Covering the state track meet in Pasco on May 24 was a big thrill on two fronts. It was a chance to witness the Eastmont girls winning their second state championship in six years, and it symbolically marked the beginning of another fun-filled summer of hiking in North Central Washington.

It's still tough to get into the high country, however, because of a big snow pack and melt-off that's taking its sweet time. Going in, the game plan called for a short hike on one of several trails close to home to start the season. Saddle Rock was checked off the list last year, so it was off to Sage Hills on the western edge of Wenatchee.

The goals are threefold: Explore spectacular landscape, get into good physical shape, and encounter animals, perhaps even a bear or a cougar. Coyotes aren't exactly scary, but meeting one on the maiden hike gives reason to be optimistic about critter sightings later this summer.

Sage Hills is called Lester's Trail for the first half-mile or so. It cuts through private property, so staying on course and not littering are more important than ever here. It's a gradual incline heading north through open fields of grass, sagebrush and wildflowers.

Soon the path enters Chelan-Douglas Land Trust land and a Chelan County PUD wildlife preserve.

Widely popular with mountain bikers, Sage Hills is close enough to Wenatchee to ride on your lunch break. It's a single-track, hard-packed trail with just the right incline for a mountain biker of any skill. Four solo bikers passed by on Saturday. They all seemed like they were having more fun than me, probably because they were moving a lot faster. There were no hikers seen on this two-and-a-half-hour trip. There was one jogger and her leashed dog. Leashes are required on Sage Hills.

For hikers, it might be tempting to cut switchbacks as the trail slowly meanders up the arid landscape to a small saddle near a outcrop of weathered sandstone about a mile in. There are plenty of signs reminding you that cutting switchbacks are frowned upon, so take your time and enjoy the views of Wenatchee, East Wenatchee and the foothills. An old trail that took a more direct approach up the hill was decommissioned in 2006 because it was causing erosion.

Less than two miles into the hike, the path comes to an unmarked intersection at the Five Trail Saddle, elevation 1,360. Here, hikers, bikers and runners can drop into the Broadview development with access from Maiden Lane. The main path, however, leads you up Ponderosa Ridge.

A cursory knowledge of the routes — or better yet, a map — would come in handy. This unprepared hiker was confused by the maze of spurs and double-track jeep roads. If you follow the trail in the best condition, which is recommended to prevent erosion, you'll bank to the west and head into the hills along the aptly-named Coyote Canyon. Here, I met Mr. Coyote. He kept his distance as he watched me moving quietly through his territory.

After crossing Coyote Canyon, you'll climb up to a ridge and encounter more spur trails and a jeep road at about 1,800 feet. You can see a network of trails in the Horse Lake Road area on the other side of a scenic gorge. Better views come into play here. You can see most of Sunnyslope and northern portions of Wenatchee proper, including the new Greater Wenatchee Regional Events Center.

Time constraints stopped the hike here, but you can press on along the Sage Hills-Ponderosa Ridge trail. You'll zig-zag across a steeper jeep road to an elevation of about 2,800 with views of Mission Ridge. Staying on the trail is recommended because the jeep roads create erosion.

Sage Hills is great hike if you only have a few hours to spare. Next time I'll bring a map, or better yet a bike.