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Middle Fork Tenaway River Trail, Cle Elum, WA
August 2014


Synopsis
After a busy summer, we escaped to the Wenatchee National Forest above Cle Elum for a little camping, hiking, and birding. We camped at the Indian Camp campground, a state run free site, which was largely used by horseback ridders, motorbikers, and 24-hour generator runners. Not the most peaceful campground. But we lucked out by staying at the site farthest from other campers, yet right next to the road (which wasn’t very busy).

During the day we hiked up the nearby Middle Fork Tenaway trail. The trail immediately starts off by crossing the Tenaway River and that isn’t the only river crossing. The trail follows and crosses the river multiple times. The water only gets warmer the colder your feet get. Thankfully the August warmth made hiking with wet feet bearable. On some river crossings, it is possible to rock hop across without getting wet feet if you are nibble enough, but it’s easier to strap on the Tevas and just motor through the icy waters.

Aside from traversing the cold waters of the Tenaway, the trail meanders through ponderosa, douglas maple, and alders. There are no spectacular viewpoints from the trail, but the forest and the rushing clear waters are the highlights as are the American Dippers who hunt the stoneflies and sculpin lurking around the rocks.

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Pictures (click on the pictures to enlarge)













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Bird List
Osprey
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Northern Goshawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Western Screech-Owl
Great Horned Owl
Common Nighthawk
Vaux's Swift
Belted Kingfisher
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Western Wood-Pewee
Hammond's Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Gray Jay
Steller's Jay
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
American Dipper
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Nashville Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Pine Siskin
Critters
Yellow-Pine Chipmunk
Douglas Squirrel
Cascade Frog
Pika
Blooming Flowers
Lewis' Monkeyflower
Butterflies
fritillary sp.
skipper sp.

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Information
National Forest info
Washington Trail Association description

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page updated: 9/28/14