HIKING -- Holly Weiler of Spokane Valley recommends a big pack even for an overnight spring backpacking trip into the Blue Mountains. 

Being the first to trek up the North Fork Asotin Creek Trail was rewarded with the discovery of a six-point bull elk antler shed, which she had to pack out around 10 miles to the trailhead.

But what filled her pack was all the trash she collected that wintered in the mountains, leftover from last fall. 

Said Weiler:

Ice axe loops work nicely for shed hunters, too. That pack was heavy! The plastic bag is full of other people's trash.

North Fork Asotin Creek is one of the many destinations mentioned in my story about the visual pleasures of day hiking in April. 

It's Hike No. 124 in Day Hiking Eastern Washington.

Note:  I do not recommend camping at the ladybird beetle "meadow" during spring.  It's a rare find -- a fragile traditional roosting spot for bugs that have great value to society by preying on crop-plaguing insects.