Since I talked about walking in my last article, I was ready for some action. We packed up our grandkids on spring break and headed to the park by the Little Spokane River to see the Indian Painted Rocks.
We arrived and scurried out of our two cars, leaving the packed picnic for later. The parking fee in our state parks is $5 for all day. We paid our fee and got everyone situated on this sunny morning, ready to get on the trail to our destination.
The first thing I noticed when we arrived was a rattlesnake warning; be sure you keep your eyes and ears open as you hike when it gets warmer.
Anyway, with excited kids and curious minds we were so busy getting ready to walk we didn't get our bearings. We took a trail to the right of the parking lot without realizing the trail to the left right behind the sign held the wonders of the Native American pictographs.
Valley Trail
As we wandered off with five kids and our daughter along what was labeled the Valley Trail we soon saw evidence of lots of wildlife - droppings and footprints of coyotes, deer, possibly bear or cougar. The three girls were so noisy I think they kept most of the critters at bay. One deer managed to hang around for one of us to see, so did a couple of magpies.
We finally realized we were surely on the wrong trail as we kept walking the rustic road with no pictographs or signs within eyesight. After about a half hour we turned back, but not before the kids came upon a deer carcass that had been stripped clean by other hungry animals. That was the highlight of their day for them. I could have done without that sight, though I realize that's how nature operates.
This trail did make me feel I was back in time, with all the wildlife activity evident, not an everyday event. If you are the adventuresome type and like pine forests and all the surprises they have to offer, this trail is for you.
Looking back, I smile. Every time we decided to turn back someone in the group said, "Let's see what's around that next corner." We went quite a bit further that way. It's sort of like life; you never know what's around the next corner. But soon we let the next corner be and headed back to where we started.
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