Our day started on a promising note as we drove towards the mountains with not a cloud in the sky. Nor were we disappointed with our findings along the trail up to the ridge. With all the recent rain, the undergrowth is quite lush and the flowers were profuse. Particularly the Western Wood Lilies were there in the hundreds and we also saw several sizable clusters of Spotted Coral-Root Orchids near the trail as well as uncountable varieties of other flowers. We were about to give up on finding the Yellow Lady Slippers, but finally saw some along the ridge, just about the point where we used to have to cross over an old fence line.

Although there were quite a few people on the trail, probably a lot of them continued on to the mountain peak. We had to share a favorite lunch spot with only one other couple, looking out to Loggers Valley, back of the ridge. Afterward we went up closer to the cliff bands for look around, then started down. Close to the bottom we veered off towards the cliff bands near the quarry in an effort to find some Striped Coral-Root Orchids which I had seen a few years ago in large numbers in the lower woods, but no luck this time. We passed a few small groups of climbers practicing their rope work at the cliff bands, then we had to do a bit of bushwhacking to get around the fence line at the quarry and finally access the road back to the parking lot. Thanks to Janet Guglich and Alastair for joining me on a beautiful day in the mountains.