Skunk – wanderingyuncks

2025 Wildlife Gallery Part 2 – Featherless Friends

Part two of 2025 wildlife wrap-up is a collection of the non-bird critters that we were able to get a photo of during our 2025 outings. I checked one animal off the list of those that we hadn’t seen while hiking during our Tygh Creek hike in May when I spotted a skunk making its way up the trail ahead. Heather unfortunately missed out on that sighting. We also saw a sea otter during our visit to Olympic National Park in May however it was so far away that we weren’t sure what we were looking at until we were able to look at the couple of photos that I had taken. It was exciting to have seen one, but it would have been more exciting had we realized what we were seeing at the time. The other exciting (and scariest) sighting was just our second rattlesnake in the Criterion Tract along the Deschutes River, also in May. We didn’t see it until we heard the loud hiss and rattle letting us know that we were getting too close.

Bumble bee – Mt. Hood National Forest, 05/24/25.

Bee swarm – William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, 04/30/25.

Unknown bee species – Criterion Tract, 05/25/25.

Beetle – Criterion Tract, 05/25/25.

Beetles – Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, 07/14/25.

Beetles – Mt. Hood National Forest, 06/14/25.

Isopod – Olympic National Park, 05/15/25.

Western sea slater (Ligia occidentalis) – Olympic National Park, 05/14/25.

Spider hiding in the camas – Thurston Hills, 04/19/25.

Crab spider – Clearwater River Trail, 06/21/25.

Slug – Thurston Hills, 04/19/25.

Slug – Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, 05/03/25.

Slug – Olympic National Park, 05/13/25.

Slug – Olympic National Park, 05/12/25.

Slug – Olympic National Park, 05/15/25.

Snail – Oswald West State Park, 04/05/25.

Snail – Loon Lake Recreation Area, 05/03/25.

Snail – Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, 05/03/25.

Snail – Umpqua National Forest, 05/31/25.

Dragon flies – Mt. Washington Wilderness, 07/19/25.

Caterpillar – Olympic National Park, 05/13/25.

Caterpillars – Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, 07/17/25.

Cinnabar moth – Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Linn County Oregon, 07/17/25.

Plume moth – Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Linn County Oregon, 07/17/25.

Moth – Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Marion County Oregon, 07/14/25.

Moth – Mt. Washington Wilderness, Linn County Oregon, 07/19/25.

Moth – Mt. Hood National Forest, Wasco County Oregon, 06/14/25.

Brown elfin (and fly) – Mt. Hood National Forest, Wasco County Oregon, 05/24/25.

Ochre ringlet – Criterion Tract, Wasco County Oregon, 05/25/25.

Cabbage White – Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, Washington County Oregon, 05/01/25.

Margined white – Oswald West State Park, Tillamook County Oregon, 04/05/25.

Western white? – Mt. Hood National Forest, Hood River County Oregon, 07/12/25.

California tortoiseshell – Mt. Hood National Forest, Hood River County Oregon, 07/12/25.

Sagebrush checkerspot (f) – Criterion Tract, Wasco County Oregon, 05/25/25.

Sagebrush checkerspot? (m) – Criterion Tract, Wasco County Oregon, 05/25/25.

Checkerspot (Hoffman’s?) – Mt. Hood National Forest, Hood River County Oregon, 07/12/25.

Clodius Parnassian – Sourgrass Mountain, Lane County Oregon, 06/28/25.

Propertius duskywing – Mt. Hood National Forest, Wasco County Oregon, 06/14/25.

Possibly a Pacuvius Duskywing (Erynnis pacuvius) – Mt. Hood National Forest, Wasco County Oregon, 05/24/25.

A skipper – Criterion Tract, Wasco County Oregon, 05/25/25.

Field crescent – Mt. Washington Wilderness, Linn County Oregon, 07/19/25.

Meadow fritillary – Mt. Rainier National Park, Yakima County Washington, 08/08/25.

A fritillary but not sure which one. – Criterion Tract, Wasco County Oregon, 05/25/25.

Another of the fritillaries. – Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Linn County Oregon, 07/17/25.

Wester sulphur – Mt. Hood National Forest, Wasco County Oregon, 06/14/25.

Indra swallowtail – Criterion Tract, Wasco County Oregon, 05/25/25.

Pale tiger swallowtail – Mt. Hood National Forest, Wasco County Oregon, 06/14/25.

