May 24 - Little Cottonwood Creek Trail

 It was a sunny morning but by the time I set out around noon, it's overcast and mid-60s. Heading out to hike the Little Cottonwood Creek trail. The plan is to make it too the "end".

I arrive in the lot and there's a lot of folks; it was empty 2 weeks ago.

I gear up and start up the trail. Not expecting to see butterflies due to the lack of sun.

As I start up the trail, there is an absence of water noises. Not uncommon as the route the water around.

No real flowers blooming other than the cherry trees and I do find a blooming Salisfy, some Thimbleberry blooms and one of my favorites

I reach the water plant and there's water here and the rest of the way up.

I'm seeing blooming Solomon's Seal, Twisted Stalk, Virginia Waterleaf alongside the trail. Oh, and this flowering shrub

As I'm closing in on the bridge, the water sounds are getting louder. And at the bridge, the water is moving fast and higher than 2 weeks ago but I've seen it higher.

Continuing up, I have quite a number of folks on bikes and walking coming down; explains all the cars in the lot. 

The snow from last time is all gone.

Soon I'm crossing the 2nd bridge and then the 3rd. Again the water flow is higher but it has a ways to go. Note than the log I had to climb over last time has been removed. And the big deadfall at the 2nd water center has also been removed. Yea!

They've done a lot of trail work here. When I first moved here, there was water here during runoff but after a couple years, there was a lot of water. The added dirt, big boulders, moved things around. There's only 2 little streams right now and a couple of small waterfalls. It's much nicer now. Would be good to see during peak flow.

I stop to look at the water wheel.

Then I continue to climb until I reach the upper parking. It's usually flooded here but not so today. I continue up the trail towards the old brick water facility; the end point. I do reach water flow on the trail but it's just a little stream so easily passable.

That Balsamroot plant that been downhill of the upper parking that's been here since I moved here is blooming!!  

It's uphill until my favorite look-out spot.

And then the end. The building still exists surprisingly.

I take a short break before it's time to head downhill.

I take a short detour closer to the water

before continuing down.

The sky is getting lighter although no full sun. I see a very beaten CA Tortoiseshell, Mustard White, Orangetip and fresh Rocky Mt Duskywing on the way down.

Good day!

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