When the snows melt and the ground thaws, we end up with mud everywhere.     Beach sands in the valley bottom are a good choice at first, but soon afterward some of the lower hills start to dry out.    First to dry are the south-facing, open slopes.    The sun dries out the snow and frost and with the low winter sun (at 42 degrees), those same slopes are at a relative 90 degree angle, the warmest possible effect.  The lower slopes also have no trees, so double and single tracks dry first.    Ridges also dry faster than gullies so we try to pick south-facing open ridges above the river valley.    One of the most scenic routes is up Tranquille Ridge, a  series of open ridges on the west side of the Tranquille River Canyon.

I parked at the bottom and followed an old double track up the hill.    The track veers off to the left higher up so I usually cross a gully to the prominent ridge looking over the river.   This ridge climbs all the way to the Pimple.

On the way up is the remains of an old split rail fenceline.

The ridgeline itself has no trail, but it also has not trees all the way to the top of the Pimple.    The vertical climb from bottom to top is 436 m (1430 ft).

To the west are the steep slopes of Jag Hill.    We hike up there too, but will wait for a while to allow the slopes to dry out.

Across the Tranquille River Canyon are the lower open slopes of Mount Mara, another good choice in early spring.

On this day, I climbed the ridge to a viewpoint below the Pimple.   Ragged cliffs, hoodoos, volcanic outcrops, and erosion features make the spot a fine reward for all of the uphill required.

On the way back down I looped over to parallel ridges, winding through open forest.    The river valley below featured the floodlands of the delta.

The lower end was mostly sagebrush and grass, dotted by a few junipers.

Some years I hike all the way to the top if the thawing process works out, but I chose the dry slopes only on this day, a 5 km return route.