Re: Earthday Wildflower Hike Report

Sunshine and little wind prevailed Saturday morning as the FOJF sponsored wildflower hike met at the Kiosk. While waiting, the appearance of a bobcat crossing the nearby desert kept the earlybirds entertained. Our final destination was a mystery until 9am when we decided to hike the upper Arrastre Canyon. As we travelled up 3N14, we were met by a spectacular display of lupine just over the top of sand hill. We parked at the BLM/USFS border and hiked down into the riparian valley to the north. Along the way, we soon encountered 3 resident mule deer along with many species of wildflowers that were in full bloom. Our hike was co hosted by the California Native Plant Society and our guide was former BLM biologist Tom Egan.

Our questions were abuntant and often was heard "Tom, what's this?" "Tom, whats that?" . Our guide answered our questions and we all learned much about the native fauna and flora of the area. Arrastre canyon was also the scene of a local gold rush and evidence of former mining activity still is evident. All of the former cabins that were in the area are gone but the stories remain and I took the oppertunity to share some of my local recollections. We all hiked out around 1 pm and the winds had started, cooling us as we acended back to our vehicles on 3N14. At the top, we snacked on oranges and took in the view that sweeps over the Victor Valley below.