We loved our first excursion at Half Moon, and wanted to explore more of the trail. We had done NO research on the trail, we simply set out to explore. The forecast was iffy, with a high chance of snow/rain. The trail was still wet from the storms of the previous few days, but we didn't have a lot of options when the kids could go, so it had to be a Saturday. May 9th it was. We bundled up, and let the dogs tag along...as they are great for "wildlife" duty. We ended hiking out 1.8 miles, to the inlet, and then back. It started to rain like crazy as we drove away from the trailhead, but we were dry for the hike.
Below: I didn't expect to see so many flowers already blooming!
(tall fringed bluebells?)
(balsam root)
And I did NOT expect to see cactus!
(prickly pear)
(oregon grape)
This was a cool uprooted, dead tree...with moss growing on it. I've only seen this kind of moss in Yellowstone...which, I guess, isn't really that far away....
I love this little peninsula, I hope to camp there soon.
Onward up the trail...
You know that phrase: "stop and smell the roses"? Phoenix, being a retriever, has changed that saying to "stop and sample the water". Every stream, creek, river, lake, pond, spring, seep, or puddle. Every.Single.One. He glories in water. Rolling and laying in it, usually....with lots of tasting, too. Then he jumps up and romps down the trail to find the next water adventure...
This one was very unique, I had to look it up. It is called Old Man's Whiskers. Yeah. Google it and see what it looks like in it's later stages of blooming. ;) It looks like a Dr. Seuss flower...
Great view...;)
Sometimes, the joy of being in the wilderness simply has to come out somehow...and can often occur randomly...
And is contagious...
Some trails are meant to be run...
More bluebells...
Budding lupine...
Our antics on the trail spooked a large bird we didn't know was nesting nearby. Later, we discovered it was an osprey, nesting in an old dead tree, right on the shore of the lake. It was beautiful!
Such a gorgeous trail, and we kept going because we wanted to see what was around the next corner...we had no original plans of hiking to the inlet...
The rocks are seriously so cool. Awesome patterns of lichen, moss and colors...
(white phlox)
Loved this boulder!
(some sort of alpine succulent)
Weird, nerf-like mushrooms...
(harebells)
The waters of the inlet...getting closer...
And here it is! we made it to the inlet--where Pole Creek empties into Half Moon.
Most of the trail was smooth-ish, some sections where it was rocky...
The dogs are great for troop morale...
A weird looking fungus on the juniper trees...
The osprey's nest again...this time we were quiet and careful so as not to disturb it....
(? not sure of this one as it was still budding...)
How often do you see cactus growing out of moss?!
(more oregon grape)
The Shooting Star wildflower...
Aaannndd......near the end of the hike O says "yuck! a spider! get it off!" well....it wasn't a spider, exactly...but a tick. This was the third one we've seen on our hikes here in the Winds...the first two were on the Boulder creek trail--where Aaron found one on his pant leg, and I had one CRAWLING ON MY ARM. My bare arm. There may or may not have been lots of drama. Spiders don't bother me....but ticks?! BLEH! We saw a fourth tick. It was crawling up Aaron's back. In our bed. Needless to say, we are now VERY careful of checking for ticks after ever hike...and wearing long sleeves and long pants. So nasty.
All in all, this Half Moon trail is gorgeous, easy, and close to home (about 20 minutes to the trailhead). Yes, I would do it again. :)
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