The whole loop took Fluttershy, Batty, and I past two serene lakes, a high summit with a commanding view of Mt. Hood and the White River Valley, and down into the lonesome, dark, and boggy forest down along Boulder Creek and Crane Prairie. I saw almost no one the entire hike, and saw absolutely no one down in the dark bottomlands around Boulder Creek, where the trail was hard to follow and where a hive of bees chased us down the trail.
I took this photo near the end of my hike, at a beautiful talus slope dotted with golden Western Larches (a deciduous conifer, aka “pine” tree), and these cottonwoods. The Quaking Aspens were past their time, so I didn’t bother with a photo.
Fluttershy plushie (23 inches) made by Dawning Love