Umptanum Creek Trail

Umptanum Falls is a favorite of ours, but we've also gone the other way along Umptanum Creek, starting where it drains into the Yakima River in the canyon south of Ellensburg. This is another: "The kids are at school, let's find a trail to hike" moment for jon and Brittany.

There's a thought out there that says that humans are the most advanced creatures on Earth, but I've never bought into that. One of the countless of examples I see of that every day is included here in this picture. Along our path, Brittany and I kept encountering many tree stumps and branches that clearly had been chewed away rather than chopped down by a human. We came along this dam that by my estimate was probably between three and four feet high, clearly stopping Umptanum Creek to barely a trickle. Very impressive. No sign of the workers, but still a sight to see.

If you can't tell, it was cold that day, with the creek iced over in some parts. Brittany was starting to get pretty cold here if her "thumbs down" pose doesn't already say that.

That rock I'm resting my left leg on? It decided to shift ever so slightly as this pic was taken. Didn't get wet, but Mother Nature was saying, "look, don't touch".