"These sure are beautiful trails," a man on a mountain bike stopped to say. Immediately I knew he was from Seattle. Local people would never say that. Yes, he was from Seattle.

"Don't tell your friends in Seattle about Squilchuck State Park," Karen said. "This is our favorite hike near town. We don't want it overcrowded."

As we descended, Karen stopped and gasped. She dropped to her knees. "You won't believe it, Kathleen!" she called. "Look what I found!"

"Wow, a Calypso orchid!" I said, gobsmacked. "I can't believe you spotted such a tiny flower. I thought it was too arid here for Calypso orchids."

"This is a moist spot," Karen replied. She stood up and looked around. "Why aren't there more nearby? This is the only one."

In 45 years of hiking, I have only seen these tiny orchids once before. They bloom for just a week. A rare jewel in North Central Washington.

Photos:

1. Calypso orchid, taken in 2013.

2. To show how tiny it is, here's Karen with the Calypso orchid.

3. Meadows were carpeted with yellow Balsamroot flowers that were sacred to the Wenatchii native tribe.