When it comes to the Lycaenidae Family (Gossamer Wings) I am almost always out of my depth trying to identify them.

Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, Marion County Oregon, 07/14/25.

Mt. Hood National Forest, Wasco County Oregon, 05/24/25.

Mt. Washington Wilderness, Linn County Oregon, 07/19/25.

Criterion Tract, Wasco County Oregon, 05/25/25.

Olympic National Park, Clallam County Washington, 05/13/25.

These might be Echo Azures – Mt. Hood National Forest, Wasco County Oregon, 05/24/25.

Crab – Olympic National Park, Clallam County Wasing 05/14/25.

Hermit Crab – Olympic National Park, 05/14/25.

Velalla velella – Olympic National Park, 05/14/25.

Anemones – Olympic National Park, 05/14/25.

Starfish – Olympic National Park, 05/14/25.

Lions mane jellyfish – Rockaway Beach, 09/06/25.

Sealion – Olympic National Park, 05/14/25.

Seals – Olympic National Park, 05/15/25.

Sea otter, albeit a poor picture – Olympic National Park, 05/14/25.

Tree frog – Mt. Washington Wilderness, 07/19/25.

Frog – Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, 07/14/25.

Bullfrog (invasive) – Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, 04/28/25.

Painted and western pond turtles – William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, 04/30/25.

Dunn’s salamander – Thurston Hills, 04/19/25.

Rough skinned newt – Driftwood Beach, 01/11/25.

Lizard – Mt. Hood National Forest, 05/24/25.

Snake – Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, 04/28/25.

Snake – McDonald-Dunn Forest, 07/05/25.

Western racer – Mt. Hood National Forest, 05/24/25.

Western rattlesnake – Criterion Tract, 05/25/25.

Olympic chipmunk – Olympic National Park, 05/13/25.

Townsend’s? chipmunk – Silver Falls State Park, 10/13/25.

Yellow pine chipmunk – Mt. Rainier National Park, 08/04/25.

Golden-mantled ground squirrel – Mt. Rainier National Park, 08/04/25.

Douglas’ squirrel – Olympic National Park, 05/13/25.

Western gray squirrel – William L. Finely National Wildlife Refuge, 04/30/25.

California ground squirrel – E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area, 04/27/25.

Nutria (invasive) – Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge, 05/01/25.

Yellow-bellied marmot – Three Sisters Wilderness, 07/15/25.

Hoary marmot – Mt. Rainier National Park, 08/05/25.

Pika – Mt. Jefferson Wilderness, 07/14/25.

Rabbit – Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, 04/28/25.

Racoon – Olympic National Park, 05/14/25.

Skunk – Mt. Hood National Forest, 05/26/25.

Coyote – William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge, 04/30/25.

Black-tailed deer – Mt. Rainier National Park, 08/04/25.

Mule deer – Criterion Tract, 05/25/25.

Elk – Elk Run Trail, 10/11/25.

Mountain goats – Mt. Rainier National Park, 08/05/25.

Being fortunate enough to witness animals in their natural habitat is one of the perks of hiking and we hope to see many more this coming year. We’re still on the lookout for several species that are possibilities. Most notable and likely of these are porcupines, giant pacific salamanders, and cougars. Much less likely but possible are wolves, wolverines, and moose among others. Happy Trails!

Tygh Creek Trail – 05/26/2025

After spending a second night in The Dalles it was time to return home, but before we headed to Salem we had one more hike to do in the area. There was one more hike on the east side of the Badger Creek Wilderness featured in Matt Reeder’s “Off the Beaten Trail” (2nd edition) guidebook – Tygh Creek. His recommended hike on the trail is a 4-mile out-and-back gaining 1700′. If that sounds steep, it is!

We left The Dalles and drove south on Highway 197 and made our way to the unsigned Tygh Creek Trailhead along Forest Road 27.
The Tygh Creek Trail across FR 27 from the Tygh Creek Trailhead.

The trailhead is just 1.4-miles from the School Canyon Trailhead where we had started our hike two days earlier (post). It is theoretically possible to combine the two trails into a 13.7-mile loop, but the upper portion of the Tygh Creek Trail is reported faint and prone to heavy blow down. Even if the trails were clear we didn’t have time for a long hike today, so the 4-mile option was perfect.

For the first half mile the trail did a little up and down along Tygh Creek.

