Mount Aire via the Pipeline Trail - June 28, 2025

[scatman]

I've been sicker than a dog for 12 days now. I picked up some respiratory infection when I was in the Pacific Northwest for my daughter's graduation ceremony. I've been starting to feel a little better the last four days, with gradual improvement each day, but I thought that I might be able to clear the pipes (lungs and sinuses) out with a good hike.

Upper Millcreek Canyon is closed due to construction. They are widening the road in places and upgrading some trailheads, so I had to park at the Burch Hollow Trailhead and hike up the Pipeline Trail to Elbow Fork to pick up the Mount Aire Trailhead. Total roundtrip distance was just over ten miles.

Geraniums were the wildflower of the day as they were prolific from Elbow Fork to the slopes of Mount Aire, with Dwarf sunflowers and Mule-ears running a close second.


A proud mom and dad as Katie received her master's degree last week from the
University of Washington in Seattle.


Over view map of the day's hike


The Jeep has gotten a lot of action these last few weeks


At the Burch Hollow Trailhead


Reaching the Pipeline Trail


Goldeneye


View up Bowman Fork


The Pipeline Trail


Streambank wild hollyhock


Feverfew


The balsamroot flowers are no more


Looking west towards the mouth of Millcreek Canyon


Reaching the Burch Hollow Trail


Wild rose


Spreading dogbane


Grand collomia


Sulphur buckwheat


A new bridge on the Pipeline Trail at junction with Elbow Fork


Yarrow and geraniums


Richardson's geranium


Large-leafed aven


Sticky geranium and friend


Stay left


They replace the old wooden bridge that had collapsed with this


Paintbrush


Blue elderberry


Cow-parsnip


Hollyhock


Twinberry honeysuckle


Geraniums


Thimbleberry


Stand of aspen


Dwarf sunflower


Bumblebee on some horsemint


Few flowered pea


Rocky Mountain dwarf sunflowers


Ditto


Lewis Flax and a spider


Mule-ears, with Parleys Ridge in the distance. If you have really good eyes you can make out Frary Peak beyond the ridge


Diamond clarkia


A hovering hummingbird. The shot didn't turn out, but I liked it anyway.



Gobblers Knob and Mount Raymond


Lupine


Western wallflower


Summit of Mount Olympus rises above the Millcreek Ridge



Skyrocket


Wildcat Ridge in the distance, from Mount Olympus to the west to Mount Raymond to the east.


Hawksbeard


Buckwheat to the summit


The yurt on Church Fork Peak with Grandeur Peak looming above


Mount Olympus and Grandeur Peak through a dead mountain mahogany


Hooker's onion through the gamble oak


Summit shot


Elk have been up top


Unnamed Peak 8490 and Millvue Peak beyond


Gobblers Knob to Olympus


The summit, with Parleys Canyon below


Sego lily




This horned lizard posed for me as I walked around him taking pictures


Common yarrow and friends


Wildflowers were just gorgeous on this hike


A look down Elbow Fork and upper Millcreek


Common sagebrush lizard


Wood's rose


More skyrocket


Unnamed Peak 8490 located to the east of Mount Aire


Back through the mule-ears and dwarf sunflowers


Looking down Elbow Fork with Gobblers Knob above


Caterpillar on the trail


Yellow salsify


Rocky Mountain ninebark


I stopped for a quick break at the junction of Elbow Fork and the Pipeline Trail and this squirrel got after me


The new bridge from a different angle


The hot Pipeline Trail on my way back to the Jeep


More hooker's onion


Some type of aster


Back at the dirty Jeep


The End.

 

[fossana]

Great pics and congrats to your daughter!

 

[scatman]

Great pics and congrats to your daughter!

Thanks on both counts.

 

[Ugly]

Glad you are feeling better. That damp NW air, and air travel!
Next time you go there, I would think you should do Teneriffe, or Mailbox, or Gunn Peak or something with outrageous elevation gain...

The yellows were all popping up Millcreek, it looks wonderful, and I really like the attitude that horny toad is giving you in the last shot. Did you coach him up, like "You're working it. Now show me some teenage contempt and look back over your shoulder..."

 

[Rockskipper]

The flowers, the toads, the long distant sweeps,
A master's degree to reach the high peaks,
Scatmeister does good even when his brain sleeps.

(I know it doesn't really make sense, but I figure since you're half-sick, you'll think it's just you.)

Congrats on your very bright daughter.

 

[scatman]

Glad you are feeling better. That damp NW air, and air travel!
Next time you go there, I would think you should do Teneriffe, or Mailbox, or Gunn Peak or something with outrageous elevation gain...

The yellows were all popping up Millcreek, it looks wonderful, and I really like the attitude that horny toad is giving you in the last shot. Did you coach him up, like "You're working it. Now show me some teenage contempt and look back over your shoulder..."

Yeah, that horny toad did have some attitude. He was good sized too. I saw two others: one small one that ran under a rock before I could snap a shot, and a medium sized one that was half in and half out of the shade which I didn't think I could get a good picture of.



I drove to the Pacific Northwest instead of flying. I did a lot of walking around Boise, Portland, Seattle, and Baker City.


Boise

In Boise, we ate ate Ram Brewpub, and then went on a two hour walk along the Boise River.


