Forty for Forty: Pull-And-Go Outings

Article in partnership with The Wenatchee World 

Forty for Forty: Pull-And-Go Out

by Andy Dappen

If the Wenatchee post office were to display a ‘Most Wanted’ poster of invasive weeds, which bad actors might occupy the top spots?
In truth, the worst of the worst unwanted weeds is highly localized. Rainfall, temperatures, sunlight, soil type, and the amount of disturbed soil all affect which thugs will have a competitive advantage and flourish.
Also, the worst weeds often follow an order of succession. As human and natural forces conspire to knock back one weed, the soil may be ready for the next opportunistic seed that comes blowing in the wind. In my favorite foothill haunts, the Sage Hills, different forms of knapweed were the scourge fifteen years ago. Knapweed is still present but, through a combination of pulling, spraying, and bio controls (bugs), this raider is largely under control now.
However, over the past decade whitetop has become quite the marauder in the Sage Hills. Its seeds are spread rapidly by wind, animals, and humans, and it doesn’t require disturbed soil to take hold, crowd out its neighbors, and create its own monoculture. Pulling isolated plants and small clusters of whitetop is important because once a small patch establishes, the plant’s rhizomes permeate the ground, making pulling ineffective and herbicides necessary.
Over the last decade Western salsify has also flexed its muscles in the open spaces of the Sage Hills. Unfortunately this biennial is attractive and there’s nothing thorny, spiky, or ugly identifying it as an undesirable visitor. In its first year, salsify forms an attractive rosette of long, narrow leaves that look like blades of grass. The next year, it grows stalks that might support one to ten yellow, star-like flowers. And then the flowers transform into spectacular, dandelion-styled seed balls the size of a baseball. These balls each contain thousands of seeds, each with their own parachute, that spread far and wide in Central Washington’s windy spring weather.
These days many walkers have learned to recognize a handful of bad actors like knapweed, whitetop, Western salsify, tumble mustard, and tumble weed (Russian thistle), and have adopted the pull-and-go strategy of hiking. They walk awhile, pull a few weeds concentrating on getting the roots, leave the body of the weeds in the trail (inspiring others to pull-and-go as well), and repeat. 
From personal experience, I know it’s easy to get OCD about weeds once you’re in pull-and-go mode. So give yourself a target of 50 or 100 weeds and, upon reaching that target, let go of the fixation. Consider yourself to be part of the cure, not the cure itself. If hundreds of us participate, the villains on the Most Wanted posters will gradually disappear.

Trip Details:

Late June often delivers some sizable rain events to the Wenatchee foothills. A day or two following a hard rain is a particularly good time for a pull-and-go hike because the moisture-softened ground makes weed pulling easy. Here’s one such hike to consider in the Sage Hills.
Access: Drive west (uphill) on Fifth Street past its intersection with Western Avenue. In 0.7 mile, the road hooks hard to the left (south) and becomes Number One Canyon Road. Go another 0.4 mile to where Sage Hills Road splits off to the right. Park just before this split on the right (north) side of Number One Canyon Road. A gravel pull-off accommodates 8 or 9 cars. After parking, walk pavement along Sage Hills Road 0.2 mile to the start of the trail.

Maps: Signage and on-site maps are minimal to non-existent throughout the Sage Hills. Come with a detailed map of the area. Options include: 
WenatcheeOutdoors Sage Hills Map, https://wenatcheeoutdoors.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Sage-Hills-Complete-Trail-System.jpg 
Land Trust Foothills Trails Map, https://www.cdlandtrust.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/2020%20Foothills_Trail_Map_.pdf 
or CalTopo Map for a smartphone (in the CalTopo App, search on ‘Sage Hills, Wenatchee’ for the appropriate map).

Trip Instructions: Starting at the end of Sage Hills Drive and consulting the WenatcheeOutdoors map, walk the Lester Trail and then the Sage Hills Trail to Three Trail Saddle, which some maps call Five Trail Saddle (1.4 miles). Walk on, taking the left spur at different trail junctions, and follow the Coyote Canyon Trail to its junction with the Lower Lightning Trail (1.2 miles). Turn right and walk downhill on the Lightning Trail to Gut Saddle (0.35 mile). From Gut Saddle turn right and walk south on the Gut Trail (also called the Sage Hills Trail on some maps) back to Three Trail Saddle (1.2 miles). Retrace the Sage Hills and Lester trails back to the trailhead at Sage Hills Drive (1.4 miles). 

Trip Distance: 5.6 miles roundtrip.
Elevation Gain: 800 vertical feet.

Allowed: Hiking, trail running, mountain biking, horseback riding, leashed dogs. 
Not Allowed: No motorized vehicles, off-trail travel, hunting, shooting, littering, camping, or campfires. Strive to leave the area better than you found it. 

Land Ownership: The highlighted hike uses a combination of private, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, and Chelan PUD lands.
Best season: Spring and fall. In summer, beat the heat by walking in early morning or early evening.
Permits: None needed.
Seasonal Closures: Every winter the trails in the Sage Hills close from December 1 to April 1 to benefit the mule deer wintering here.
Weeding Tips: To more effectively remove weeds, carry a large flat-head screwdriver (or a dandelion weed-pulling tool) to loosen the soil around the taproots. Also add a few plastic grocery bags to the pack to carry away the flowers or seeds heads of Western salsify. This flower will still go to seed even after the plant is pulled, so pluck, pocket, and dispose of any flower buds on the plant. 
Resources. To wage war against local invasive weeds, use the tabs for ‘Controlling Noxious Weeds’ and ‘What to Look For’ at this weed guide compiled by the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. 
https://www.cdlandtrust.org/trails-access/field-guide/invasive-weeds 

Andy Dappen is the founder of  WenatcheeOutdoors.org and a former board member of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. Join him in supporting CDLT’s many projects that enhance our quality of life in Central Washington.  (https://www.cdlandtrust.org/support-us/membership)

Forty for Forty. Recognizing the 40th Anniversary of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust with 40 stories about places the CDLT has protected and kept open for public access.