Visit the Super Secret Meadow!

Igor, my wonderful stepfather, took me to the Super Secret Meadow.  I can’t tell you exactly where it is because then I’d have to kill you — it’s Super Secret!  I will tell you that it is where I saw the Red-breasted Sapsucker and heard the Sooty Grouse. The intrepid hikers for this adventure were me (behind the camera, as always), Gage (super hiker but tends to whine when near his mother), and the aforementioned, Igor (that’s really his name and no, his hump doesn’t move–although he will answer to Eye-gor!).

The trail to the Super Secret Meadow (SSM) is steep, very steep.  For me, a short, difficult hike with a reward at the end, is way, way better than a long, easy hike from point A to point B.  No thank you.  Work, destination with reward, and home.  Thank you much!  And the SSM is definitely a reward!

Isn’t it lovely?  We passed lots of loveliness on the way up, too.  At the SSM, we also saw signs of mammalian life.  Bear poop, coyote poop, and a big ol’ deer wallow with deer hair in it.  Gage, who came on the hike too, encouraged Igor to examine the coyote poop and see what he’d been eating.  Of course he did.  They found some sort of bone — Igor thought it might be a scapula off some creature.  I post these pictures because I know how Susan loves all things poop-related.  (My husband really can’t believe that I took a picture of bear poop!  You’d think he understood me better than that!)

Deer hair in wallow; Coyote poop

Coyote poop being examined; Bear poop

Okay, enough with the fauna.  On with the flora . . .

Wild Iris.  Don’t know exactly which one.

Crimson columbine (Aquilegia formosa)

California Blue-Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium idahoense)

Bigelow’s Sneezeweed (Helenium bigelovii)

Shooting Star (Dodecatheon jeffreyi)

Leopard Lily (Lilium pardalinum)

Aster of some sort.  Love it’s intrepid “I’ll grow out of a sheer face of granite if I want to” nature.

Sierra Stonecrop (Sedum obtusatum)

Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)

So, did you enjoy your visit to the Super Secret Meadow?  I know I did.  It was worth the steep hike.  It was worth the bloodthirsty mosquitos (who, no exaggeration, were an inch long and left welts all over my body!).  It was worth the fall I took when I was literally 5 steps from the flats again (just bruises and scrapes, no worries!).  It was worth my son whining at me that the flowers were boring!  🙂

But, the best part is that I still have a secret.  I’m not sharing the best part of the Super Secret Meadow with you.

Yet.

It’s a surprise that will have to wait a bit.  Stay tuned.  It’s worth it.  Promise!

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