Linda, Jodi and I hiked Silver Star Mountain on Saturday. The trail begins in a gradual uphill with tenacious vegetation crowding the narrow path. Oregon iris was tucked neatly into the foliage along with many other colorful wildflowers--indian paintbrush, lupine, inside out flower, and more.

I missed the junction to go left and instead we stayed on the old logging road. The fog obscured the views and my sense of direction was amiss. I checked the map a few times and Linda helped me confirm my mishap. No worries though, this merely meant we were doing an out and back instead of a loop. The summit of Silver Star Mountain was completely exposed to the thick cloud we were stuck in. The chilly breeze would have made lunch unpleasant. We tucked along a lower hillside and enjoyed our lunch there. 

We began hiking out and noted that the thick cloud had broken up just a bit. The fog added something special to the many intriguing things on the trail.

Six hikers joined me for my Sierra Club outing to Tunnel Falls. The path to the falls is long, six miles in, six miles out. Wildflowers were everywhere along the path. Several tiger lilies were at the edge of the trail beckoning our cameras to take home an intriguing photo. My participants were all new to the trail except one. Each one had an enthusiasm that comes with a new discovery. Here's my tiger lily photo.

We were captivated by Tunnel Falls. It roars with spring runoff. We hung out for awhile and lots of pictures were taken. 

So, then we have six miles to get out. On the way out we made a stop at Punchbowl Falls and dipped our weary feet in the chilly creek. Tepid air made for perfect hiking weather. Here's a shot of one of the guys in our group getting a shot of Punchbowl Falls from down the creek. This is one of the most photographed waterfalls in Oregon.