LT Murray

 

Tiring of the rain,I headed east for sunshine and flowers.  The LT Murray reserve is at exit 101 on your way to Ellensburg.  It is famous for its bugling elk and flowers.  I saw one elk, but he didn’t have a bugle. The arrowhead balsam root is a little past its prime and it is about three weeks early for the extensive lupine displays, but I like the open hill sides of eastern Washington.  You can wander where you will.  I ran into hail, sunshine, wind and thunderstorms, but it didn’t snow on me.

There were still plenty of flowers, though it will be incredible about the middle of June.

 

The hail was interesting.  I was going down a scree slope when it started hailing.  It bounced off of the rocks and continued bouncing  down the hill.  It was like being in the worlds largest Pachinko machine.

Then I realized that hail stones are formed in thunderstorms along with lightening, high winds and other undesirable things to experience while hiking.  I quickly headed back to my car thinking the whole time that may be I would get some of those nice carbon fiber hiking poles instead of carrying around aluminum lightening rods disguised as hiking poles.

LT Murray Photos