The only two trees down that needed to be climbed under/over.

Tygh Creek

At the half mile mark the trail left the creek and began the steep climb to the ridge above.

Heather had opted to not tackle the climb after already having done two challenging hikes this weekend so I had left the car before her and was on my own heading uphill when I spotted something moving in the forest ahead. I noticed the black first but then saw white as well and realized it was a skunk on the trail ahead.
Distance + low light + moving animal = blurry photo.

The skunk had been at the far end of this section of trail which was lined with lupine.

I stopped and watched the skunk head uphill until it was out of sight and then proceeded carefully not wanting to wind up smelling of skunk for the entire ride home. (I’m sure Heather would not have appreciated that either.) It was a good thing I was being cautious because after a short distance I noticed the skunk in some brush just off the trail.

The little stinker had a pretty cute face.

We stared at each other for a minute, and I politely requested it move along. When that didn’t work I left the trail in an attempt to swing out wide and pick up the trail further uphill. My moving again prompted the skunk to run off deeper into the forest with its tail in “firing position”. I hoped it wasn’t randomly spraying the air which might still get me but fortunately the safety was kept on and I was in the clear to continue the hike.

Reeder mentioned the middle third of the 0.9-mile climb as being “some of the steepest, dustiest trail in the Badger Creek Wilderness.” From the sample of trails we’ve hiked in this wilderness I’d agree with that statement. The first and final third were no picnic either. There were however great views and a lot of wildflowers to look at as I slowly trudged uphill.
The trail is to the right in this photo.

Paintbrush, balsamroot, and a strawberry blossom.

Ball Point

Rough eyelashweed

When a trail looks steep in a photo that tells you something.

More paintbrush and balsamroot.

Townsend’s solitaire

Buckwheat

My goal, the turn around point, was up on the crest of that ridge ahead.

Lupine, balsamroot, and a death camas.

Dogwood tree among the ponderosa pines.

Mahala mat

Getting close to the ridge and still steep.

The trail got less steep near the ridge.

Gordon Butte to the right. Broken Top, the Three Sisters, and Mt. Jefferson would also have been visible if not for the clouds.

Level trail on the ridge!

The hike describes cresting a “small” ridge and finding a user trail on the left that leads to a viewpoint sometimes used as a helispot. I headed out the ridge and quickly realized that my definition of “small” and Reeder’s were not the same.
Looking ahead at the trees atop the “small” ridge.

Sandwort

Oregon sunshine

Wildflowers on the “small” ridge.

Almost to the crest.

While I never actually spotted a use trail it was easy to see the opening where a helicopter could land just to the left of the trail, so I made my way out to the opening.

The clouds here are hiding Mt. Hood which should be visible behind the ridge. What is visible is Flag Point (post) in the middle with the Flag Point Lookout Tower.

Looking toward Mt. Jefferson.

Parts of Mt. Jefferson peeking out through the clouds.

After catching my breath at the viewpoint I began the steep descent back to Tygh Creek. I had been so focused on the climb up that I saw a few flowers that I’d missed on my first pass.
I’d seen a couple whitestem frasera going up but coming down I realized just how many there actually were, although none of the plants were quite blooming yet.

Groundsel

Broken Top and some of the Three Sisters were visible on the way down.

Tam McArthur Rim (post), Broken Top with Green Ridge (post) and Black Butte (post) in front, and parts of the Three Sisters.

I missed this whole patch of silvercrown earlier.

Pine Hollow Reservoir and Central Oregon.

Elkhorn clarkia aka ragged robin.

Threadleaf phacelia

Paintbrush with Ball Point in the background.

Vetch

Penstemon

Bastard toadflax

Buttes in Cental Oregon.

Back in the forest near Tygh Creek.

Tygh Creek

Squirrel

Starflower

Coral fungus

The trailhead in sight.

The hike was just under 4-miles with 1700′ of elevation gain.
The Tygh Creek track along with a portion of Saturday’s hike on the School Canyon Trail at the bottom.

Tackling this hike when my legs were already tired from the previous two days wasn’t ideal, but its length was which allowed us to get home to Salem before 11am. It was a little disappointing not having clearer views from the helispot given the effort to get there, but the wildflowers and views that I did have made for a good hike regardless.

In a crazy twist I posted a few photos on Instagram and Matt Reeder himself commented having also hiked the trail a little later that same morning. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Tygh Creek