Wonder Trail 2-6-26

Photos by Elisabeth Kay

Ashland Hiking Home

Yahoo! Wonder Trail bridge is built, and parking is wide open again. Sixteen of us took this rather steep 2.8-mile hike up to the white rocks open area customarily used for our lunch spot overlooking Mt. Ashland. A beautiful day in this unseasonably spring-like weather.  New hikers came and Socorro returned. 

We spotted a pair of flickers pounding on the lower trees, followed by juncos, ravens, scrub jays, golden-crowned kinglet, and probably a hairy woodpecker.  We were surprised to find the first violet-colored Snow Queens of the season with multiple blooms in the shaded, upper areas.  We also identified bittercress blooming and tiny toothwort (milk maids) emerging.  While delighted, this early February “spring” raised concerns about the potential for a very hot, dry, smokey summer. So, lots of hopes are shared for more rain and, if we’re really lucky, some snowfall.

After a long, enjoyable lunch and conversation break, we continued the short distance to the intersection with “Fell on Knee” trail, passing it to meet road 2060 for our return on the road back to our cars. The hike was almost 5 miles with an elevation gain of almost 1,000’.

Elisabeth and Kay