Oso or service berry were blooming. There was lots of wildflower foliage but without Liz we couldn’t be sure of ID. One we did recognize was fawn lily. Scott called it trout lily, which seems a more fitting name for the leaf shape and pattern of the one I photographed. Once home I googled those names and learned that they are both “common” names for the same genus, Erythronium. Typically fawn lily refers to the western white flowered E.Oregonum . And trout lily refers to the eastern, yellow flowered version, E. americanum. Always something to learn on these hikes!
Leslie
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