Mountain High Mud Pie at the Ram


The Boise River



A deer watches us pass by





Some flowers along the river


Portland

I went to Powell's Book Store in Portland and picked up a book on walking Portland, so Sheila and I did a four mile hike through Historic Portland (Old Portland) that included a couple of miles along the Willamette. We made a slight detour off the route to pick up some Voodoo donuts before finishing our loop. That night we attended a Portland Pickles baseball game.


Mt Hood and the Columbia River


In Portland to visit Scatman Jr.


Dragon boats docked on the Willamette


Hawthorne Bridge over the Willamette




Morrison Bridge


Underbelly of the Morrison Bridge


I was taking pictures of all the moorings along the river, but this guy was sitting on this one.


This water skier was doing all kinds of acrobatic moves jumping over the wake. It was pretty impressive. There was another boat
trailing this group filming them.


Burnside Bridge


Architecture of historic Portland. Most of the buildings were built in the 1870's and 1880's


The Voodoo!


Mmm, Mmm, Mmm! We've got a Memphis Mafia, a Marshall Mathers, and a Dirt


Going to town on the Mafia


More old town architecture


My Daughter texted Sheila and told us that Brain Wilson and Sly Stone had passed away. We ducked into this Irish Pub to toast
both of them. Two geniuses in my book.


A Guinness for the toasting


Nachos at Jays Bar and Grill before the Pickles' game


Arriving at Walker Stadium


We attended a Portland Pickles baseball game and the mascot attacked Jr.


The Pickles beat the Walla Walla Sweets 10 - 4.


Seattle

On to Seattle to watch my daughter graduate. We walked or used public transportation the entire time we were in Seattle


At a pizzeria just off campus of the University of Washington called Elemental




To train for @Bob 's upcoming Salt River Range Trip, I climbed a lot of stairs to get to campus.



The University of Washington's library. Katie received her masters in Library Science


Doofus and smart young lady


On our way back from seeing the Fremont Troll, we stopped at a Cider House in Fremont. I got a habanero mango cider. It had
some kick to it.


Later that evening I got to attend my first Major League Baseball game as the Mariners were playing the Cleveland Guardians


Batters helmet full of nachos! And a package of jalapeños.


The Mariners won 7 - 2


Time to take the Link back to our hotel.

The next day was graduation day.


Beginning the long walk to Huskie Stadium for Katie's graduation


Continuing the long walk


Picking up a friend on the way.


They announced a crowd of 52,000 attended the graduation ceremonies


For some reason this smiley face had me mesmerized. It doesn't take much to entertain the Scatman


The deed is done.



Scat's first visit to a Chinatown



Where there just happens to be a pinball museum. Giving Captain Fantastic and the Pinball Wizard a go just like in my youth. I got
a free replay on both. Scatman still has it!


Then it was onto Seattle's oldest Chinese Restaurant - The Tai Tung Restaurant




A nice tribute to Bruce Lee who frequented the Tai Tung. He also attended the University of Washington back in the day.

The next day it was a tour of underground Seattle and a visit to Pike Place Market.




Remnants of underground Seattle


This glass placed in the sidewalks were used for skylights on the lower level


View from below. It was surprising how much light they actually let in.


Chief Seattle

Now on to Pike Place


But first a stop at Pike Brewery. What do you think @Rockskipper , a Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale.
Seems somehow appropriate.



After the waiter gave me some guff, I had to go into the Bruce Lee pose to let him know that the Scatman means business.


After the Scotch ale, came the Quintuple X Stout


Oh, you know I had to get some of these


First handful of the nuts


Pike Place Fish Company


Where does one catch a sturgeon?


Street performer


Can't go to Seattle without going to the Gum Wall


Authentic Indian food for dinner at a place called the Spice King


On leaving Seattle, we stopped for breakfast at Chace's because . . . . . . . . . . .


They serve buckwheat pancakes of course!


Baker City

From Seattle, we drove to Baker City where we enjoyed food and drink and a walk along the Powder River.


We stayed the night at the historic Geiser Grand Hotel


We stopped by Barley Brown's Brew Pub for dinner and noticed this. @Bob 's famous!


Across the street from the brew pub is their tap house, where I enjoyed an Imperial Stout


Unbelievable! As we started our walk along the Powder River, we ran into this. A Gremlin! I can see one of these in your future
@TractorDoc .


Flower along the river


Wildlife rich


A red-winged blackbird


The Powder River



Another red-winged blackbird



Some rock art along the trail


Another deer


And more


Back at the Geiser Grand


View inside of the hotel.


Well there you go @Ugly , two trip reports for the price of one! Can't beat that.

 

[Ugly]

Wowza! 2 for 1 is right! Nice.

You did walk a lot and got around to so many places.
The intense rivalry of the Pickles vs the Sweet (Onions)- a battle of savory side dishes... and all that great food. At the Mariners were you tempted by the teriyaki or sushi rolls? I had good food at the Padres, but the Mariners were even better. I don't really like baseball, but going and eating a couple meals while some guys run around in the sun is great.

The Memphis Mafia is so tempting... did that box of donuts weigh 2 lbs?

I assume you drove the Columbia gorge on the way in? that's where you can fish the sturgeon, or upriver in the Snake.
Did the Wallowas whisper like sirens, tempting you off in the distance as you drove by? They are not as in your face as the Cascades.

 

[Janice]

Congrats to your daughter! Great scenes from her graduation celebration as well as your recovery hike. I always love the flowers and close up animal pictures - fun to see the hummingbird and others. When I saw the horned lizard, I was reminded of this fabulous Nat Geo video. My students were completely grossed out and loved it!